AUTUMN is the time to invest into your garden and ensure it stays healthy and vibrant throughout the rest of the year.
Experts believe it is the perfect time to give soil some TLC and keep those pesky weeds in check.
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And one gardening expert has revealed a £2.79 trick that will transform your garden and it’s a “must” for the autumn season.
Ben Agnew, grass expert at Lawnsmith, has shared the importance of applying an autumn fertiliser this month and how a checkerboard can ensure even application.
Ben explains that autumn is a key time in a garden’s calendar, as the transition from the heat of summer to the colder months begins.
He says: “Feeding your lawn correctly can help strengthen it for the winter ahead and set a solid foundation for the spring.
“Fertiliser prepares your lawn for the cold weather and helps strengthen the grassroots, making it more resistant to frost and disease.
“It also encourages healthier, denser growth in the spring.”
But feeding is also a crucial step for sowing new seeds, which many gardeners will be doing this season to repair bare patches or to start a fresh lawn.
“A fertiliser will support new growth but you need a balanced feed. For newly sown or overseeded lawns, use a feed that is high in phosphorus to support root development,” says Ben.
“Nitrogen is usually in spring and summer feeds but adding a moderate level to an overseeding lawn will promote steady growth.”
For existing lawns, it’s essential to protect them against the winter chill.
A low nitrogen, high potassium fertiliser strengthens the roots while avoiding excessive top growth.
Ben says: “Iron supplements improve the grass colour and toughens its defences against fungal diseases and moss during damp months.
“Phosphate should also be in the mix to support root development.
“You should apply your autumn feed early enough for it to have an effect before the first frost arrives.”
Avoid using too much feed at once as you don’t want to over-fertilise
Ben Agnew
Spread your fertiliser equally to avoid overstressing areas while others are left without product.
Ben says: “You could visually break your lawn down into a checkerboard, using items to mark it out if you need to.”
A checkboard can be bought from online stores including Amazon and Temu for £2.79.
“Start spreading fertiliser evenly as you move in one direction from one side of your lawn to the other.
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“Then change direction.
So if you moved horizontally in rows before, now go vertically across your lawn while applying a feed.
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“As you move in rows, back and forth, you will be crossing over the same areas multiple times so everywhere should be covered by the time you’re done.
“As you’ll revisit areas, avoid using too much feed at once as you don’t want to over-fertilise.”
September gardening jobs
With September starting, so does autumn, and The Sun’s Gardening Editor Veronica Lorraine has a few tasks to keep you busy as the summer sun winds down.
1. Starting thinking about Spring bulbs
Its early bulb time! As well as the more traditional daffodils, crocuses, alliums and bluebells, try snake-head fratillaries for something slightly different.
2. Remember the bees
Make sure you’re still looking after the bees with autumn flowering pollinators – like sedums, honeysuckle and asters.
3. Dig and enjoy your potatoes
Maincrop potatoes are ready to dig up – make sure you get them all so they don’t get slug damage.
4. Change your lawn mowing schedule
Raise the height of your lawn mower and start to reduce the amount of mowing you do. GIve it an autumn feed, especially if you didn’t get round to it in Summer and start to rake to remove thatch.
5. Plant out new perennials while the soil is still warm.
6. Take salvia cuttings
It’s as easy as cutting a shoot tip above a node and chucking it in a glass of water to see if it sprouts roots. Especially with tender Salvias which wont survive the winter.
7. Keep camelias well watered to make sure that buds form next year.
8. Keep on deadheading and watering your hanging baskets
They should keep going until the first frosts.
9. Get pumpkins Halloween ready
Remove any leaves shading pumpkins to make sure they’ll be ready for halloween – and make sure you keep watering them, they’re very thirsty.
10. Check on your pond
Net your pond to stop it filling with fallen leaves when the trees start to drop.
