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I am not a gardener, as such, but over more than 30 years I have enjoyed pottering in, and caring for, our garden. We only have a postage stamp size lawn but really in this case size does not matter, except of course that a really large lawn takes more time to care for.

In Spring I usually give our lawn it's first cut. This tend to be in March or April. The timing depends a lot on the weather each year but at this time your grass will have started regrowing. So let's put Spring's lawn tasks in to some sort of order:-

1-I like to use a feed and weed all in one product which also helps the colour of the grass in my lawn. I always go for one which is safe for children and animals. I have two dogs myself but of course you would not want to harm a neighbours cat, or blackbird for example, that happened to stray onto your lawn, would you?. Even worse a visiting child could be harmed so take care. Most of these substances are easy to apply in granular form with an easy pour action. You just walk up and down spreading this on your lawn as evenly as possible. Make sure not to hit your precious shrubs or flowers though as this product will kill them. It is best to use feed and weed when the ground is neither too wet nor too dry, and not when your grass has just been cut or is about to be. If it does not rain within a day or two of use you will need to water it in. Follow the instructions and about four days later you can mow your lawn. The feed and weed that I use is suitable for any time between late February and late September.

2-Whether you have used a feed and weed or not the mowing is the same. The only difference is that if you have used such a product take care when disposing of the clippings for the first few cuts. They will not be suitable for a mulch or composting.

3-Before mowing give your lawn a thorough rake first, preferably with one of the wide scraper comb types. This will get up any waste material from the winter such as rotting leaves and it will make your lawn easier to cut.

4-Set your lawn mower blade to quite a high setting as the first cut should not be too low. Try to avoid mowing if there may be a night frost as this won't help your lawn stay in good condition. So give your lawn it's first spring cut.

5-Tidy up the edges by strimming the grass and using a spade to straighten the actual edge.

6-Aerate your lawn. How you do this really depends on you and your tools. Some people use a combined roller and aerator which as you roll it over your lawn spikes it also. I use a large Garden fork. Every foot or so I thrust this in as far as it will go and press it home. This really helps with drainage over the year. If you have bad problems with drainage you can fill some of the holes which you have made with a sand mixture.

7-Finally I rake up my clippings and sometimes just run the mower over once more to even the surface height out. Of course if you want those nice even stripes you have to remember to walk with your mower along straight paths as you are mowing. Personally I just like mine to look a lovely even shade of green all over, so I don't do this.

Experience has taught me that these few simple steps in Spring will guarantee your lawn has a good start for the year, and as long as you give it regular trims through till Autumn, it will remain in tip top condition. Use the feed and weed maybe twice more through summer and sit back and enjoy.

Learn more about this author, Ethel Smith.
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