Growing a lush lawn is easy with a little help. Although modern trends tend towards smaller and sometimes even no lawns, most gardeners still yearn for a well-manicured patch of soft green grass somewhere in the yard, but sometimes there’s a few problems.
 
Q: We have moved into a new house and would like to start the garden by planting a patch of lawn, using instant lawn sods. Would spring be the best time to do this? We are thinking of laying the sods in a block pattern with big spaces in between them, to reduce the amount of grass we need to buy.

A: Instant lawn sods, which one orders by the square metre, can be laid all year long, but spring would be the best time to do the job in colder climes. Laying the sods in a checkerboard pattern, leaving alternate blocks empty, is the best way to reduce costs, but if it is not done carefully it will result in a very uneven lawn that will take time and money to fix.  After laying the sods and tamping them down firmly with the back of a spade (or your feet, or a thick piece of wood) you need to fill the empty blocks with a mixture of fine compost, or lawn dressing, and clean river sand to the same level as the top of the sods. Do not use ordinary garden soil as there is a good chance it will contain weed seeds. The presence of this nutritious mixture in the spaces between the sods encourages the grass to spread into them and you should end up with a healthy, even lawn.

Q: I feed and water my kikuyu lawn diligently, but after each weekly mowing by the garden service company it is left full of bare patches that turn brown. What are we (the garden services and I) doing wrong?

A: Bare patches, brown spots and sparse growth can be the result of a number of problems.

• Ask your contractor to lift the lawnmower blades – it sounds as if the lawn is being cut too short. One should never remove more than one third of each grass blade – rather mow more regularly. If too much of the top growth is constantly being removed then the roots are weakened and cannot support healthy growth, which results in brown patches.  Also, if the lawnmower blades are blunt or worn they will not cut the grass cleanly, but will instead tear and pull it, with ugly results.
• Brown patches can indicate an uneven lawn because the mower blades shave the higher spots bare, while only skimming the tops of other areas. Rectify this by evening out the hollows. Put down good quality lawn dressing in a layer not thicker than 3 cm in the hollows – use a flat board to level the dressing.
  Other causes of brown patches:
  • Too little water
    A sprinkling of water every day won't do the trick. Deep watering less frequently encourages the lawn to grow deep and strong roots that are able to generate and support healthy foliage. It ultimately saves water too.
  • Dog urine
    There is not much that one can do about brown patches caused by urine when your pets share the lawn with you, but if you do see them in the act then simply water the area to dilute the urine.
  •  Insect infestation
    Harvester termites, mole crickets, ants and lawn caterpillars can create havoc in a lawn. Most of them leave telltale signs of their activities. To detect lawn caterpillars leave a wet towel or piece of old carpeting on the lawn overnight. If there are lawn caterpillars about then some will be clinging to its underside when you lift it the next morning. The presence of small brown moths is also sometimes an indication of a caterpillar invasion.
    

There are organic sprays, chemical insecticides and fertilisers infused with insecticide available to deal with this pest, but the easiest way is to encourage lots of carnivorous birdlife to your garden as they love digging for juicy worms. If you do use a spray then apply it in the late afternoon as these caterpillars are nocturnal and thus feed at night.

Q: I have an electric lawnmower and I always get tangled in the power cord. What is the best way to mow the lawn using an electric lawnmower?

A: Unroll the lawnmower cord completely, ensuring that you make use of the safety stop to ensure the cord doesn't get pulled right out. It is best to start mowing from the closest point to the power supply. Mow in straight lines so that the power source is always on your left or right shoulder, moving gradually away from the power supply. This will mean that you will never have to turn into the cord or worry about mowing over it, but, obviously, you still need to make sure it doesn't end up in the lawnmower's path by mistake.  According to Gardena, one of the best habits to get into before even starting the lawnmower is to check for objects that could damage your mower's blades; rake up any stones, bark, twigs and any other obstacles in the area you are about to mow.

Lawn diet for spring
A well-fed lawn is better able to withstand most lawn disorders, including weeds, fungal disease and insect damage. Start your feeding programme in spring with a root stimulant like superphosphate or bone meal if growth is sparse, and follow it up about two weeks later with a specially formulated lawn fertiliser containing a slightly higher proportion of nitrogen and potash. Fast-working fertilisers should be applied every four to six weeks throughout summer while slow-release fertilisers should be applied every eight weeks.

Beware the burn!
Never apply fertiliser on a dry lawn and remember to water deeply immediately after application.