Doing just a few lawncare activities in the autumn will help to keep your lawn in great shape and next year off to a flying start. It doesn’t take too long and is well worth the time and effort.

Our 5 step guide
Step one – Clear the debris
A quick run of the lawnmower over the top of what grass is left will start to make everything look better and will reveal the work that is needed. Follow this with scarifying – use either a spring tine rake with good downward pressure or – if there is a large area to manage – an electric scarifier (these can be hired from many tool outlets).
It is quite physical work to scarify manually, so it may be worthwhile to divide the lawn and tackle smaller areas rather than attempt to do the whole lot in one go.
The lawn will look a bit of a mess immediately afterwards but in no time at all (and even faster if you whizz that lawnmower over once more) you will see that it appears much, much better and has really benefitted from the treatment.

Step two – Aerate the lawn
Your lawn is likely to be compacted after summer use, particularly if the soil is on the heavy side (tending towards clay). To fix this, aerate the lawn by spiking with a garden fork (or even better a lawn aerator) to a depth of at least 8cm / 3inches.
If the ground is dry this can be almost impossible so try to wait until we have had a late summer / autumn shower! You might also want to consider which fork/aerator you are using – cheaper varieties have been known to bend under the strain!

Step three – Apply a top dressing
This is the application of a mixture of compost, loam and sand to the surface of the lawn available ready made as Lawn Dressing. This improves the vigour of the grass and also helps with the drainage. It gradually fills in minor hollows and over a period of several years and builds up a perfect medium for grass growth.
Apply a generous spadeful of lawn dressing to every metre or so and brush it evenly over the lawn, working it into the holes made when you followed step three (aerating).

Step four – Oversow the lawn
This is an excellent way to thicken and renew the lawn and really does give it a new lease of life. All it involves is applying fresh grass seed to the existing areas of lawn – just the same as a greenkeeper would to care for a golf course or football pitch.
First, lightly rake over the surface with a spring tine rake (unless you have just finished step 2!). Then apply the grass seed – choose a type that suits the way your lawn is used – (bowling green/rugby pitch or somewhere in between!) if in doubt let a member of staff help you match the seed to your requirements.
Spread the seed over your lawn at a rate of 20g per square metre – roughly speaking, a small handful over each 2m2.

Step five – Feeding
With a routine autumn feed, such as MoBacter, Miracle Gro Autumn Lawn Care or GrassGains. An autumn lawn fertilizer not only toughens the grass but also encourages the grass root structure to become stronger.