Your garden

It is time to stop mowing your lawn. During the winter, anything below 5°C your lawn should stop growing and therefore will not require mowing.

Mowing it at this time could cause unnecessary damage. You should only mow the lawn if it is necessary and the conditions are favourable. So, it is not advised to mow if there is a heavy frost or snow expected or if the ground is very wet.

It might be an ideal time to clean or service your mower or get it serviced ready for spring.

Try to avoid cutting grass when it is wet. It is difficult, takes a lot longer, and often makes a mess of the lawn.

When cutting long grass (such as the first cut of spring) set mower cutting heights high if you can to cut minimal heights and then cut lower at following cuts. Cutting grass very short when it is long could damage or kill the grass.

If your lawn is newly sewn or turf was laid over the Summer, you should keep off it. Resting your lawn helps avoid damage that can easily happen and not repair until the Spring.

If a heavy frost lifts new turfs, you can use a heavy roller during a dry spell to level them out again. Adding some sharp sand to a lawn over winter can improve drainage.

If water puddles appear on your lawn after heavy rain, this is a sign that the soil is compacted. Therefore. it will benefit from aerating later on in the Spring.

Use an aerator or a garden fork to relieve compaction. This will improve drainage and allow more air into the root system, ultimately leading to a healthier lawn.

These larvae eat root systems of lawns. If you have leatherjackets in your garden, we recommend the area is treated with a natural leatherjacket killer that can be bought at garden centres and online.