This time last year (spring 2012), the north west of England was bathing in a middle of a lush heatwave. With daily temperatures pushing 20 degrees Celsius and bright sunshine cheering everyone up. Today, those warm sunny days seem like a dream.
Don’t believe me? Then have a look at the historical weather pages for Manchester over on World Weather Online. The forecast for this week right now is snow, high-winds and sub-zero temperatures. It couldn’t be more different.
This very unseasonable weather is bringing a rather unique set of difficulties to my work this season. With the seeming refusal of spring to get into gear, it means that many treatments that would be well under way by now are being put on hold until further notice.
The most affected of these (i.e. the treatments that are the most temperature dependant) are re-seeding of lawns and weed control. The soil is still very wet and cold, meaning that grass is still hibernating and not growing at all. Many ground care crews have already started their mowing regimes, but I suspect they are a little too keen and most home owners will be waiting until their is some growth to mow!
I have a policy of only applying the correct treatments at the correct time, which unfortunately for me, means that the weather can cause unexpected havoc with my schedules. Delays at this time of year will cause a knock-on effect throughout the year, effectively shortening my working season by at least a couple of weeks.
But one needs patience during these tough times and I believe that doing a good job is much more important than just filling your work schedule.
It’s not yet spring, so what can you do on your lawn?
Even though spring is very late, there is still plenty to be done on lawns at the moment. I currently seem to be applying a seemingly endless amounts of moss treatments this year so if you have not applied a moss control this year, then now is a great time for it to get to work in good time before the scarifying season finally arrives.
I have also been hollow-tine aerating lawns all this week, as the ground is not too wet and aeration is a fantastic treatment to apply before a spring fertilisation regime.
At the moment, spring does seem a long way off but I believe that, when it does arrive, it will be like turning on a switch and our gardens will burst into life quickly and you’ll be rolling the barbecue out of the shed in no-time!
If you would like to get your lawn ready for summer, don’t hesitate to get in touch to arrange your free lawn survey.
