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With summer comes a lot of lawn challenges - from sod webworms, chinch bugs, nutsedge to drought stress, diseases and lots more. A lot of people find it hard to tell what’s happening to their lawn and probably assume it to be as a result of the summer stress and will definitely turn green again once the fall rolls in. This may be right in certain situations, but if you have fungi eating deep into your lawn, the green may not return. So, how exactly do you figure out if your lawn has diseases or pests? In this post, we’re going to provide you with a good insight into this to help you take the necessary treatment steps as soon as possible.

• Fungal structures. Fungi structures are not usually the easiest to spot as they vary in shape, colour and appearance. Fortunately, most fungi that appears on lawns will possess some type of structure which can be spotted when moisture is present. Once the night time dew sets in, you’ll be able to identify these strange growths in your lawn.
• Matted or Collapsed Areas. There is some sort of diseases that will make grass plant to wilt in little time. This, combined with fungi structures will make the grass look to have been matted in some areas.
• Discoloured or oily areas. Some areas are likely to show symptoms more than the others. While the unaffected turf may remain in its normal state, areas that are nearby may vary in colour due to the damage to the leaf tissue.
• Lesions or spots on leaves. Do you notice a certain damage pattern on the leaf blades of the grass plants? If yes, then your lawn is probably infected with a disease. Some of these spots may vary in size and colour.

Whether you’re starting a garden from scratch or adding plants to a garden that needs a big of work, the biggest step in planting a garden is preparation. We’ll give you a few tips on how to plant a garden whatever your garden’s size. Check your soil The most important thing to do before you start to plant a garden is check your soil type. Different plants suit different soils, so you should choose ones that will like the soil in your garden. If your soil is sticky and muddy, it’s referred to as clay soil, but if it runs through your fingers when you pick it up it’s known as sandy. Ideally, you want something between the two to help your plants’ roots spread easily. If you have heavy clay soil, you’ll need to add well-rotted manure or compost to improve the structure, but if it’s sandy you’ll need to add organic matter to improve its fertility. Make a plan Don’t just start planting wherever – make sure you’ve got a plan of where you want everything to go. Do a simple drawing or cut out photos from magazines or the internet. How to plant bare root plants and trees When you’re planning what to plant in your garden, make sure you choose the correct amount and size of trees you’re going to plant. In a small to medium garden you only want one or two trees, and you don’t want anything too large that might spread too far. When you’re ready to plant, make sure there’s enough room for the roots to spread. Look for the soil ‘tide mark’ near the base which will show the depth that it was planted before, and use that as your guide. Dig your hole to the correct depth and width and fork the sides so it’s easier for roots to get in. Add some well-rotted manure and place the plant in the hole so the roots are spread out and fill the hole with soil. Planting potted plants Dig a hole deep enough for your plant – put the pot in the hole to check whether you’re there yet. You want around 2cm around the outside and don’t make the hole any deeper than the pot. If your plant has a tight root ball from outgrowing its pot, gently tease out the roots – it won’t harm the plant. How to plant plug plants in your garden Plug plants are usually mail-order plants that you get in spring and are a great way to start planting a garden. You must handle them carefully and water them before planting. Fill a small pot with compost and make a well in the centre, then drop the plug in. Gently pat the soil around it. You might need to pot them again to the next size up later on, and harden them off outside before planting them in the ground after there’s no risk of frost. With these few tips you can easily get started with planting your garden. But if you need some help and advice, get in touch with local gardeners who will be happy to give you a quote.

It’s a good idea to talk to your neighbours before you start any work to avoid confusion along the way. But if the fence is definitely your responsibility and on your property, there’s no legal obligation to notify them. It’s also a myth that you need to erect a fence with the flush side without posts facing your neighbour’s property.

Generally, a paved driveway is always subjected to regular usage and yours isn’t likely to be an exception, otherwise you won’t be here. Regular usage automatically necessitates regular maintenance of the driveway in order to extend its lifespan, make your property safer and add more value to it. This maintenance will involve a frequent inspection of the paved driveway so as to identify and repair divots, cracks as well as rutting. Paved driveways usually have a lifespan ranging between 15 to 20 years, but this can only be guaranteed when backed by regular maintenance activities. Failure to provide your paved driveway with a regular maintenance will lead to a rapid deterioration within just a couple of years after installation.

The issues commonly faced by paved driveways is usually different based on several factors such as the weather, your location, your property’s sub base as well as some other elements. The ability to identify the problems and solve or repair them on time is key to success while it’s also save you some time and money. In this article we’re going to look at how to go about do-it-yourself tasks that involves minor cracks. More intense damages are advised to be handled only by professionals.

✓ Prepare the area. Clear the debris, weed the plants or vegetation (if any).

✓ Use a strong spray from a garden hose to wash clean the cracks

✓ In the event whereby the crack is deep, simply fill it until it reach about a quarter inch of the surface with sand.

✓ Tamp down the sand to make it more compact.

✓ Apply a patching compound to the surface of the cracked paved driveway.

✓ Leave it for some time to cure.

✓ Once cured, you can then apply your sealant.

Regular maintenance is vital for keeping a garden looking its best. By carrying out regular gardening work, you can ensure that your garden is as functional as possible. Regular garden maintenance work could also save you money, as it is better to detect problems such as overgrown trees or rotten fencing early.

Patios do not require lots of maintenance. They will only need occasional cleaning to make sure that the material keeps its original appearance. It's always best to clean your patio with a pressure washer and occasionally tap each slab or brick just to check the sand underneath hasn't washed away.

Everyone wants a good-looking lawn! If you’re wondering the best time to scarify your lawn, then you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’re going to consider this in order to help you make the best-informed decision possible. Let’s take a look!

The short and simple answer to this question is when your grass is actively growing. This is the best time to scarify a lawn as it enables it to recover faster once it has been scarified. What’s more? The conditions also have to be appropriate as extreme weather condition, be it too cold, too warm, too dry or too hot, will hinder the quick and proper recovery of your lawn. It’s also important to take note that scarifying of a lawn is going to leave the soil exposed which makes way for weed and other unwanted plants to grow.

During the year, there are two different times which tends to provide the most ideal conditions to scarify a lawn. The first of these periods is late March or April when the spring is in the air and your grass receives all the warmth and moisture it needs to thrive. It’s also advisable not to wait till too late in the spring as right after this period comes the heat and dryness of summer. Furthermore, the lawn shouldn’t be scarified too heavily during the spring as summer usually comes with weed seeds which means your grass won’t recover fast enough and weeds will quickly make way for themselves.

If you wish to scarify your lawn heavily, then the perfect time to do this would be in September or October – during autumn. During this period, the summer weed seeds would be gone and the grass will grow properly.

Aeration, like scarification, is another vital step to keeping your lawn looking healthy and vibrant. It involves making small holes in the soil to allow air, water and nutrients to get into the grass roots, helping them to grow deeply, and produce a much stronger lawn. It also helps to relieve compaction from the soil, which stops nutrients and air from circulating. But how do you aerate your lawn?

Before you start to aerate your lawn, it’s a good idea to scarify it first to get rid of any moss, dead grass and thatch. This involves vigorously raking your lawn to get all the organic matter up, then transferring it to your compost heap or disposing of it. Light scarification is best in the spring but you can heavily scarify it in the autumn.

If you’ve got a small lawn, you can use a hand-held hollow tine aerator or even a normal garden fork. Dig deep into your lawn’s surface with the fork, or push the aerator into the ground which will pull plugs, or cores, of soil out of the ground to create air holes. You can let the cores dry and then go over them with a lawn mower or rake to spread them evenly across your lawn. This will recycle all the nutrients in those parts of the soil and stimulate bacterial activity to break down unwanted thatch. Don’t leave them, because they will make your lawn look bumpy over time.

If you’ve got a larger lawn, you might find it easier to see if you can hire a petrol aerator. But there are also rolling aerators that have spikes on a cylinder and you just push along, or even aerator sandals that you can wear and just go to town on your grass!