Find a Landscaper you can trust in Southwell.

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.

Overseeding your lawn is an essential part of keeping your lawn looking its best. It’s also known as reseeding, and helps to repair damaged areas that might have been caused by a harsh summer or winter. It’s best to overseed your lawn during the spring or autumn, when the temperature is mild but there’s still a fair amount of rainy days to help the grass seed grow. To prepare your lawn for overseeding, you should do the following things around 1-2 weeks beforehand:

• Weed the lawn by hand or using a weedkiller (make sure you leave enough time to do this according to the instructions)
• Remove stones and large twigs
• Scarify your lawn to remove moss and loosen soil
• Fertilise the soil with a quick-release fertiliser

Once you’ve taken these steps, you’re ready to start overseeding your lawn.

1. Mow your lawn to around 25mm in length.
2. Water the soil so it’s moist but not too damp.
3. Sprinkle your new grass seed evenly over the lawn, but apply more in patchy or thin areas. Generally gardeners say to use 35g per square metre, but up to 50g on thin areas.

When you’re finished, give your lawn a final water, and do this every day until the new grass is established – particularly if it’s not rained. Just make sure you don’t overwater it. It’s also a good idea not to walk on your lawn for around 2-3 weeks after you’ve overseeded it.

1. Place a post in the corner of the frame you created with the pegs and string. Measure and mark out 100mm from each side.
2. Dig out this soil to a depth of 700mm (watch out for cables or pipes). You should have a 300 x 300mm hole. Repeat for the other 3 corners.
3. Using a brick bolster, split a concrete block in two. Put a section of the block in each hole.
4. Get a length of post longer than you need and place one in each hole. You can cut it down later.
5. Create props on each post to hold them in place until you’re ready to add a cement mix. Check that they’re level. When you’re happy that they are, secure them in place with a concrete mix, making sure you create a slope in the concrete so that rainwater runs away from each post. When the concrete is set, remove the props.
6. Create a string line around each corner post and find the centre point between each. Place a timber batten at each point, ensuring that they’re not spaced any more than 1500mm apart.

1. Working from the corner where the deck will be at its highest above ground level, measure and mark on the post where the highest part of the frame will be.
2. Measure from the far side of one post to the opposite and cut sections of joist to size. Line up a piece of joist with the mark you made and temporarily secure it. Factor in a 2mm fall for every metre of decking so rainwater can run off.
3. Secure the frame to the other corner post, ensuring it’s at the right level. Do this for every side of the outer frame.
4. Using 100mm coach screws with washers hanging on the end, secure each end of the four sections of frame.
5. Mark out where the centre of the support posts will be and secure all of these posts to the frame, except the centre post.
6. Add your central support joists. These should run in the same direction as the deck boards will run. You’ll need to measure from the inside of the frame on one side to the inside of the frame on the opposite side. Attach the joist in the same way as you did for the other posts. Repeat so the centre post is in between two sections of frame and secure the posts with concrete.
7. Trim down all the posts to the correct height using a saw.
8. Add your weed-control fabric and weigh down with gravel across the entire area.

1. Measure 400mm from the centre of the outer frame and mark a line. This will be where the first joist is positioned. Repeat at 400mm intervals down the length of the frame – if the last one will be more than 400mm, add another joist to create enough support.
2. Attach a joist hanger to each end of the joist.
3. Place the joist in position so the centre lines up with the 400mm spacer mark.
4. Secure using external grade screws once you’re happy that the joist is flush with the frame.

How To Repair Sunken Concrete Driveway

If you have concrete driveway that’s cracked, uneven and mostly especially sunken, you’d know how distasteful it can be just viewing it on your property. A sunken concrete driveway is most likely caused by rainwater erosion removing the soil under it or a big root under it which as rotted over time. Another possible cause of the sunken concrete is an improperly prepared base which implies that the soil beneath wasn’t fully compact when the concrete was poured on it. Later on the soil beneath will eventually settle and shift below the concrete driveway which weakens the integrity of the entire driveway, making it more vulnerable to cracks, unevenness and sunken.

Two ways in which you can fix this problem includes either demolishing the whole driveway, re-compact the soil underneath and fill with new concrete or repair the entire driveway using an easy process called slabjacking. In this article, we’re going to look at the slabjacking repair process as it’s significantly less expensive than the demolishing approach and will also cause minimal disruption to your lifestyle.

Also referred to as mudjacking or concrete lifting, slabjacking is simply a process used to float your existing concrete back to its original position. If you are not a competent DIYer or lack confidence to pull this off, we’d recommend reach out to a professional for help. If otherwise, then you can practice the slabjacking process given below.

✓ Drill holes through the slab.

✓ Pump grout mixture through the holes. This mixture will spread out beneath he driveway and raise it up.

✓ Lastly, fill the holes and level the concrete driveway surface.in such a way to hide the signs of the repair made.

This is a process that works to efficiently get your driveway back in a top condition relatively quickly.

If you’re thinking about a career in gardening or horticulture, regardless of the aspect there are relevant memberships, accreditations and qualifications available. First and foremost, gardening courses can range from as little as 6 months to a couple of years depending on the level of expertise that you require. Before you can be accepted as a member of a gardener’s association such as The Gardener’s Guild, you must prove to have a minimum of one horticultural qualification at Level two or above. It’s highly recommended that gardeners seek formal training in other to ensure a steady development - both personal and professional.

When it comes to gardening, qualifications are very important. They’ll give your customers the confidence in your commitment to your trade as well as your reliability. Having a qualification in gardening can also make you more efficient as you’ll be able to identify plant properly, know when they flower and need pruning etc, which helps you to effectively manage your time. The skills qualifications you’ll need include LANTRA and City and Guilds/NTPC qualifications which typically includes licenses for the use of horticultural equipment. For instance, if you plant to use a chainsaw, you’ll have to contact them to enquire about local courses. Licenses are a legal requirement in certain events and represents your seriousness when it comes to safety and environment issues.

RHS qualifications are also very popular amongst gardeners in the UK. The RHS courses can be completed at local colleges or through correspondence. Here, there are various modules that specialize in different horticulture topics and can also be combined to achieve higher level qualifications.

• The shed doesn’t cover more than 50% of the garden
• It’s not in front of your house
• The shed is single-storey with eaves no higher than 2.5m and the overall height is no taller than 4m for a dual-pitched roof, or 3m for any other type. If it’s located within 2 metres of your property’s boundary, it mustn't be more than 2.5m high
• There’s no veranda or balcony
• The floor area is no bigger than 15m² - up to 30m² may be covered under Permitted Development if other conditions are met
• The shed is for domestic use only by those who live in the property and there’s no sleeping accommodation – that means you can’t run a business from the shed unless you apply for planning permission

• If you live in a listed building, you’ll need Listed Building Consent before you can build a shed in your garden
• If you live in a conservation area or similar, the maximum area of ground covered by outbuildings, pools and enclosures situated more than 20m from any wall of the house mustn’t exceed 10m² if they’re to be considered as a permitted development
• If you own a piece of woodland, you must seek planning permission for any permanent structure
• In Scotland, you’ll need planning permission if any part of the shed comes within 1m of a neighbouring property or is more than 2.5m high
• In Northern Ireland, there are rules about how close your shed can be from a road that passes by the back of your house. It’s best to check for clarification

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.

First and foremost, to save your time and money when it comes to lawn renovation, there’s a huge need to figure out why the lawn isn’t doing well in the first place. A lot of times, when changes are made to the basic lawn care practices, cultural practices or site conditions, any need for a renovation would be thrown out the window as the lawn would be given a new life with good health and vigour. However, if you feel renovation is the best option for your lawn, then you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’re going to consider the best time to start a lawn renovation to help put you on the right path. Let’s take a look!

There are two times during the year that are most suitable for lawn renovation. Firstly, the best time for renovation of a lawn is usually from mid-August to mid-September. Secondly, another great time to achieve this goal is normally during early spring as the lawn is starting to turn green and grow.

So, when do you consider lawn renovation?

• When the quality of the lawn is simply poor and unacceptable.
• During the introduction of lower maintenance turf varieties into an existing lawn.
• When 30% to 50% of the lawn is dead or is experiencing sparse growth which may be due to several factors like drought and heat, low soil fertility, insect damage, moderate soil compaction and more.
• When the lawn is soft and spongy will walking across. Plus, if it also responds terribly to the application of fertilizer and water.
• When grassy weeds or broad-leaved weeds covers about 30 to 40 percent of the lawn area with insufficient turf cover to fill in the bare areas once the weed removal is done.