IF you want your grass to look thick and healthy, you’ve come to the right place.
It turns out that keeping on top of lawn maintenance is one of the most important gardening jobs in autumn.
It’s essential that gardeners make sure grass does not become brittle or disease-ridden once the weather gets colder.
And thanks to a pro gardener, there’s a surprising secret to a thick lawn – and you can nab it for just £2.80 from Boots.
Kellie, a gardening expert from the Sustainable Living Association, has revealed that thanks to her secret, which is best applied in October, your lawn will look luscious, with barely any effort involved.
According to Kellie, now that October is here, it’s important that you fertilise your lawn to help grass develop a strong root system, so that it will be able to absorb essential nutrients to withstand the harsh winter environment.
Kellie shared that the perfect way to feed lawns naturally and without splashing too much cash, is to use a homemade fertiliser made out of Epsom salts – yes, you heard that correctly, the type that you put in your bath when you want to relax your muscles.
The gardening pro said: “Have you heard that Epsom salts are some of the best DIY autumn lawn fertilisers?
“They contain sulfur and magnesium, both of which are compounds that grass and many other plants favour.
“These are some of the many benefits of using Epsom salts as best lawn fertiliser and it’s no wonder people have been using these salts for many years.”
Whilst Epsom salts are a mineral often used in bath soaks for relaxation, they are also highly effective to use in the garden, since they contain nutrients which are essential for plant growth.
Magnesium is necessary for photosynthesis and will enhance a plant’s ability to store energy while also improving its nutrient intake so it can survive throughout the winter.
A lack of magnesium will cause the grass to become yellow, patchy, and thin, but fear not, as Epsom salts are a quick way to correct any nutrient deficiencies in the soil to help ensure the grass stays healthy, even as the weather turns colder.
A lawn that has been fed magnesium before winter will be less likely to suffer from cold damage and will have plenty of energy stored away to produce thicker grass once spring arrives.
The Sun’s Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine, has shared the jobs you need to tackle in October.
“It’s a good time to trim deciduous hedges – like box, yew, hawthorn, hornbean and beech – plus hedge trimmers are a great upper body workout!
Make leafmould – gather up all the fallen leaves and fill either bin bags or plastic carrier bags. Seal the top, stick a few small holes in the bag – and then store for a year or more. Free compost!
It’s unlikely you’ll get any more red tomatoes so have one final harvest and chuck the plants on the compost. See if you can get the green ones to ripen by putting in a drawer (some say with a banana). Also keep the seeds from a couple – and plant again next year if they went well.
Finish getting in your spring bulbs. Ideally you’d have done daffs and alliums, but tulips are better in the ground when the soil temperature gets a bit colder.
It’s good to leave some plant litter in the ground – it adds to the nutrients as it rots down, and provides shelter and food for insects. But remove the manky brown bits collapsing all over the lawn/winter structure.
Mulch – it not only suppresses weeds, but keeps the soil warm, improves water retention and adds a little winter duvet to your outside space.
October’s a good month for carrots, peas, asparagus, broad beans, and rhubarb.”
If you fancy applying Epsom salts to your lawn, here’s everything you need to know.
A simple way to make a homemade fertiliser using Epsom salts is to apply one tablespoon of the salts to a container filled with a gallon of water.
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Then all you need to do is simply pour the DIY solution evenly onto your lawn.
The best time to apply Epsom salts is when the grass is still actively growing, in early October, so the lawn has more time to absorb nutrients before winter.
In autumn, one application of Epsom salts is usually enough to help a lawn stay healthy.
However, if the lawn is yellowing or patchy after a harsh summer, then you can do a second application in late October or early November, four weeks after the first dose of homemade solution was applied.
Taking the time to feed a lawn properly helps it stay strong throughout winter, ensuring you have much lusher, greener and thicker grass during the next growing period in 2025.
