4 Problems that can affect your lawn

Compaction can occur on lawns in heavily used areas. Areas such as washing lines, football posts, birdbaths and ponds can all cause foot traffic that will heavily compact the soil. When designing your lawn try and avoid making any narrow entry points, as in narrow areas, the foot traffic will be more highly concentrated. A compacted soil holds little air or water, these are both vital for the health and survival of the roots, so compaction should try to be prevented at all costs

Raking away dead grass will help air get to the base of the plant which will reduce the risk of compaction. Scarifying uses steel blades to cut out thatch. Thatch is a layer that forms under the lawn, this layer is compacted grass, roots, clippings and debris that accumulate over time. Scarifying cuts the grass vertically rather than horizontally, in a plucking motion to reduce the amount of thatch in the soil.

In general, earthworm activities in a garden are beneficial as they improve soil structure and recycle nutrients, however, worm casts can spoil the appearance of a lawn. When the casts are dry they can simply be broken up with a wire rake, however, there are currently no pesticides to control the number of worms in your garden.

When lawns are very deprived of water, they may stop growing and start to turn brown. The only remedy for this is to provide water using a sprinkler or hose pipe, however most lawns would recover from any drought damage during the autumn rainfall on their own.

Waterlogging occurs when the soil is heavily compacted and water drains slowly, or doesn't drain at all. This can cause the roots to drown, as the water excludes air from the soil. It is best to keep off a waterlogged lawn if possible. Spiking the soil using a garden fork or something similar, these holes allow the water to drain to the deeper layers of soil that are less compacted. Spiking your lawn every few years can prevent waterlogging if it is a common occurrence.