A lawn expert has urged gardeners to avoid a popular method for fixing patchy lawns, branding it "terrible".
A pristinely kept lawn is the hallmark of a well-tended garden, but plenty of perils lie in wait, from pests such as leatherjackets and chafer grubs, to diseases including thread and fusarium and of course, weeds. Patchy grass is another common problem, but one popular fix could be doing more harm than good.
Why annual meadow grass is a poor choice
In fact, "lawn whisperer" Alex Hankey says annual meadow grass isn't "desirable" and can be "terrible" for wear tolerance. Poa annua is a low-growing, fibrous-rooted grass often viewed as a "quick fix", writes The Times' Ann Treneman, but Alex says it should be avoided at all costs.
Alex told The Times: "It's not a desirable grass because it lives and dies quickly. In a heatwave, the annual grass will die, go to seed, and you'll have huge brown patches."
However, this variety can also be found in lawn packets designed for quick germination. "It's terrible for wear tolerance, terrible for longevity, it spreads sideways weakly and it produces a lot of thatch."
Alternative advice for autumn lawn care
It comes after gardeners Jim and Mary Competti, voices of This Is My Garden, outlined a handy method to boost grass as the seasons change, saying coffee grounds can "improve your lawn" in autumn.
They said: "Coffee grounds are perfect for raking into lawns to help fertilise the grass and add organic matter to the top layer of the soil."
"Spent grounds are filled with phosphorus, nitrogen, and other trace minerals. These minerals are vital for healthy, green, lush lawns."
"When raked into lawns, the grounds slowly break down, leaching these nutrients into the soil – much like a synthetic fertiliser would be, but without all the chemicals."
"Earthworms will eat the grounds as they travel through the soil, too. As they do this, they form worm castings and aerate the soil - a crucial process that allows air and water in."
Extended growing season this autumn
In related news, gardeners have also been told they may have to add another job to their autumn list due to the exceptionally hot weather earlier this year.
Peter Chaloner, managing director of Cobra Garden Machinery, explained: "We're seeing a very unusual growing season this year, and gardeners shouldn't necessarily assume that their hedge has finished growing simply because we're into autumn."
"The prolonged warmth has extended the growing season, while the return of moisture following the dry summer can encourage hedges to put on a late flush of growth."
For some, that could mean they need an additional tidy-up later in the year than gardeners would normally expect.
