Regular maintenance is the best way to keep a traditional lawn looking neat and healthy, and avoid the need for larger-scale renovation later – and below are a few simple tasks you can carry out through the first half of the year. Many people prefer a more relaxed approach, allowing wildflowers to flourish among the grass. And if that’s the case, you can take a break from mowing in late spring and enjoy the wildflowers that appear and the pollinating insectsand other biodiversity they attract. Springis also a good time to create a new wildflower meadow or boost the diversity of your existing lawn. Avoid using this excessively on hard surfaces where there’s potential for runoff. While it’s effective on all surfaces, the ingredients need to enter the soil so it can degrade; otherwise, it may persist. In most areas of the UK, rainfall from autumn to spring is usually sufficient to keep lawns lush, green and healthy.

He previously worked as a project manager and has experience in managing teams of tradespeople and landscape gardeners on both small and medium sized projects. According to the National Pesticide Information Center, one of the most popular garden weedkillers in the world can persist in the soil for up to 6 months and can cause pets to “drool, vomit, have diarrhoea, lose their appetite, or seem sleepy” ( source). My name is Daniel Woodley, and I’m a keen gardener, and the proud owner of a rebellious Labradoodle called Doogie (see photo). If you have a very mossy lawn, I recommend reading our detailed guide to removing and preventing lawn moss which contains excellent advice on how to stop lawn moss from returning. The ONE Issue I Have With This Type of Moss KillerWestland SafeLawn builds up the condition of your grass, promoting soil health making it a more stronger, resilient and healthier to outcompete weeds and moss. There is no scorch risk when using SafeLawn too due to its natural mode of action. This means it won’t yellow lawn after application. Additionally, if you want to develop a more relaxed, wildflower-friendly lawn, then feeding is not required. DO NOT apply in full sun, very dry or windy conditions, when rain is imminent or during frosty/freezing conditions

I rate this product very highly, but for the control of lawn moss in a garden where pets spend time, I feel it’s the best product out there.Once your grass starts to grow in spring, you can begin regular mowing – this helps to keep the lawn growing strongly and deters weed growth. This liquid feed is ideal for use in the summer months for fast greening. SafeLawn Liquid Lawn Feed contains slow release fertiliser for long lasting results as well as helping to control weeds in your lawn. Using SafeLawn and the liquid fertiliser will give you wonderful results. Sizes available Choose a specific spring/summer lawn fertiliser and apply it at the manufacturer’s recommended rate in mid-spring, while the lawn is green and actively growing (usually late March/April). These feeds are high in nitrogen, to boost leafy growth, and usually release their nutrients slowly over several months From my research and testing, I’ve learnt that one can use these pet-friendly weed killers on patios, driveways, paths, gravel, most other hard surfaces and also some flowerbeds.

Be aware that artificial fertilisers take a lot of energy to manufacture and may have detrimental effects on the environment, so only apply if required and use the minimum amount to keep your grass in good shape – see our guide to using fertilisersand our guide to organic gardening Apply the fertiliser evenly across the lawn, ideally in cool, moist conditions when rain is expected, or lightly water it in afterwards Lab tests revealed that when fed to dogs in small quantities, no adverse effects were noted. When dosed at a very high rate of 500mg per kg of body weight each day for one year, some adverse effects were reported – but this is a high does and in a normal garden, there is no way a dog or other pet could consume this much.

When buying partner items like this one, your contract of sale will be with our Range Plus Partner instead of us. Also see our wildlife gardeningsection for more biodiversity tips, and find out more about No Mow Mayfrom the campaign organiser, wildflower charity Plantlife. This product is safe for children and pets, however it is good practice to store out of reach in a dry, frost-free place I’ve seen organic gardeners use vinegar to suppress weeds, but in reality, it will only scorch the weeds and rarely kills the roots. Almost all of the organic gurus I’ve seen suggest that vinegar and salt together is the best solution, but too much salt can ruin your flowerbeds and kill off plants. It’s also a mild skin irritant, so you’ll need to keep children and pets away from the area until it’s dried, but you should be doing that anyway.

In short, Maleic Hydrazide is far safer than most pesticides when used in the garden, and dogs are unlikely to suffer adverse effects from short term, low dose exposure. Just keep the bottle away from pets and allow the surface to fully dry after application. A. Safe Lawn is made from organic matter so an odour when applying the product is normal, pets and children can use the treated areas after application with no concerns. Some pets may be attracted to the odour and protein content of SafeLawn. Where this is the case it is advisable to water-in the product after application to reduce the attraction.SafeLawn Natural All In One Lawn Feed nourishes lawns making them greener and stronger. It will feed your lawn all year round whilst also preventing weeds and moss too. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that in my garden, not when I have a pet, and when there are other, much safer options. At DIY Gardening, we follow a detailed, rigorous process to create content that is helpful, factually correct and meets the highest standard of integrity. The ultimate pet-friendly moss killer for lawns, MO Bacter contains a natural bacteria that eats away at the moss until it breaks down into a feed for the lawn. A. You should remove moss and weeds before hand, using safe lawn can prevent moss and weeds returning