A green garden does much more for us than make our homes look good. They provide an endless supply of benefits not just to us and our well-being but also animals, insects and the environment. 

A report by King’s Fund clearly demonstrates how gardening can reduce depression and anxiety, to the point that GPs have been known to socially prescribe it as a method of supporting their patients' health. 

Beyond mental health, regular gardening has also been proven to help with our physical health as well. Whilst you may not think of it as exercise, 30 minutes of gardening can burn as many calories as 30 minutes playing badminton or volleyball – helping to reduce the risk of heart disease by 35%.

Now that we’ve explored why gardening is so important for you, let’s take a look at how to take care of your lawn properly. Job one – how to make it less of a chore. There can be no doubt that lawn care can often be tedious but with these simple tips you’ll find it easy to get into a good lawn care routine.

The first thing we suggest, and what likely will set you apart from the majority of garden owners, is to water and feed your lawn. Like any plant, lawns need regular watering at least once a week.  

Now, in the colder and wetter months of the year, you may not have to do this yourself but in summer it is essential to prevent the grass from drying out. When doing this make sure not to scrimp on the water either. Watering heavily is the best way to keep your grass that vibrant green colour. 

When feeding your grass, however, you should apply the opposite principle. After all, your lawn does not need much fertiliser to get the right amount of nutrients though, to get the most out of it, you should only use grass feed when the grass is dry.

Most gardeners will have a threshold they’ll typically wait for their lawn to get to before getting the lawn mower out. This may end up being once every two weeks or even once a month. Neither, however, are the best way to go about keeping the grass healthy. For this, we recommend mowing your lawn at least once a week. More in the summer.

This isn't only to keep your garden looking nice. Longer grass will be far more difficult to cut and can damage your lawn mower blades. If you allow it to become overgrown can also damage the roots, blocking sunlight from reaching them.

Another benefit of mowing your lawn every week is that it provides you ample opportunity to check for weeds. These are not only unsightly but will compete with your lawn for much-needed nutrients. 

Some common weeds you’ll come across include dandelions, buttercups, crabgrass and the notorious Japanese knotweed. These are just some examples, however, of the hundreds of potential weeds that might crop up. Whatever your weed, make sure to remove it at the roots to limit the risk of it growing again.

This could well be the most difficult job to do on the list, but also one of the most vital to long-term lawn health. One of the biggest killers of lawns, even more so than weeds, is animal urine. Over time, it will kill off large patches of grass and leave the ground virtually barren. 

The only way to avoid this is to train them from an early age to go to the toilet elsewhere. Worst case, if you can’t keep them off your lawn, you could also cord off an area for them and keep it separate from your lawn with a small boundary line – either of plants, bricks or bark.

The four points above are typically enough to keep your lawn in good shape for a few years, but there are several long-term maintenance jobs that need to be done to keep it looking fresh after decades. One of these is to aerate your soil every two to three years. 

Aeration is simply the process of loosening compacted soil, allowing more air and water to reach it. Naturally, this in turn will improve the strength of your grass’s roots and ensure they get easier access to the nutrients they need to grow. 

Doing this couldn't be simpler. Just punch a few holes in your soil (with a trowel, fork or similar). Now, if you are looking for a professional method of aerating your lawn, that is a little more involved and requires something called a plug aerator. 

This pronged, shovel-like, tool can be pressed into your lawn like a fork and when removed will pull cylindrical plugs from the soil. This leaves behind the perfect space for air and water to enter the soil.

Like weeds, there are numerous lawn diseases that can run havoc across your garden. This can happen any time of the year, though is most common in extreme temperatures – so be sure to keep an eye out around summer and winter.

Common Diseases Include:

• Snow Mould
• Red Thread
• Rust Disease
• Fairy Spot

Whilst all of these cause the same problems, namely stunting the growth of your lawn, they can present differently and may require different treatments to remove. That being said, there is one catch-all that can help control the damage before it gets out of hand. Fungicide.

Is Fungicide Safe?

A good question, and one you should always be asking before you started treating your lawn with it. Ultimately, it depends on the specific fungicide that you use. Many are fairly safe some chemical fungicides can be more harmful – particularly when used in higher quantities or if accidentally ingested by pets. 

Because of this, we would always suggest defending your garden from fungus and disease to avoid the problem altogether. This is how you can get started:

• Light, Water & Air – The essentials for any lawn, without the right amount of all three your grass will naturally be at a higher risk of disease. Ensure that it gets enough direct sunlight and is watered regularly.
• Manage Your Thatch – Soil thatch forms when your grass forms new roots quicker than the old ones die. The more thatch you have the greater the likelihood of fungal infections. Avoid over-feeding your grass, water and mow regularly to ensure it grows at a consistent pace.
• Prevent Soil Compaction – Hard soil can constrict your grass roots, leaving space for fungal infections. Aerate your soil to prevent this.

When a plant, any plant, is overwatered it makes it more difficult for it to absorb oxygen. This leads to root death and eventually whitling. In other words, the plant drowns. This is a very real problem for lawns that cannot drain rainwater effectively.

Aerating your soil is one method to prevent this as softer soil can absorb more moisture, however, if you often find your garden waterlogged after it would be worthwhile to dig in a drainage system.

This could be anything from a simple ditch to follow the natural slope in your garden or the more complex herringbone drainage, which incorporates a series of ditches with pipework all draining towards one central ditch.