Lawn Maintainer
What is the Lawn Maintainer Service?
The Lawn Maintainer is the lightest of our renovation packages and is designed for lawns that are in good condition and only need light scarification and aeration each year. This service is offered to customers who have either had a Total Reseed in the previous season or have had regular annual scarifications for many years and so the lawn is already in good condition and simply needs to be maintained.
This is an annually renewed service and works alongside your basic lawn care treatments to ensure your lawn maintains its excellent condition year after year. If you decide to skip a year, you will then go back to being recommended a Total Reseed or Lawn Improver instead (dependent upon your lawn needs). This is because you need to have a Lawn Maintainer consistently each year to be eligible for this lower-priced service.
Please note that one of our expert Senior Lawn Care Technicians will need to confirm that this service is the correct and appropriate one for your lawn prior to any work being carried out.
This service includes the following:
- Lawn Maintainer Renovation Visit
Lawn Maintainer Renovation Visit:
The Lawn Maintainer Renovation visit is designed to lightly reduce the already low moss and thatch levels in the lawn and de-compact the soil to allow better airflow and nutrient access to the grassroots.
The visit includes the following step-by-step process:
- A once-over light scarification using our professional-grade scarifiers
- A single-pass aeration to loosen the soil structure and encourage new grass growth (provided access is possible for machinery)
- A small amount of seed is applied if required (though this would normally be minimal or not required at all)
Please note, we cannot lift the aerator machine due to health and safety reasons.
Why scarify the lawn?
The reduction of thatch is the main objective of scarification. Over time, grass clippings, leaves, and dead organic matter will result in the build-up of thatch layers at the base of the grass plant. TopGrass uses a professional, powerful scarifier, with solid blades, to significantly reduce this layer. The removal also helps to reduce the build-up of moss as thatch is an ideal growing medium for this. Less thatch also means water and nutrients will reach the grassroots efficiently, while also reducing the chance of fungal diseases taking hold.
Benefits of Scarifying are:
- Promotes a healthy lawn
- Encourages new growth
- Reduces risk of lawn disease
- Reduces risk of lawn pests
- Reduces the impact of lawn pest damage
- Improves drainage
- Nutrients get access to the root system
- Mowing becomes easier
- Reduces effects of drought conditions
Why aerate the lawn during renovation?
As executed on the best sports venues, this professional machine penetrates the top layers of the soil to aid aeration and improve drainage and dispersal of nutrients around the root zone. This is especially good for heavier soils and those with compaction. Moss will also thrive on compacted soils, so decompaction through aeration will help to reduce moss levels naturally.
Benefits of aerating in the renovation process are:
- Air can get down to the root zone, which allows the grass plant to breathe. This also oxygenates the bacteria living in the soil, which in turn helps to break down dead organic matter in the lawn.
- Water is able to penetrate the soil and reach the root system more effectively, encouraging a quicker recovery post-scarification.
- Fertiliser nutrients from subsequent treatments have improved access to the root system.
- Compacted soil is fractured, allowing the root system to grow and spread more easily. A stronger root system means a stronger plant and competition is less likely to encroach on the lawn.