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Grass lawns are an important fixture in most gardens; however, trees and buildings often decrease light levels affecting the quality of the lawn/turf. Trees and shrubs will compete with grass lawns for resources, such as water, sunlight, and nutrients.
Answer: Biochar will improve the health of the soil and root/grass growth, but to improve an existing grass area you also need to consider:
If the spot is out of sunlight all day due to year-round, full-leaf cover from trees, then grass might not be the best option. Consider replanting with shade-tolerant plants. (See RHS list)
The Mississippi State Education section has a good list of shade-tolerant grass varieties.
If the soil is also heavy clay and prone to waterlogging, you may need to add a top-dressing of sand/biochar to help with drainage.
Use biochar or biochar super compost (SF60) to give lawns a boost in Spring. Click on our blog ‘spring lawn care’ and ‘repairing lawn grass' with Biochar SF60 super compost’.
Over the spring and summer the lawn will have built up an area of thatch, which is a mixture of dead grass, moss, and other small garden debris. This combination of materials prevents airflow through to roots and can be removed by raking the entire lawn. This is hard work and your lawn may look a little bit bare once it is done but that is all part of the process! There are electric and petrol scarifiers available to buy, these are ideal for larger lawns and will certainly make lighter work of raking.
The RHS recommends aerating the lawn every two or three years and concentrating on the areas that get heavy use and become compacted. Spike the areas with a garden fork or an aerator tool, this increases airflow to the roots and creates perfect conditions for applying biochar granules.
Finally, consider topdressing with a 1cm layer of SF60 (Biochar Super Compost). This will wash into the soil and give the grass boost when the Spring growth starts.
Autumn is the best time of the year to lay brand new turf. Prepare the area by digging, raking, and removing any weeds. Pay careful attention to removing weed roots. Even small bits can regrow back through the new turf. Once the soil has been raked into a fine tilth, sprinkle biochar granules and lay the lawn on top or sow the seeds, water well and leave them to do their thing.
The 0-8mm granules are graded to work well in most soils whereas the 0-2mm granules offer a little more water holding capacity which is useful in sandy soils. Click here to find out more.
