Lawns, pruning, soil, compost, watering, plant health, pests and weeds.
Good lawn care comes down to four numbers: mow at 6–9 cm (2.5–3.5 in) and never remove more than a third of the blade, apply no more than 0.5 kg nitrogen per 100 m² (1 lb per 1,000 sq ft) in one go, water 25 mm (1 in) a week instead of a little every…
Quick answer: Pull dandelions by hand with a root-fork tool, taking the whole taproot, ideally a day after rain when the soil is soft. Combine that with mowing at 7.5–10 cm (3–4 in) and thickening the turf through regular feeding and aeration, and dandelion numbers drop year over year instead of staying flat. Where it’s…
Quick answer: Give your lawn 20–30 mm of water a week (about 0.8–1.2 in), split into one or two deep waterings rather than a little every day. Water early in the morning, between 4 and 9 a.m., so the grass has time to dry out before evening. An established cool-season lawn usually gets through a…
Quick answer: Rake out the dead grass, loosen the top inch of soil, spread a thin layer of topsoil or compost, then sow grass seed at about 30–35 g per square meter (roughly 1 oz per 10 sq ft) and keep the area lightly moist for two to three weeks. The best windows for lawn…
Quick answer: Shelter traps – a damp board or lid slugs crawl under for cover – catch more slugs than beer traps and are the easiest to maintain. Plan on roughly one trap per 3–5 square metres (30–55 sq ft) in a badly hit bed, and check it every two to four days. Beer traps…
Quick answer: The only method that stops deer completely is a fence at least 8 ft (2.4 m) tall, but most gardens do fine with a mix of individual protection on the most valuable plants, scent repellents rotated every 2–4 weeks, and deer-resistant plants in the most exposed beds. Pressure peaks in early spring when…
Quick answer: Most established gardens need about 20–25mm (roughly 1 inch) of water per week during the growing season, whether from rain or from you. Water deeply and less often rather than a little every day, ideally in the early morning. Check the soil 5–10cm (2–4 in) down before you water — if it’s still…
Quick answer: A basic DIY drip system uses 13–16 mm (1/2 in) mainline tubing feeding 4–6 mm (1/4 in) drip line fitted with 2–8 liter-per-hour (0.5–2 GPH) emitters, connected to a tap through a filter and a pressure regulator. Materials for a 10 m² (100 sq ft) bed typically run $30–60, and a first system…
Quick answer: Hand-pick and dispatch Spanish slugs regularly, especially in the evening, apply nematodes once the soil is above 5°C (41°F), and add copper tape or barriers around your most vulnerable plants. No single method works alone – one adult can lay up to 400 eggs a season. You’ll never make a garden completely slug-free,…