Monty Don's Essential March Lawn Care Advice for a Lush Summer Garden
As spring arrives with warmer weather and renewed grass growth, maintaining your lawn becomes paramount for achieving optimal health and appearance throughout the coming months. According to renowned gardening authority Monty Don, March represents a critical period for lawn care, with specific tasks that can significantly enhance grass thickness and vitality.
The March Mowing Method for Superior Grass Health
In a detailed 2024 blog post, Monty Don emphasised that March requires careful attention to mowing practices. He advised gardeners to give their lawn a light trim during this month, explicitly warning against cutting the grass too short. "The grass will need mowing in March, but do not cut it too short. Just give it a light trim for the rest of this month," Monty penned. This approach encourages what he describes as "good growth", ultimately resulting in a "lot healthier" lawn that demonstrates improved resilience against summer drought conditions.
The gardening guru stresses that spring lawn maintenance should prioritise frequent, gentle mowing rather than infrequent, drastic cuts. Removing excessive grass in a single session can leave the lawn vulnerable to various problems, including disease and weed invasion. Monty Don's philosophy centres on cultivating vigorous grass as the foundation for a beautiful lawn, rather than focusing primarily on combating issues like moss, ants, dandelions, and weeds.
Soil Preparation and Drainage: The Foundation of Lawn Health
Monty Don explains that healthy grass thrives in well-drained soil. He identifies moss as a common symptom of poor drainage, often exacerbated by shaded areas. Even properly prepared soil can become compacted over time due to matted roots, rainfall, and regular family use. To address this, Monty recommends an annual soil maintenance routine:
- Insert a garden fork into the ground at approximately six-inch intervals, wiggling it to aerate the soil
- Create a mixture of equal parts sieved topsoil, sharp sand, and sieved leaf mould or compost
- If these materials aren't available, sharp or silver sand alone can suffice
- Spread the mixture across the aerated area and brush it in with a stiff broom, filling the holes
This process significantly improves drainage while providing essential nutrients to the grass roots. Monty adds that gardeners should thoroughly scratch the lawn surface with a wire rake to remove thatch and moss, allowing better penetration of light and moisture into the soil.
The Result: A Thicker, More Resilient Lawn
After completing these steps, Monty Don advises mowing the lawn as usual. He acknowledges that the lawn "will look a little bald for a week or so" following this treatment, but assures that the grass will grow back thicker than ever. The debris collected during raking should be added to compost piles, completing the sustainable gardening cycle.
Monty Don summarises his approach with a fundamental principle: "Nine times out of 10, if the grass is healthy, then everything else will look after itself." By implementing these March lawn care techniques—thoughtful mowing, proper aeration, and soil enhancement—gardeners can establish a robust foundation for their lawns that will flourish throughout spring and summer, creating outdoor spaces that are both beautiful and resilient.
