Lawn expert says September is ‘most forgiving month of the year’ – ‘take action now’

Autumn can be a great time to spread grass seed and restore lawns ahead of the chilly winter months when growing slows

Summer has been pretty fun while it lasted, but all good things must come to an end. One of the things that might not immediately spring to mind on the to-do list is that autumn actually represents a brilliant time to get lawns back in great shape.

Homeowners are being urged to act quickly and make use of this natural “wet reset” in September, with an expert from a lawncare company saying it’s a great time to act. Jonathan Davis, Lawn Specialist at Lawnsmith, said: “Lawns that have struggled through heatwaves and hosepipe bans now have the best chance of recovery.

“September provides warm soil for grass seed to germinate, while increased rainfall means less reliance on watering. It is the most forgiving month of the year for lawn care.”

They recommend overseeding bare patches, aerating compacted areas, and applying an autumn fertiliser to build stronger roots. “This is nature lending a helping hand,” adds Davis.

“If you take action now, you will transform a dry, lifeless lawn into a healthy green space by next spring.” There are all kinds of grass seed types out there.

For families where the lawn takes a bit of a battering, they may wish to opt for a hard-wearing seed, such as Miracle-Gro’s Super Seed Hard Wearing Lawn Seed, that’s £11.97 at Gardening Express.

For those who need some assistance when it comes to making sure it’s spread out evenly, it can be advisable to use a seed spreader. Like this one from Gardening Express, which is priced at £17.99.

Amazon has a slightly more expensive option that has a handle and wheels to make it nice and easy, that costs £29.99. I also personally used the Pronto Seed Premium Grass Seed (from £13.99 on Amazon) back in spring to give my lawn a refresh, and got some great results in a couple of weeks (you can read all about that here).

The seed lived up to its “speedy” name and did indeed begin to germinate in pretty rapid fashion.

It’s stood the test of time too, with the lawn still looking in good condition a few months later, albeit one patch did die off where there’s not much sunlight behind a tree, but I’ve always struggled with the grass there.

Gardeners who suffer with similar shade problems have been known to turn to products designed to cope with less natural light, such as the Gro-Sure Shady Lawn Seed that’s £9 at Wickes.