Preparation, ordering and caring for your lawn.

Skim off old grass using a spade, remove weeds and debris from site. Remove large stones. 

Once your area is free from the old grass, rotovate the area to churn up the soil. Remove any debris, weeds and stones that come up to the surface. 

Rake and level the ground again removing any debris, stones and weeds that have been missed from previous steps.  The soil should be loose and soft. 

Compact the ground once you have your level. You can use a whacker plate, or walk over it with your heels 3 or 4 times.

Layer with topsoil, or a sandy loam and then a final rake and level before you lay your lawn. Use boards over the surface of your sandy loam/topsoil to prevent you from stepping into the ground or onto the turf.

Carry your turf to the area you need with either a wheel barrow, or by hand. Walking on the boards as you go. Make sure you unroll the turf on the ground where it is to be laid. This prevents breakages. You can also rake between layers if you need to. Layer like bricks on a wall . Water the laid turf as you  go in hot weather.

A leatherjacket is the common name for the larval stage of an insect called a crane fly. 

They are in the Tipulidae family of insects. 

In the UK, two species of this family are pests to lawns. 

The adult form of these insects are commonly known as daddy-long-legs. These are the large, clumsy insects which fly around our gardens in late summer and early autumn. They are often seen bumbling along the ground, getting trapped in windows and flying into our faces when we least expect it!

 Finding out if you have a leatherjacket infection in your lawn is quite simple. You only need a small pocket knife and good knees. Firstly, have a general look at the lawn and see if you see any patches of obviously dead or dying grass which seem rather out of place or randomly distributed. Down on the ground, have a closer look at these areas. First thing to do is to grab a handful of grass and try to pull it up. Healthy grass will not budge, being held in place by the roots. Grass subjected to a heavy grub attack will come away easily, almost like a carpet.  

In large numbers, leatherjackets can be a very destructive lawn pest. They can destroy a lawn completely. Such a severe attack is unusual, but even lighter damage can dramatically affect the look of your lawn which may require expensive repairs. The best way to deal with any possible infection is to make sure that it doesn’t get out of hand. Just one or two leatherjackets in a lawn will barely be noticed. When the they appear in large numbers you should be concerned. Measures to keep population numbers down should be taken as soon as they are detected in a lawn.

A lawn destroyed by leatherjackets over winter.

A mild, damp winter will bring leatherjackets closer to the surface and they will be able to keep feeding. As a result, damage to lawns in spring is always a lot worse after a mild winter. If your soil does not freeze in winter, be on the lookout for grub damage.

Please get in touch as soon as you see the crane fly or larvae in your grass. Due to the mild winter last year and this year there will be exceptional numbers this year and learning how to manage the pest, get it within fresh-hold damage and help protect your lawn will be really important.

The chemicals used to treat crane fly are now banned, and is the main reason these bugs become infestations. 

Treating your lawn with iron rich fertilisers and protein rich sprays will help to keep your lawn healthy, and help to keep the damage low. The best way to tackle this problem is out compete the larvae and keep your grass healthy!