Lawns: A Crop You Mow

A lawn is thousands of small grass plants growing shoulder to shoulder, and every time you mow, you harvest their leaves. Like any crop, it does best when what you ask of it matches the light, water and soil it gets.

Start with what the lawn is for. A family lawn for football needs tough, dense grass; a fine, close-cut lawn needs far more work; a patch left long to flower feeds insects and needs less. Moss, clover and daisies aren't automatically failures: they tell you about the conditions, and in a family lawn they're often fine. Feeding works the same way as in any bed: grass in reasonable soil, with its clippings left on, often needs little or none, so feed only when growth or colour tells you it's short.