Composting the lawn

Gardening website weekendgardener.net has given advice on how to make sure the lawn stays looking great.

It advises that spreading a layer of compost over the grass two to three times per year should help keep it healthy and beautiful, without using chemical fertiliser.

According to the site, benefits of using natural compost include introducing vital nutrients to the soil, the fact that it wont [wont] stain walkways or burn the grass in the way that chemical fertilisers do, and finally, it is fast working.

"Start with good, fine-textured compost," it recommends.

"All garden centres carry good, bagged compost that is ready to use; you can even use seed topper.

"You can also use your own homemade compost if you have it around. Just as long as it is fine-textured so it will rake out evenly without leaving clumps."

Spread it out using a shovel and then rake out evenly with a flexible garden rake to make a thin layer.

Done correctly, there will be very little compost showing and the grass should be looking great in no time at all.