Garden Studios

You could have to dodge the downpours over the following few days, but if you get a raffle it is advisable to start by scarifying your lawn with a springbok rake to clear away the thatch of dead grass, moss and other debris.

Next comes aeration, which improves drainage and helps to forestall moss. Just use a border fork and walk up and down your lawn spiking it every six inches or in an effort to let air into the soil.

This drainage holes may even help to stop puddles forming in your lawn during heaving downpours.

Alternatively, you need to use core aerators with hollow tines to take out little plugs of soil. Ironically, though, unless you will have a motorised aerator it’s harder work to push any such along the grass than simply using a fork.

Follow this by top dressing the lawn with a 50/50 mixture of sand and fine compost with the intention to go down the aeration holes to feed the grass and replace the soil’s nutrients used up throughout the summer’s growth.

Now can be a great time to level bumps and hollows by cutting a cross within the lawn and rolling back the triangles, then filling the hollow with top soil or levelling off the bump.

Worn out patches or grass damaged by pets or fungus may be reseeded now before the soil gets too cold.

You may also give your grass an autumn feed high in phosphates and potash. This will likely help the roots survive winter and result in stronger grass next year.

Don’t use spring or summer lawn feeds, because these have nitrogen in them and should produce lush green growth which may be vulnerable to cold weather.

If your grass is dry enough you ought to also keep cutting your lawn on a high setting for the following few weeks.

Meanwhile Briggs & Stratton, which makes engines for Allett lawn mowers, has launched a Pitch to Win competition aimed toward non-professional under-18s football teams that play on a whole sized pitch within the mainland UK.

The top prize is a £3,000 football pitch makeover and Ian Small, Briggs & Stratton’s UK head of sales and marketing says: “We are looking to hear from girls and boys teams.

“Keeping our children fit and healthy is massively important and we’re reintroducing Pitch to Win as a part of our commitment to that aim.

“We are launching the contest in October and entries may be judged on the end of the 2013/14 season.

“The winning team can have a brand new pitch surface for the subsequent year plus completely new strip while runners up may also receive new kit and £500 towards the club’s kitty.”

For details about the Pitch to Win competition visit www.pitchtowin.org.uk.