Lawn Care and Treatment – Lawnspecialist

Lawn Care & Treatment

Lawn Care and Treatment – It Pays to Use a Specialist

Control your pest in your Garden

Biological Controls

Hedgehogs, ducks, chickens, frogs and toads are all predators of snails and slugs. Hedgehogs eat slugs, beetles, caterpillars etc. and are an excellent addition to pest control strategies in the garden. They can be encouraged by providing sleeping areas such as piles of leaves and garden waste and leaving out a dish of meat in the form of cat or dog food, chicken leftovers and other sources of protein and a bowl of water. Piles of garden rubbish should be carefully moved and inspected before burning to detect any sheltering hedgehogs.

Ducks and chickens also supplement their diet with slugs but care needs to be taken to decide which breed to purchase and how they will be housed. Chickens can cause damage to valuable plants and it is a good idea to move them around in pens or let them into the garden at the end of the day when they may be looking for an alternative to plant food. Ducks like to be near to water containers but do not necessarily need a pond, they can be moved around in pens on a rotation basis if they are trampling areas of vegetation.

Creating a wildlife pond in the garden will provide a habitat for a wide diversity of wildlife including frogs and toads. Ponds should be deep enough in the centre not to freeze over in winter (approximately 60cm) and at least a third of the edge should be shallow and gently sloping to enhance the free movement of amphibians and other wildlife.

Visit the Lawn Specialist online store

You were like a ray of sunshine 🌞 when you answered my call. You explained you do not cover my area, but you may be able to provide me with a contact in my area.

I contacted Mike in the hope of using his services to improve my ailing lawn. I was sadly outside of Mike's coverage area as I live in South East London. Very generously however, Mike offered his advice when I described the issue with him

Unfortunately I live a long way from Mr. Lashley but he has given me sound advice about a lawn that needs TLC and has sent several emails with tips and step by step accounts as to how I should go about improving it.

Fab knowledge advice, I contacted Mike completely at a loss as to what could be wrong with my lawn. He emailed me back with not only advice but also a link to where I can find more.

Mike is very knowledgeable. Even though he does not cover my area, he was able to provide email advice. Polite and friendly throughout. Thanks Mike.

Very friendly and provided extremely helpful and cost effective advice. Would definitely recommend! One of the best I have ever work with.

Lawn Specialist was a real find! Though the company doesn’t service my area, Mike Lashley contacted me directly and was unbelievably generous with his advice. He gave me a detailed diagnosis of my lawn problems

A sloping edge also provides an escape route for any animals falling into the pond(30) for example, Hedgehogs are good swimmers but have difficultly climbing out of a pond with steep sides, raised ponds should have an access ramp(31). A marshy area provides a place of shelter for wildlife especially young amphibians. Ponds do not have to be very large and are colonised very quickly. If a newly created pond is filled with tap water allow it to stand for a couple of days to let the Chlorine evaporate and then boost it with a bucket of water from a mature pond.

Companion Planting & Planting recipes

One of the most commonly known companion planting recipes is interplanting tomatoes with French marigolds. Marigolds are known to repel greenfly and blackfly because they produce a scent that is offensive to these insects.

Nasturtiums have several uses as companions to other plants. When planted with broccoli and squash, they help to keep aphids away with their strong smell – this is also a deterrent to woolly aphid on apple trees. They are also attractive to black aphids and cabbage caterpillars, so they can be planted near cabbages to save them from insect damage.

Plant carrots and leeks together in the vegetable patch. Leeks repel carrot fly and carrots repel onion fly and leek moth. The confusion of scents means the insects stay away.

Ten Plants to Try

Asparagus – prevents a harmful nematode from attacking the roots of tomato plants.

Chervil – keeps aphids off lettuce.

Coriander – repels aphids and can be made into a spray to use against red spider mite.

Chives – helps to keep fungal diseases at bay and discourages aphids on chrysanthemums, sunflowers and tomatoes.

Dill – attracts hoverflies and predatory wasps, which keep aphids at bay.

Tansy, Tanacetum vulgare – the strong scent of this plant deters ants.

Garlic – a deterrent for aphids, this is particularly good to plant with roses.

Sage, salvias – benefits brassicas and carrots because its smell confuses pests.

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium – boosts vigour in other plants, as well as accumulating phosphorus, calcium and silica, which are good for the compost heap. It is a good host for hoverflies, ladybirds and predatory wasps that keep aphids at bay.

Leguminous plants – this family includes peas, beans, sweet peas and lupins, which are famous for their ability to ‘fix’ nitrogen. This means they convert nitrogen by way of bacteria that live in the roots into a form that can be used easily by plants. This is then stored in root nodules and, by leaving the roots of these plants in the soil, this essential nutrient is effectively recycled.

Plants that Need Little Water