#TDF Hits Town!

What a day July 5th turned out to be. Sun shining, happy crowds and smiling faces.

Enjoying the sun outside the store

 

 

 

Despite the road being closed most of the day to cars AND pedestrians (!) we enjoyed seeing the riders go by at the end of the street.

Waiting is half the fun

It makes us very proud to be Yorkshire!

Sowing or Re-Seeding Your Lawn

For a new lawn good preparation is essential for success.

Remove all weeds, surface stones and rubbish. If you have used weedkiller to clear the weeds please read the instructions carefully and allow time for any residue to clear.
Dig or rotovate the soil to a depth of 15 - 22cm.
Create a level, firm surface by 'close treading', heel to heel or by using a roller over the whole area. Rake until the surface soil is fine.

If possible leave the area to settle for a few weeks. Level any uneven areas and keep it weed free.
To give the lawn a good start a pre-sowing fertilizer can be raked in at the rate suggested on the product.

Seed should not be sown until 5-7 days after the application of fertilizer.

Sowing the seed
The best time to sow is when the soil is warming up after rain.
Shake the box before sowing to get rid of any clumps that may have formed in storage, then sow half the seed along the area and the other half across the area. This helps to get an even coverage.. You can use a hand spreader or wheeled spreader if you have a large area to cover. These should have settings on them so they can be used for fertilizer and grass seed.

Sow the seed at a rate of 35g per square metre.

Rake in the seed. If no rain falls within 1 week water thoroughly with a fine spray. Too strong a spray will disturb the seed and wash it into drifts.

The sown area should be kept moist until the seed is well established. Young grass should appear within 14 -21 days.

Weeds are likely to appear, clear them carefully until they can be killed off with mowing. 

Lawncare

If the weather is dry keep the soil moist with regular watering with a fine spray.

Keep off the lawn until the grass is 5 - 8 cm high.

The first cut can be done at this stage. It should be light cut, just 'topping' the grass. Subsequent cuts can then be gradually lowered to the recommended height for the type of lawn you have sown. For instance 'tough' lawn seed  height recommendation is no lower than 25mm.

A good fertilizer should be applied at least once a year, following the manufacterers instructions to avoid scorching and over feeding.

Rake off any dead leaves and debris during the winter months.

Patch Repair

It's easy to get bald patches either from wear and tear or by moss clearing.

Loosen the surface of the soil by firmly raking in a  criss-cross pattern.

level the soil and sow the seed as before. Sometimes it helps to incorporate seed with some compost to level things out and stop birds eating the seed.

Keep moist until the seed is established.

The best time to over-seed and help maintain and improve an established lawn in between September and early October. This allows good root establishment before winter.

Scarify with a scarifier or a lawn rake. Sow the seed at half the normal rate then lightly brush the lawn to ensure the seed is in contact with the soil.

Remember to choose the right seed for the lawn you want. Use tough lawn seed with ryegrass if you have family lawn where many a ball game is played. If you like a great looking lawn with stripes and never played on go for a 'Show' lawn seed with no ryegrass. There are also grass seeds for shady areas and for lawns that can cope with the occasional football match.

SHOW: chewings fescue, creeping red fescue and browntop bentgrass. Low Wear.

BETTER: Fine leafed ryegrass, chewings fescue and creeping red fescue. Good Wear.

TOUGH: Ryegrass and fescues. Good For Play Areas and Paths.

SHADY: Fescues, meadow grasses and bents. Good drought tolerance.

PATCH: Look for the relevant grass seed in the small patch repair packets.

With thanks to 'Mr Fothergill'.

Le Grand Depart Hits Ilkley

We at Mortens Hardware Store are preparing for what is anticipated to be a weekend that the likes of Yorkshire, and Ilkley in particular, has never seen before. Visitors from all over the world are expected to be in the tens of thousands. There are yellow bikes of every size to be spotted all along the route, yellow jerseys and flags are everywhere and people seem to be getting into the Tour De France mood. World Cup? You wouldn't think it was happening.

 Some shops have decided to close for the Saturday but not Mortens. We'll be here in our yellow tee shirts with a shop full of bargains. We hope to see you here in Ilkley and Addingham. According to Radio 5 Addingham is the only village in the history of the Tour De France to have the race go through it twice! Go Yorkshire!