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'I have a lawn that is plagued with moss and already I can see it beginning to thrive as the autumn weather gets cooler. I have put on stuff before but it came back about six months later. What do you suggest?'

Moss in a lawn is encouraged by shade, damp soil and poorly competing grass. You can get good control with lawn sand or iron sulphate, but unless you address the underlying causes, the moss re-establishes itself quickly by spores that blow in. Try to reduce shade by pruning the lower branches of trees and take a look at drainage if the soil is wet. Finally, apply some autumn lawn fertiliser to encourage grass growth and competitiveness.



		Gardening Right now is the perfect time to plant spring bulbs for a colourful display next spring, and nothing could be simpler. Forget all that old twaddle about the depth they should be planted at – it is a well-known fact that bulbs find their own level in the ground thanks to powerful anchor roots. So break the soil up a little with a fork or spade and just tuck the bulb under a few centimetres of soil, pointed end upward. But even if you get that bit wrong, don’t worry. The bulbs will put out their shoot, turn around and come up through the soil surface anyway. One word of advice: use large numbers of bulbs, but don’t mix colours of the same kind too much. This Month in your Garden... remove summer bedding plants and plant winter bedding flowers rake up leaves from lawns every week or so and compost them dry off tuberous begonias and store them dry in a shed pick and store apples as they ripen but before they fall remove and chop up old vegetables for the compost heap tidy up and turn compost heaps and cover them loosely repair and re-sow damaged lawns and re-make lawn edges plant evergreen trees and shrubs before the end of October bring tender plants indoors before they are damaged by frost pot up herbs such as parsley and mint for winter use. Care for the environment: Making Garden Compost Turning a waste problem into a valuable asset – what could be better than that? That is what garden composting amounts to: turning garden waste into crumbly humus to make your plants thrive. And it could not be simpler. All you have to do is pile up a mixture of ‘green’ and ‘brown’ garden waste. The green stuff is fresh, such as grass mowings, and can include kitchen vegetable waste, while the brown material is withered, such as fallen leaves, and can include some cardboard and paper. Just ensure that the heap does not get too wet by covering it or it will tend to run smelly. It’s important not to let it get too dry either, as it will tend to break down very slowly. If you turn it every couple of months, it speeds up the process, but turning is not essential. Using Garden Tools Leaf rake Raking leaves off a lawn or paved area has to be done, but it can be made a lot easier by using the right tool for the job. A leaf-rake is light and broad, so it catches a wide sweep. It has a spring that lifts leaves off the surface and propels them forward into a pile. They are made of springy steel or plastic tines, both of which work fine. You should try different kinds for ‘feel’ in the shop before deciding. It’s well worth the money! WIN!! There are four wonderful gardening prizes to be had in this issue! We have one subscription to the Irish Garden, Ireland’s best-selling gardening magazine which is packed full of tips and ideas for advanced and beginner gardeners alike, plus three buckets of bulbs to give away. Perfect for planting right now to create a winter garden. All you have to do to possibly win one of these four fabulous prizes is answer the following question and send us you entry. What type of tree should you plant before October? A Evergreen B Oak C Maple See here for details on how to enter our competition.		Ask Gerry 'I have a lawn that is plagued with moss and already I can see it beginning to thrive as the autumn weather gets cooler. I have put on stuff before but it came back about six months later. What do you suggest?' Moss in a lawn is encouraged by shade, damp soil and poorly competing grass. You can get good control with lawn sand or iron sulphate, but unless you address the underlying causes, the moss re-establishes itself quickly by spores that blow in. Try to reduce shade by pruning the lower branches of trees and take a look at drainage if the soil is wet. Finally, apply some autumn lawn fertiliser to encourage grass growth and competitiveness.