How to Create the Perfect Lawn This Spring and Summer

Alan Titchmarsh has shared some simple expert tips on how to remove moss and fix bald patches on your lawn

Want to know how you can create the perfect lawn in your garden this spring and summer? Alan Titchmarsh has shared some simple expert tips.

When it comes to the best way of removing moss and fixing bald patches on your lawn, the Ground Force star revealed his step-by-step guide.

In his latest YouTube video titled ‘My 3-Step Fix for a Greener Lawn (Moss, Edges & Bald Patches Sorted!)’, he said: “I don’t have a very complex lawn care regime, there are just two or three things that I do to keep it in good condition.”

How can I get rid of moss in my lawn? Dethatching

Firstly, Alan recommended a method which is “kinder” to wildlife and “won’t waste your money”.

He explained: “After a really wet winter, every single lawn is full of moss because moss likes damp conditions.

“What you can do is you can just rake out that moss, you may be tempted to use a moss killer – don’t waste your money, you’ll still have to rake out the blackened moss. It’s much nicer to be kinder to wildlife.

“Just tease that moss out with a wire tooth rake, sometimes known as a springbok rake. It is very springy.

“You can see now the grass is getting room to get air and growth and light, and when the spring rains come, get out and give your lawn some blood, fish and bones, some feed, and that way the grass will then take over the room that was previously occupied by the moss.”

Best flowers to plant in springAnother expert tip from Alan is to put the moss “straight into your compost heap or leave a few piles around the garden because it’s great bird nesting material”.

How do I repair bald patches on my lawn? Overseeding

Alan also suggested a much cheaper and “easier” alternative to fixing bald patches on your lawn instead of buying new turf – “fork it over and reseed it”.

To give it more nutrition and to get the new grass to grow faster, he recommended “taking out a bit of that old tired soil completely and replacing it with some fresh, decent quality topsoil.”

The Love Your Weekend host added: “There’s no point in sewing directly onto hard earth, you know, grass seeds tough, but not that tough.”

Explaining why you should use topsoil instead of compost when it comes to reseeding your lawn, Alan said: "I’m using topsoil instead of compost because if I use compost, it’s so organic that it will gradually rot down and disappear.

"Topsoil is earth. This is nicely enriched earth so it's a combination of a bit of organic matter but mainly soil and that will stay at the level I leave it at."

The 76-year-old then suggested firming down the newly laid topsoil with your foot to make sure it’s “really firm” and level next to the soil where the grass is growing.

He continued: "Now I’ve firmed it down with me foot, I’m just going to tickle it up slightly with the back of the fork so it’ll take the seeds more readily."

To make sure birds don’t come and peck all the sprinkled grass seeds, Alan explained: "Just lightly again with your fork, t