The area chosen for the organic lawn should provide perfect growing conditions for the grass.  A vigorous sward (strong close leaf) within an organic lawn will help to out compete weed infestation and any damage from drought, disease or pests.

Start the season early by gently raking the grass with a Springbok wire rake or similar.  This will have the effect of removing debris and opening up the base of the grass plants to improve access to light and in raising the leaves of the grass and weeds it will improve the efficiency of mowing.

A good healthy soil is essential in an organic lawn. If the acidity level is below pH5.5 it will be excessively acid which will impede healthy growth.  Should this be the case, apply ground limestone or calcified seaweed during autumn or winter periods when conditions are damp.  This will help reduce the build up of thatch and will encourage earthworm activity.

Feeding your organic lawn can take place in spring, summer or early autumn using slow release organic fertilisers.  In addition, fine recycled green waste is a useful dressing as is composted seaweed or liquid seaweed extract.

Over sowing is good practice particularly in a thin or ragged sward.  This is best undertaken in April, May or early to mid August.

The enemies of a healthy organic lawn are compaction, poor drainage, over-acidity, shade, excessively close mowing, under or over feeding and drought.  The avoidance of these will greatly improve the chances of healthy vigorous grass growth out completing weeds and moss in your organic lawn.  The latter is an increasing problem in the warmer damper climate we are currently experiencing.

Autumn maintenance to tackle these problems is time well spent.

An organic lawn would best be mown with a powered rotary mulching mower.  This allows clippings to be returned to the soil having already been considerably mulched in the process.  This makes the nutrients in the clippings much more readily available and will avoid having unsightly debris on the surface.  At either extreme of the mowing season clippings are best removed as decomposition slows up dramatically with reduced temperatures.

The whole concept of organic lawn care is that a vigorous sward will out compete the weeds which will naturally invade being soil borne, wind borne or dropped by birds.  It follows, therefore, that any bare areas should rapidly be filled with an appropriate grass seed for the type of lawn you have.  Simply lightly scratch the area and sprinkle the seed on the offending area.  Alternatively, turf could be obtained from another part of the lawn, reseeding where it has been removed.

Manually scarify your organic lawn using a spring tined rake or a powered scarifier to improve the health of the sward.  A number of passes can be made in different directions and it is surprising how much debris and moss can be removed without damaging the lawn in the long term.  The activity encourages tillering and reduces the risk of disease.

Mowing heights for an organic lawn will generally be a little higher than is normal, in the region of 1-1.5 cm.  This reflects the theme of encouraging a healthy sward as the increased area of green leaf leads to less stress on the grass plants.

Broad-leafed perennial weeds can either be left or individually removed with a daisy fork.  If this is not practical slashing the foliage and the base of the plants with an old knife prior to mowing will inhibit their development.

Clover, if it already exists in a lawn, can be encouraged or indeed over sown.  White and Red Clovers fix nitrogen from the air which they convert into plant food through nodules in the root system, thus acting as a natural fertiliser.  The downside is that clover may in time take over the whole organic lawn area.

The application of top dressing at this time of year is highly beneficial in the long term.  It is important to spread evenly and work it well into the lawn surface, ensuring that the green foliage is showing through and that the grass is not smothered.