steps Lawns are often over-looked as a garden feature. Here’s how to keep them healthy. lush lawn to a 5 Lawns – they’re often the most under-appreciated part of your property. After all, where else can you sit and enjoy the sight of your garden? Where else can you stretch out and relax? Where else can you set up a trampoline and jump to your heart’s content? Autumn and early winter are perfect seasons for a bit of lawn maintenance, so here are some tips for keeping your lawn in tip-top shape. The key to keeping your lawn in great condition is scarifying… and it’s not as scary or difficult as it might sound. Scarifying is all about cutting and removing the thatch layer (a layer of built-up debris and dead grass) so that your lawn can breathe again. Follow these five easy steps:  1Give your grass a buzz cut – adjust your lawnmower to the lowest possible cutting height and mow the lawn.  2Scare the thatch away – using a special scarifying tool available from Palmers or a sharp braced rake, thoroughly scarify the lawn both lengthways and crossways to ensure that new lawn seeds have direct contact with the soil. Fill in any hollows with lawn preparation mix and apply weed killer, such as Turfix Lawn Weed Spray, if the weeds have taken over.  3 Food for grass – spread a lawn starter fertiliser such as Lawn Force for new lawns then apply the lawn seed. Select a lawn seed appropriate to the space it’s growing in, for example, choose a shade-loving grass seed for a shady spot. For an even spread of seed, consider using a seed spreader. Top tip: To ensure an even spread of fertiliser, or when sowing new seed, halve the recommended quantity then spread one half evenly north to south, and the other half east to west.  4Protect your lawn – spread a top layer (5mm maximum) of lawn preparation mix over your lawn. Use a rake, such as the Palmers 16 tyne braced rake, to ensure that the layer is spread evenly. This not only protects the seed, but also lets you know when you need to water the lawn again, when the soil turns a lighter colour.  5Water up – the last four steps will have been for nothing if you don’t keep your lawn watered. Lawn seed germinates at a temperature of at least 160 C and for the first stage of its life it needs moisture continuously. For the first three to four weeks, your new lawn should never be allowed to get thirsty!