Horticultural aide memoire
No.43: Spike the lawn
The lawn is typically damp and squashy now, ideal for spiking. Take a garden fork and push its tines vertically into the ground by standing on it, then work it back and forth a little. Withdraw it, step back 4in and repeat the exercise. Keep doing this until the whole lawn is covered in a regular pattern of holes. This is one of the most beneficial lawn improvements: the lawn will drain more freely in the winter, and the process punches through the dense mat of thatch at the base of the grass leaves, improving root growth.
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