IT’S time for picnics and parties in the garden — but does your lawn make the cut?
Some people spend hundreds on hiring fancy lawn care firms but with savvy buys you can still get a lush, immaculate result.
Here’s how . . .
CUT TO IT: Regular mowing is essential for a well-kept lawn and the blades have to be super-sharp.
If you need a new mower, search on the HotUKDeals app to find loads of great offers on all kinds of models. Homebase has a Powerbase electric one for £52, down from £65.
FEEDING TIME: Spring is a great time to fertilise an ailing lawn. Miracle-Gro’s lawn food (1kg) is £4.50 at Wilko, down from £5.50.
If you’ve got lots of weeds, try a combined product which thickens lawns while killing off weeds and moss, like Evergreen’s Complete 4-in-1 treatment. Wilko has it for £10 for 3.5kg, down from £14.
SOW GOOD: Grass seed can make good those ugly bare patches. Homebase has a half-price offer on a Gro-Sure pack, £9.45 for 50 square-metre coverage.
DIG IT: Let your lawn breathe by piercing small holes across it with a garden fork, about 10cm deep — particularly in trampled areas.
MEET YOUR THATCH: Lawns get weaker and can die if thatch — dead grass — builds up too much above the soil. This can also cause moss to grow.
Most read in Tips
Remove thatch by raking the grass with a springtine rake, or for large lawns get an electric scarifier. Aldi sells them for £79.99.
But as you only need to do this every year or two, hire one from fatllama.com for about £5 to £10 a day.
GET THE EDGE: Sharp edges make a lawn look neater. Mow-over edging is half price at £9.99 for a pack of four strips from Coopers of Stortford. Each pack measures two metres.
TIME FOR A DRINK: If hot and dry, water in the early morning to avoid evaporation.
- Prices correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
Deal of the day
BASK in the sun with this Charles Bentley lounger, £27, down from £35 at Wilko.
SAVE: £8
Cheap treat
GALAXY smooth milk chocolate bars (360g) are down to £2.69 at B&M, from £2.99.
SAVE: 30p
Win!
SIGN up to Boots Parenting Club by Thursday to be in with the chance of winning a Mothercare pram and pushchair.
You can also claim a free gift of baby shampoo or bodywash, as well as doubling your Advantage points when you buy baby products.
Top swap
MAGNUM Classics are £3 for a pack of four at Sainsbury’s.
Or save with a four-pack of Belgian milk chocolate Majestics from Iceland, costing £1.
SAVE: £2
Leah’s little helper
PETS at Home is offering 50 per cent off the first month of its monthly subscription service for flea treatments until the end of March.
Shop and save
ICELAND has a three-for-£9 deal on fresh meat and poultry, including Richmond toad-in-the-hole (£3.25, 612g), four hot-and-spicy pork loins (£3.25, 350g) and six peppered grill-steaks (£3.25, 480g).
SAVE: 75p
Hot right now
ARGOS has up to 25 per cent off on selected outdoor toys, including giant snakes and ladders for £16, down from £20.
Play now to win £100
JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle.
Every month we’re giving away £100 to 250 lucky readers – whether you’re saving up or just in need of some extra cash, The Sun could have you covered.
Every Sun Savers code entered equals one Raffle ticket. The more codes you enter, the more tickets you’ll earn and the more chance you will have of winning!
To take part go to sunsavers.co.uk or open the Sun Savers app.
With Sun Savers, we give you the best hacks, deals and tips to save money every single day.
TO JOIN: Don’t worry, folks — joining takes just 30 seconds, in three steps.
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk