Gardeners should shuffle across their grass ‘like a penguin’ to help seeds grow, an expert has said.
Alex Hankey, of the Royal Horticultural Society, said walking like a penguin would compact garden soil and help grass seeds grow.
Penguins take short, flat-footed steps to avoid slipping over in icy climes and Mr Hankey said the technique could help gardeners compress their soil.
One of three garden managers of the RHS’s flagship Garden Wisley in Surrey, Mr Hankey warned the tactic would leave footprints and could also be done with a roller.
In case green-fingered enthusiasts do not have a roller in the shed, mimicking the flightless bird could be the answer to help their lawns grow.
Soil is naturally littered with empty spaces left by worms, ants and plant roots which can separate seeds from the nutrients they need to grow.
‘When the soil is fluffy you need to press it down. You can either use a roller or shuffle along to get that seed soil compact,’ Mr Hankey told The Telegraph.
‘Penguin shuffling compresses the top surface but you do leave footprints.’
Soil can have gaps within, caused by worms and plant roots, which need to be compacted
David Hedges-Gower, chairman of the Lawn Association, said penguin walking was vital when creating a lawn for the first time.
He said new lawns had ‘fluffy soil’ which needs to be re-consolidated.
But he said the penguin shuffle did not need to be repeated after its first outing on a new lawn.
The RHS advises that growing a lawn from seeds has advantages over using turf, including being less expensive.
Seeds are also easier to transport to the new lawn compared to turf, while they can also wait for ideal weather conditions where turf can deteriorate if not laid soon after delivery.
But growing a lawn using seeds takes longer than using turf.
According to the RHS: ‘If you have a choice, early autumn is the better option, as the
seedlings can get established before the first hard frosts, then will root in well through the winter.
‘When sown in spring, the grass may not root in as quickly, as it will instead put its energy into flowering.’
There are also a number of different seed types to choose, depending on the user’s needs and the site where they are planning to grow grass.
It is also important to prepare the site by removing weeds, digging to spread the soil, adding manure if the soil is light and fast-draining and firming the soil – perhaps using the penguin shuffle.
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Revealed: The perfect way to make your garden grow… walk like a penguin
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