A GARDENING expert has revealed an essential task you need to do now to make sure that your lawn survives the winter. The hot weather can take a toll on your lawn, drying it out and killing the grass. Now is the perfect time to get it in tip top condition again to make sure that it is resilient enough to survive the colder weather ahead.

Prepare The Lawn Nick Ee, product and training manager at BLACK+DECKER , said that it is important to aerate, scarify and fertilise your lawn now, to make sure it's OK for the autumn. Scarifying refers to the process of using a tool to clear matted grass and moss from the surface of your lawn. Nick said: "Removing this layer helps to prevent the lawn from becoming waterlogged and promotes healthier grass growth.

Read more gardening stories “Use a manual rake for small lawns or an electric scarifier for larger areas, setting the blades shallow for the first pass. “After removing debris, aerate the lawn for better soil and root health, then fertilise and seed bare patches for regrowth.” The expert revealed that there are two other tasks you should do now to prepare your garden for the colder weather ahead.

Pruning Plants Pruning plants which are dead or diseased is a great way to improve their overall health, ahead of the autumn. Most read in Fabulous To do this, take a sharp pruning tool and make clean cuts to remove dead or diseased branches to encourage healthy growth. Nick said: "This helps to improve air circulation and sunlight expo.