Having taught and inspired over 2000 budding horticulture students in the principles and techniques of lawn care, Alan Barson has joined up with        Nigel Jupe to launch a new service to help Norfolk home owners have truly great grass of their own.

Who are you and what do you do?

Great Grass is a new independent company providing a lawn agronomy service.   In simple terms, this means we are using the knowledge, techniques and materials employed by professional greenkeepers and groundsmen to create and nurture stunning lawns here in Norfolk.  While providing the perfect backdrop in a garden, a great lawn can be a genuine feature in its own right. Lawns are like roses, they require feeding, pruning, treating for problems and need suitable soil conditions.  

Where are you based and why?

Based near Fakenham, and with future plans for a base near Norwich, we are providing our services to lawn owners throughout the county.  

How long have you been established?

Anew company, Great Grass was set up last year by a team of people with a wealth of experience in the amenity and horticultural sectors. 

How did you get into this line of work?

I rather feel in at the deep end when in my first job as an apprentice gardener at a Sheffield hospital I was given responsibility for the bowling green.  With little margin for error, it was a bit of a baptism of fire!  With a genuine interest in grass, I went on to study turf care as part of a diploma course at Askam Bryan College before becoming a lecturer in Turf and Machinery at Norfolk’s College of Agriculture and Horticulture.  Since the horticultural department at Burlingham closed, I’ve been practising horticulture in Norfolk for the Women’s Institute, adult education and other local training organisations.

Does that mean you are obsessed with lawns?

Pretty much, but when I’m not nurturing lawns or giving garden society talks, I enjoy a spot of campanology, bird watching and canoeing on the Broads. 

 What in your view makes a good lawn?

Attention to detail.  Just as borders need to be lovingly tendered, so do lawns.  In my view a truly great lawn is emerald green in colour, weed and moss free with a uniform cut with clearly defined stripes, which are straight!

How do you achieve this?

Just as with any other plants, grass needs to be regularly fed with different fertilizers at specific times of the year.  Correct physical management of the lawn is important.  As well as ensuring it is well aerated and drained, you need to take steps to ensure that dead organic matter, technically referred to as thatch, is not allowed to build up on the surface.  Last but not least, weeds, pests and diseases need to be controlled.

How much attention do they need?

The most important times in the lawn care calendar are spring – when you need to ‘wake the lawn up’, and autumn – when you need to ‘put it to bed’.  However, ideally you should aim to give it regular attention between March and November.  The more attention you give your lawn, the better the rewards.  At Great Grass our approach is to programme in an average three to four visits a year. 

Is it possible to have a decent lawn in an organic garden?

Yes, broadly speaking the same approach can be followed using organic fertilizers and organic seaweed based products, which are high in iron, to kill moss.   Weed control is the most significant challenge, as it has to be carried out by hand.  With an organic lawn it is a real advantage to deal with weeds early, before they have a chance to spread. 

Where is your favourite lawn and why?

I have a number! The Kings Walk at East Ruston Old Vicarage Garden is one because of its importance within that part of these magnificent gardens.  Great Grass is helping to manage this lawn as the team of gardeners is kept busy tending to the exquisite borders and planting schemes. Others include Blickling Hall, near Aylsham, and the Norwich Union lawns at the top of St Stephens, in Norwich. While outside the county, Anglesey Abbey near Cambridge is among my favourites.

How long does it take to transform a lawn?

To a large extent it depends on the state of the lawn at the start and the aspirations of the gardener.  If you are after a bowling green finish and are starting with a meadow, it is going to take a while and a lot of hard work!  However, if you are starting with an average lawn, then significant progress can be made in a single season.

What is the worst thing we can do to our lawns?

Ignore them!  Common neglect comes from not feeding the soil, cutting the grass too short and heavy trampling - particularly in wet weather.

And if we do just one thing, what should it be?

Tricky question as it depends on the lawn, but in the vast majority of cases I would say feeding is the single most important activity. 

You sound like a lawn doctor, do you get collared by people at parties?

Oh yes, all the time!

We hear you collect lawn equipment.  Please tell us about those?

We are a great nation of inventors including designers of lawn equipment. Indeed, the first lawn mower was patented in the 1830 by an English engineer, Edwin Budding, and was an adaptation of a machine used to cut the nap off cloth.  Over the years I’ve amassed a sizeable collection of spikers, aerators and lawn mowers – I’ve lost count of the total!

Who uses Great Grass?

Generally our customers want a great lawn but are more interested in tending to their borders, or simply don’t have the available time, knowledge, energy or inclination to do the work themselves!   Lawn care can be strenuous work.  With the necessary qualifications, Great Grass is able to use professional grade fertilizers and weeds killers which give the best results. 

Does size matter?

No, some very small lawns still have an important role to play in the garden.  We have customers with lawns from 100 sq m to a number of acres.

What are your future plans?

Its time for the lawn to fight back against the decking, paving slabs and shingle!

Over the next few years we will be continuing to work to raise the profile of the lawn in the minds of Norfolk gardeners.  With Great Grass it is now possible for everyone to have a great lawn.

On a personal basis I need to get my garden machinery store built!