Most lawns suffer from few pests and diseases and these can often be tolerated on general-purpose lawns.  Fine-leaved grasses can be prone to a few common diseases if they are not growing strongly ­ but early treatment can prevent long-term damage.

Other lawn problems may be caused by the nature of the site or by algae, moss or lichen.  Always consider treating the cause of such problems, such as drainage, removing fallen leaves, fertilising correctly before using chemicals.

Although lawn pests are not easy to control with chemicals there are useful sprays that can be used against the most common lawn diseases.  Unless the problem has been experienced in previous years it should not be necessary to apply preventative sprays.  Remember not to mow immediately before or after spraying chemicals on to the lawn, and heed manufacturers’ instructions about restricting pet’s access after spraying.