Dry spell got your garden looking gloomy? How to manage your lawn in a drought

The warm weather may be welcome, but there’s always the risk that dry conditions might harm your lawn. Here’s how you can keep your turf looking fresh and healthy during hot conditions:

1. Aerate your lawn

Compacted lawns never fare well, and enhance any poor conditions, such as very dry or cold spells, to cause additional damage. Aerate your lawn in early summer to ensure it gets the best chance in bad conditions.

2. Check Dryness

The top 4 inches of earth in your lawn are crucial- if they dry out, your turf will start to wilt. Use a trowel to check around your lawn (in discreet areas if possible) to check when hot weather begins to dry out this important upper layer.

3. Water when you can

Water your lawn as much as you can during summer- clearly keeping it as healthy as possible is the best way to mitigate the effects of any sudden dry spells. While water restrictions are becoming more and more common in the UK, a well-cared for lawn will fare better during drought than one that’s neglected or undernourished to begin with. Added fertiliser in the water can help the lawn along.

4. Cut back on mowing

Mowing encourages growth- but growth needs energy that your parched summer lawn may not have. By cutting your grass short you’re weakening it- and without the water fuelling it to help it bounce back, your smart trim could leave it in trouble.

5. Look after your lawn once the dry conditions have passed, to ensure rapid recovery.

Lawns are tough and a well-cared for, well established lawn can bounce back surprisingly fast. Give your garden a bit of TLC and even if appears heavily damaged, it will quickly recover from even very dry conditions. Scarification, aeration, and spreading grass seeds in bare patches are great ways to give your lawn a helping hand following damage in late spring or summer. Fertilise your lawn before rain is due, so it can be washed deep into the root structure and absorbed effectively.