17/07/2022
It's incredibly hot out there, with record temperatures due to hit the country this week. Global warming is obviously changing the climate so we would assume that temperatures like this will be with us in future years too.
So what can we do to ensure that our lawns continue looking green during a heatwave? Here's our top tips.
You should keep your lawn well maintained all year round as this will give you a healthy lawn with deeper roots making it stronger in the battle against high temperatures.
During the hot weather, look to be mowing twice a week but at a higher setting o your mower. Longer grass will help to provide shade for the soil so that it should lose moisture slower. It will also help each grass plant to retain moisture and resist drying out.
If you have a mower that mulches use this option. The cuttings left on the grass will also help to slow moisture loss.
Aerate the lawn with a garden fork or similar. If a lawn becomes too dry it becomes hydrophobic meaning that it will actually repel water rather than soaking it in. Adding holes to the lawn helps the water to reach the plants roots.
Hang fire with feeding the lawn, especially if it's high in nitrogen and granular. If not done right this will actually draw moisture out and end up burning your lawn. If you really feel you need to feed your lawn, use a liquid feed that is higher in potassium.
It may sound obvious but keep your lawn watered as best you can, obviously hose pipe bans etc may kick in at certain times. You should look to water early in the morning, preferably before 10am and the heat from the sun. This allows for the water to actually soak in to the lawn deeper and encourage deeper roots on your grass rather than it evaporating from the surface. Only water every 2 to 3 days though and make sure you give it a good soaking, you should aim to give the lawn at least an inch of water each week (look up the tuna can technique for more information on how to measure this). If you do shallow watering every day it will have a negative effect on your lawn as it will encourage short roots. If you can't water early morning, aim for around 4pm instead. The sun shouldn't be so hot now but you need it warm enough to dry off the surface of the lawn before dark otherwise this can lead to fungal diseases.
Having said all this, if you are happy for your lawn to not be green during the summer months then don't worry too much about watering it. It will go yellow and you may think it's dead but it's not, it's just gone dormant. Basically it's hibernating. Once the rain returns in late summer/autumn the so will the green grass.
We hope this helps but please get in touch if you'd like any further help or advice.
