Maintaining a Green Lawn Through Summer: The Crucial Task You Need to Complete This Month
Healthy Lawns During Heatwaves: Expert Tips from John Marshall
As the UK braces for another heatwave, it's crucial to ensure our lawns remain lush and green. Landscaping expert John Marshall offers valuable advice on keeping your lawn resilient in the scorching sun.
Lawns, being one of the most exposed parts of the garden, are prone to damage from the sun. To prevent wilting and browning, it's essential to water them properly. Marshall advises watering deeply and infrequently, ideally between 5am and 10am. This deep watering encourages roots to grow downward, making the grass more resilient to heat stress.
To reduce evaporation and prevent leaf scorch, avoid watering during midday. Similarly, it's best not to water late at night to avoid fungal issues. Instead, aim the water at the soil and roots rather than wetting the grass blades to minimize disease risk.
Raising your mower blade to keep grass taller can also help shade the soil and reduce heat stress. Additionally, managing thatch buildup through raking or aeration ensures water reaches roots more effectively. Using mulch where possible can retain soil moisture and cool roots.
For added resilience, consider using slow-release fertilizers and overseed with heat-tolerant grass varieties. Furthermore, using seaweed can boost health, goodness, and biological activity in the grass, making the soil grow a stronger and greener lawn.
Marshall also warns against mowing the lawn too often in August and recommends using liquid seaweed fertilisers, which can be bought from local garden centres or ordered online.
Signs of heat stress in lawns include wilting or brown patches of grass, leaf burn, and visible footprints within the grass. If you notice these signs, take action promptly to ensure your lawn remains healthy during the summer.
By following these tips, you can help prevent brown or wilting patches during the summer and maintain a beautiful, resilient lawn.
By adjusting your home-and-garden routines during a heatwave, you can improve your lifestyle and maintain a healthy lawn. For instance, deeply watering your lawn early in the morning can encourage resilient root growth, while raising your mower blade helps shade the soil. Moreover, employing tactics such as raking or aerating to manage thatch buildup, using slow-release fertilizers, and overseeing with heat-tolerant grass varieties can further enhance lawn resilience.
