Garden tips: How to maintain your lawn
Last year was the hottest ever on record in the UK, and the summer was the driest since 1976. It’s safe to say it was a tough time for lawns.
Cheryl Harper, managing director of Greensleeves Lawn Care, has shared several tips to help Britons keep their lawns “hydrated and looking beautiful” throughout the summer months.
1. Collect rainwater for use in the garden
Capturing rainwater isn’t a new idea, but it’s one that many are still missing out on – and it is free and easy to collect. Installing a water butt or rain barrel is relatively simple, and gardeners can use the water to hydrate their lawns and plants.
Interestingly, Cheryl revealed that “rainwater is more suitable for grass than tap water”, as it is full of mineral elements, such as chlorine, fluoride and sodium, which can be toxic to plant tissue.
Depending on where you live, hose pipe bans are a likely possibility (if not already a reality), so being able to use the water from a water butt is a precious resource and a great way to keep lawns hydrated and water during these times.
2. Timing is everything
The time of day gardeners water their lawn can have a “significant impact” on its health and the “best time to water it” is early morning, according to the expert.
She said: “It’s cooler and usually the wind is calmer. This allows more water to seep down into the roots of the lawn.
“During the middle of the day, large quantities of water will evaporate before getting down into the roots, and your lawn will quickly dry out.”
Cheryl also explained that using the “right amount is crucial as well”. She urged gardeners to never forget this tip because while not enough will make little difference, too much and gardeners will “do more damage than good”.
Keep an eye on the weather forecast. As most are aware, the weather can change quickly in the UK, so don’t waste water if rain is on the way.
For those who can see a long dry spell coming, it’s important to hydrate the lawn as “once the damage is done, it’s hard to reverse”.
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3. Avoid mowing too short
Lawnmowers should be set to a higher cutting height during summer as longer grass provides shade to the soil, reducing water evaporation and promoting deeper root growth. Think little and often during the summer.
If the grass is too short, it can lead to “scorched leaves and water evaporating quickly”, ultimately “damaging your grass”.
Lawns are full of weed seeds just waiting for the right conditions to germinate, but long grass is “one of the best weed control methods” there is.
4. Keep on top of weeds
Pesky lawn weeds can be the bane of any homeowner’s existence, but they don’t have to be. One way to fight weeds is by having a healthy, thick, vigorous lawn, and gardeners can achieve this through fertilising, watering, and mowing practices.
Many weeds, however, can survive and even thrive in hot summer conditions, due to extensive deep roots that can access groundwater all year round, so staying one step ahead with diligent maintenance is key.
Moss is another invasive and unwelcome visitor in lawns and, left unchecked, it can ultimately make it “uninhabitable”.
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Cheryl claimed that using a scarifier is “the best solution for removing moss”, and it simply means giving the lawn a good rake to bring out the plant.
Scarifying can also prevent various lawn diseases and help to maximise the amount of water and nutrients reaching the grassroots.
5. Aeration and hydration treatments
The lawn specialist claimed that aeration is a “fantastic treatment” for lawns if they want to see them fully thrive. For those unfamiliar with aeration, it is the process of creating small holes or channels in the soil in order to provide good air circulation and improve grassroots water and nutrient consumption.
Cheryl explained: “In the summer when it’s hotter and drier, this becomes vital for your lawn. Good hydration is also essential and if water is evaporating quicker than it’s absorbed, you’ll quickly see your lawn start to turn brown, dry out, and eventually die.”
Hydration treatments are useful for gardeners to use now as they allow wetting agents into the soil. The technology allows applied water to efficiently enter the soil and gives complete coverage deep down into the root zone, ensuring the benefits are evenly distributed into the whole rooting area of the lawn.
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