Help Your Lawn Beat The Heat During A Heatwave

If that back sweat glueing your shirt to the chair proves anything, it’s proving just how hard it is to win against the sun which, for all intents and purposes, is a pretty massive sphere of hot plasma — and it’s ready to put some serious strain on your lawn. That’s right, we’re talking about that once rarest of things, an English heatwave, and it has the potential to make your lawn look rather straw-like. But hope isn’t lost because we gathered our dream team of lawn care experts (who spend copious amounts of time outside in the summer heat) and they shared their top tips for looking after your lawn during a heatwave, allowing it to fully recover once the rains come again.

Here’s what to do to your lawn during a heatwave:

Healthy Lawns For The Win

Whether you’re facing drought, weeds, pests or a heatwave, the healthier your lawn is at the start, the more chance it has of being resilient no matter what. Translation: the best defence is offence, which is why the best thing you can do is maintain a healthy, strong lawn all year round. That’s because the healthier your grass plants, the deeper the roots will be, and deep roots can store a lot more water to help them through hot patches. So why not contact us today so we can help you maintain a healthy lawn.

Mow High & Mow Often

When you’re staring at a weather forecast of all sunshine, the best thing you can do is head to your shed and raise the blades on your mower up a few notches. Not only will this help your plant maintain more water but it will also let your grass sheaths grow longer, which will help shade your soil to slow down any moisture loss too.
What’s more, by mowing high and mowing often, you’ll be:
a) creating a healthier plant
b) leaving behind a fine layer of mulch that will feed your soil both moisture and nutrients.

Aeration is King

Something not a lot of garden-owners know is that a hot n’ dry lawn can actually start to repel water, so the next time you come to water your turf, the water will actually run straight off it instead of being absorbed. That’s where aeration comes in. By creating holes in your lawn, you’ll be encouraging water and nutrients to get down to the roots. And that’s not all because regular aeration will also prevent any soil compaction from happening, which is the last thing you want during a heatwave.

Throw Some Shade

Have you ever noticed how the grass under your garden furniture, your kid’s trampoline and your tallest trees is always greener than the rest of your lawn during the summer months? That’s because these areas are protected from direct sunlight during the hottest parts of the day, allowing them to stay healthy, maintain moisture and keep their colour. So if you’re concerned about a patch of your lawn going brown during a heatwave, protect it with some shade. Moving your washing line in the way, pop up a sunbrella, anything. Your grass will love you for it.

Hold Back On The Feeding

Rule no.1: don’t feed nitrogen to your grass during a heatwave.

Rule no.2: don’t feed nitrogen to your grass during a heatwave.

That’s because applying a nitrogen lawn feed during hot weather is an absolute recipe for disaster. Instead of feeding it, you’ll actually harm it by draining your lawn of water, possibly burning your grass in the process. That said, summer feeding isn’t always a no, it’s just a matter of having a tailor-made summer feeding programme. This is something our lawn technicians can help you with and allow you to beat the heat.

Water, Water, Water

The reason why lawns start to struggle and dry out during a heatwave is because they haven’t seen any water and their reserves have gone. To counter this, water your lawn properly. What that means is, water your lawn deeply and infrequently, and at the end of the day (evening), so that it has a better chance of soaking into the soil overnight. If you don’t do this, and do regular shallow sprinkles throughout the day, that water is just going to evaporate before it’s even reached the roots, which will cause your grass to grow shallow roots. Deep watering means deep roots, remember that. What’s more, this technique will also prevent any fungal disease from entering the fold.

Time For A Water Conserver Treatment

One of the most secret weapons out there when it comes to watering your lawn is simultaneously applying a water conserver treatment, which will help your grass get more use from the water. It does this by breaking down the soil so that the water is more easily absorbed. Trust us: it’s one of the most effective summer lawn care techniques that you can adopt.

All that said, don’t stress too much if your lawn does start to feel the heat, turn a little brown and become patchy. Grass has more bounce-back ability than Marcus Rashford and will be back looking lush and green as soon as we hit the rainy season again.

Thanks for reading about how to help your lawn beat the heat during a heatwave! For more lawn care tips and tricks, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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