How to prepare your lawn for El Niño – the 3 best ways to keep your grass alive during heavy rain and stormy weather

With heavy rain and storms forecast for the next few months, it’s a wise idea to learn how to prepare your lawn for El Niño (autumn-winter edition). El Niño refers to a weather pattern that occurs every two years, caused by the warming of the sea surface; it can lead to summer heatwaves and increase the risk of colder winters in the UK. But this year's is predicted to be particularly strong.

El Niño's hitting our lawns with a double whammy this year: the summer heatwaves left dry, compacted plains behind, and those conditions, along with the impending wet weather, make flooding a lot more likely. Turns out, we'll need all the lawn care tips we can get if we want our gardens to survive the autumn and winter.

Luckily, there are a few ways you can prepare your lawn for El Niño's impact over the months ahead...

What you'll need

1. Aerate your lawn

If your lawn is anything like mine, it’ll be sun-baked and compacted after the hot summer. According to The Grass People’s Chris McIlroy, some soil might even be hydrophobic now, causing water to run straight off the surface and flood nearby paths, patios and drains. Luckily, there’s a simple fix that'll help prepare your lawn for El Niño.

‘Aerating the lawn relieves some of this compaction,’ says Chris. ‘It involves creating small holes in the soil to allow air circulation.’

Learning how to aerate a lawn is as easy as that. We recently used the Kent & Stowe Aerator tool, which you can order from Marshalls Garden. It’s a hollow-tine aerator that pulls small cores of earth from the lawn to aid soil compaction and promote root growth.

2. Sow new grass seed

Interestingly, overseeding can help a lawn cope better in El Niño’s rainy weather, too. Apparently, less bare patches mean less water pooling.

‘Grass absorbs rainwater far better than bare soil, so filling in thin or patchy areas now will help your lawn cope with wetter weather over the coming months,’ says Chris.

I used the Miracle-Gro Drop Spreader to sow grass seed evenly across my lawn, and I ended up finishing the job in half the time it would take to overseed by hand.

‘Thicker, well-established lawns also have stronger root systems which can absorb water and remain resilient against challenges including waterlogging,’ Chris adds.

We’re running out of time to sow grass seed this year, so it’s worth ordering in some fast-growing lawn seed like Pronto Speedy Seed from Amazon.

3. Clear fallen leaves and debris

Besides those lawn care tasks, you should avoid leaving fallen leaves on your lawn, along with other debris that can create a wet blanket above the grass.

‘A thick layer of wet leaves can trap moisture against the grass, block sunlight and create the perfect conditions for moss and fungal diseases to develop,’ says Cheryl Harper, managing director of Greensleeves Lawn Care. ‘A quick rake every few days can make a real difference, particularly after heavy rain or strong winds.’

This steel leaf rake from B&Q is a bargain for £10.

Completing these lawn care tasks now will prepare your lawn for the effects of El Niño over the months ahead.