If you’re wondering how your grass will fare against this week’s soaring temperatures, you’re not alone – but fortunately, there are a few foolproof ways to protect your lawn during a heatwave.
There are plenty of ways to keep your garden cool in a heatwave, but when it comes to protecting your lawn, the experts have a few tricks up their sleeves. Sure, you can learn how to revive a dry lawn, but it's even wiser to keep your grass from drying up in the first place.
Prevention is better than cure, so a panel of trusted lawn experts have shared their tips on how to protect your lawn in this week’s heatwave.
1. Keep your grass long
Working out how often you should mow your lawn can be tricky, but when temperatures are as high as they are this week, it’s important to scale back the mowing and keep your grass long.
‘Start by raising your mower blades to leave grass longer, which helps shade the soil and retain moisture,’ says Cheryl Harper, managing director of Greensleeves. ‘Avoid cutting more than a third of the grass height at once.’
Cheryl also recommends leaving grass clippings on your lawn to act as a natural mulch, which shelters the grass beneath.
Cheryl Harper is the managing director of Greensleeves Lawn Care.
Established in 1998, Greensleeves Lawn Care is a UK-wide lawn care business with over 100 locations.
2. Aerate your lawn
Learning how to aerate a lawn is one of the best things you can do for your garden, whether you’re hoping to improve lawn drainage or fix a waterlogged lawn. It’s also a crucial step in protecting your lawn during a heatwave.
‘Aerating regularly throughout the year can create little pockets in a lawn which helps water and nutrients reach down into the grass roots,’ explains Chris McIlroy, lawn expert at The Grass People. ‘It can prevent the lawn from being compacted, so that water can seep through more easily.’
If you don’t have an aerator tool, you can use a garden fork – but if you’re in the market for dedicated equipment, here are some places you can buy one:
Chris is the technical product lead and in-house lawn seed expert for The Grass People, a grass seed company that champion their expert lead advice and high-quality seed. His advice is focused on sowing, mowing, and maintaining a perfect lawn, and how to overcome any lawn issues homeowners face.
3. Water deeply, not often
If you’re wondering whether you can water grass in the sun, you can water it during hot weather – but the real win is doing it efficiently, especially if you’re hoping to preserve your lawn in a heatwave.
‘Water your lawn deeply once or twice a week rather than little and often,’ advises Cheryl.
Above all else, timing is key. ‘Always water early in the morning or late evening to reduce evaporation, and consider using collected rainwater to conserve resources,' Cheryl says.
For ease, a sprinkler like the Kärcher OS 3.220 Oscillating Sprinkler, £24,99 from B&Q, can cover medium- to large-sized lawns.
These lawn care tips should help you protect your lawn during this week's heatwave. Are there any other tricks you swear by?
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