As the weather cools and the rain begins to return, gardeners country wide are breathing a collective sigh of relief. Here at Sherborne Turf, we’ve had a lot of people asking how to help their lawns after the recent dry spell.
The key at this point in time is, surprisingly, not to do too much. Starting your autumn lawn care too soon before it rains will stress the lawn and cause more issues.
Your lawn may well look worse than it actually is. In most cases, it will recover by itself as the weather changes. If you are still worried, there are a few key things that you can do to assist your lawn’s recovery:
- Increase the height of the cut of your mower. Whether you have been leaving your grass long or have been continuing to mow your lawn throughout the summer, keep the mower height high so as to reduce the stress on the grass. Cutting your grass too short will leave the lawn looking yellow and it will take longer to recover. Remember to avoid reducing the length of your lawn by any more than a third as this could also put your lawn under unnecessary stress. Longer grass will shade the soil and roots while the larger surface area of the leaf will aid the plant to produce more energy and recover more quickly. If you need a new mower and are considering a more environmentally friendly option, have a look at our range of battery powered EGO Power Plus mowers.
- Carefully aerate the ground. Using a small solid tine aerator or small spiker, pierce holes just a few centimetres through the thatch layer and into the top of the soil. This will help drainage when it rains (or if you water the area), helping the water reach the roots more efficiently. Only do this with a small spiker or sorrel roller. A garden fork is not the right shape and may compact the soil.
- If your lawn looks in desperate need of a feed, and the weather looks like it will continue being cool and wet, then use a fertiliser such as our Stripy Green Fertiliser. This will help to green the grass more quickly without being too harsh. Always wait for rainy weather before using fertiliser. It is more than possible to leave this step until the autumn when the weather cools further if required.
Remember: before assuming you need to perform any drastic repair work to your lawn, give it a good chance to recover by itself first. If your lawn is still in a bad way further into September, then that would be a better time to fix any issues. Autumn is the perfect time to consider re-turfing, carry out lawn renovation or overseeding a tired existing lawn. Find out more about September lawn care here.
If you would like further advice with your lawn or garden, we are always happy to help. Call us on 01935 850388, email us at enquiries@sherborneturf.co.uk, or message us online on our website, Facebook or Instagram.
