After the Dry Summer
Most lawns will recover when moisture returns, this may be at different rates across the lawn depending on the prevailing conditions. Some areas may need a little extra help or repair.
In most cases unless you have been watering the lawn then then the grass has had to cope with no water over the summer followed by a intermittent rainfall so it’s no surprise that it will take time to recover when moisture becomes available and areas may need extra work.
The extended lack of water means that the grass has gone into dormancy and some of it may not recover if the “crown” of the plant, that is the base of the plant from where the leaves and roots grow, has dried out.
Some areas typically dry quicker and suffer more, for example at the edges of drive’s and pathways the kerb stone or other materials heat up on the hot days and act a bit like a pizza stone radiating heat so these parts dry more quickly, soil is also often shallower at the edges.
Some of the finer grass species and older cultivars are less drought resistant, their roots may be shallower and as a consequence they struggle in the conditions that have prevailed and in some lawns, particularly those that have not been scarified or aerated in the recent past, some of the grass roots grow in the thatch layer and are more exposed to the dry weather.
The effect of the dry weather is often greater over underground features such as drains, soakaways, as the ground conditions in these areas often differ from the surrounding areas or near trees or bushes when competition for water is greater..
In the absence of water many lawns, particularly clay soils, become compact and in some cases even start to be resistant to watering.
The extended dry period means some soils may develop a condition called "dry patch", this is when the soil becomes hydrophobic, that is it resists water so becomes very difficult to wet. As moisture returns to the lawn with rainfall and less extreme temperatures the Grass will pick up, but some bits may still stay brown. If its hydrophobic (water is unable to penetrate the surface), its best to just rake and fork over these patches, maybe to 2-3 inches and then regularly water the area, add a small amount of non bio washing up liquid to a watering can and this will help the water penetrate, it may take a few weeks to work. If it’s a larger area then an aerating machine and a wetting agent may be needed
Its also likely that there will be an increase in the number of weeds as, in the dry weather, seeds are spread easily and will also be waiting on moisture to activate.
Heat and drought will have shrunk the soil in your lawn and grass can struggle on dry and compacted soil as it needs air and water to maintain a strong root system. The best way to fix this is to aerate the lawn, this can be done manually or using a machine which can be hired from a local tool hire company, use a hollow-tine machine as solid tines do not relieve compaction. Theses machines remove cores of soil from the lawn to create small channels which help improve root development, water percolation and soil nutrition.
As many lawns have been so dry there is a lot of dead leaves that have added to excess thatch that needs removing. You can do this by scarifying with with a wire rake, but a powered ‘bladed’ machine will always do a better job, again you can hire these but best to get in early as demand will be greater this year.
Some bare patches on the lawn may need the addition of new grass, and as you are improving soil and surface conditions you can also do some overseeding too, after aeration and /or scarification is a perfect time to do this.
Most lawns will recover when moisture returns, this may be at different rates across the lawn depending on the prevailing conditions. Some areas may need a little extra help or repair.
In most cases unless you have been watering the lawn then then the grass has had to cope with no water over the summer followed by a intermittent rainfall so it’s no surprise that it will take time to recover when moisture becomes available and areas may need extra work.
The extended lack of water means that the grass has gone into dormancy and some of it may not recover if the “crown” of the plant, that is the base of the plant from where the leaves and roots grow, has dried out.
Some areas typically dry quicker and suffer more, for example at the edges of drive’s and pathways the kerb stone or other materials heat up on the hot days and act a bit like a pizza stone radiating heat so these parts dry more quickly, soil is also often shallower at the edges.
Some of the finer grass species and older cultivars are less drought resistant, their roots may be shallower and as a consequence they struggle in the conditions that have prevailed and in some lawns, particularly those that have not been scarified or aerated in the recent past, some of the grass roots grow in the thatch layer and are more exposed to the dry weather.
The effect of the dry weather is often greater over underground features such as drains, soakaways, as the ground conditions in these areas often differ from the surrounding areas or near trees or bushes when competition for water is greater..
In the absence of water many lawns, particularly clay soils, become compact and in some cases even start to be resistant to watering.
The extended dry period means some soils may develop a condition called "dry patch", this is when the soil becomes hydrophobic, that is it resists water so becomes very difficult to wet. As moisture returns to the lawn with rainfall and less extreme temperatures the Grass will pick up, but some bits may still stay brown. If its hydrophobic (water is unable to penetrate the surface), its best to just rake and fork over these patches, maybe to 2-3 inches and then regularly water the area, add a small amount of non bio washing up liquid to a watering can and this will help the water penetrate, it may take a few weeks to work. If it’s a larger area then an aerating machine and a wetting agent may be needed
Its also likely that there will be an increase in the number of weeds as, in the dry weather, seeds are spread easily and will also be waiting on moisture to activate.
Heat and drought will have shrunk the soil in your lawn and grass can struggle on dry and compacted soil as it needs air and water to maintain a strong root system. The best way to fix this is to aerate the lawn, this can be done manually or using a machine which can be hired from a local tool hire company, use a hollow-tine machine as solid tines do not relieve compaction. Theses machines remove cores of soil from the lawn to create small channels which help improve root development, water percolation and soil nutrition.
As many lawns have been so dry there is a lot of dead leaves that have added to excess thatch that needs removing. You can do this by scarifying with with a wire rake, but a powered ‘bladed’ machine will always do a better job, again you can hire these but best to get in early as demand will be greater this year.
Some bare patches on the lawn may need the addition of new grass, and as you are improving soil and surface conditions you can also do some overseeding too, after aeration and /or scarification is a perfect time to do this.