A GARDENING whizz has shared six tips that will save your lawn during the heatwave without having to water over and over again.
Lawns can easily suffer in the summer, especially during the heatwave, as the mercury hit 30C first-thing this morning.
Whilst most avid gardeners assume that this means having to water your lawn and plants more often than usual, an expert has revealed that is not the case – and in fact, there are other ways to keep your lawn thriving in the heat.
Speaking to The Express, Chris Bonnett, founder of GardeningExpress, said: “Everyone wants gorgeous green grass this summer, especially if you’re entertaining.
“The lawn is an important part of the garden and when it’s taken care of, tidy and green, it can automatically make the garden appear neater and more presentable.
“There are a few routine things you can do to keep your grass looking healthy and bright like adding fertiliser, leaving grass clippings and top dressing.
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“If you do all these things consistently, you’ll notice change in your lawn.”
Fertiliser
If you want to keep your garden looking lush you should fertilise it a few times a year – this includes at the beginning of spring, once in the summer and once in the early autumn.
Sharing his expertise, the whizz said: ''Mow your lawn and lay down your fertiliser with a spreader which will ensure you have an even coverage.
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''Leave this to settle in the grass for around 24 hours then give it a light water.
“After that, avoid watering the grass for a few days so that the fertiliser can do its job.
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''Once you’ve done this you can get back to watering your grass as normal.”
Top dressing
According to Chris, top dressing, which can be done a couple of weeks after using a fertiliser, is good for those who are “really” keen for their grass to grow.
“Mix together materials like sand, soil loam and peat and apply this to your dry grass.
“The materials will transfer nutrients back into the soil and promote growth.”
Use grass clippings
The expert said: “Similar to top dressing, an easy way to promote grass growth is to leave the remaining grass clippings on your grass after mowing.
“This way, the clippings decompose and transform healthy nutrients that promote growth back into the soil, keeping your grass healthy.”
Leave the lawn long
Despite what some might think, cutting the grass too short can do more harm than good during the hotter periods of the year.
This is because shorter grass means less photosynthesis – which means less growth.
Chris said: “Really, you want to keep your grass two to three inches long.”
Aerate the lawn
The gardening pro explained: “Aeration is creating small holes in your lawn to allow it to breathe and allow air and nutrients to access the roots.
“It’s also important to avoid a build up of thatch.
“However you must ensure that you do this in correct weather conditions, it shouldn’t be too dry or too wet.
“Simply dig a garden fork into different sections of the grass or you can purchase a lawn aerator, either is fine.”
Overseeding
It is not uncommon for the lawns to become patchy when the weather's hot and it hasn't rained for a while.
To help get it back to its healthy and lush state, Chris recommended overseeding.
He said: “This is a great way to sow new seed over existing lawn and can lead to fuller looking grass.”
Watering
When it comes to watering, most will assume that more means better.
But, according to the guru, gardeners should water their lawns for longer and less often.
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“Instead of watering your grass everyday for short periods of time, try and give your grass a longer and deeper water a few times a week in order to penetrate right down to the roots.
''Leaving it for a couple of days will give the grass plenty of time to soak it up before the next watering.”
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