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How to look after your lawn in the dry season

Grass

After a dry spell, the once lush lawns across the country may start to look a bit brown, commonly referred to as dry patches. Please don't be alarmed! There's a good chance the grass hasn't died. In fact, it's likely the grass has entered a dormant state to protect itself - a process similar to hibernation. This allows the grass to focus on keeping its root system alive.

Once the warmer weather has passed and conditions return to normal, it's time to look at rejuvenating your lawn. Check out our step-by-step guide below on how to do this.

Giving life back to a damaged lawn

Rake and water the area well

We recommend using a rake to remove any debris from the grass, then give the area a thorough watering. It's likely that the soil surface has become hard due to the drought. A useful tip is to aerate the lawn using a hollow-tine tool or garden fork to create holes in the ground. This helps water penetrate the surface and reach the root zone, allowing roots to expand and develop, while also improving oxygen flow to the soil. Different parts of the UK will require different amounts of water, depending on recent rainfall. If you're currently affected by a hosepipe ban, consider using our Hydrate Plus Wetting Agent - it improves water distribution, meaning much less watering is required.

Feeding to thicken up the lawn

Your lawn may still look a little tired after the above steps - don't be surprised if it seems to fade further before recovering. It will benefit greatly from a good feed to restore its lush, green appearance. As we head into the summer months, our Ultimate Spring Summer Lawn Fertiliser is an excellent feed choice. You can view our guide to fertilisers to learn more about the benefits of this mix.

Does your lawn need patch repairs?

You may notice a few bare patches after raking and following the initial steps. This is perfectly normal following an extreme heatwave. You can view our article on patch repair for help with restoring these areas.

What if my lawn still looks dead?

If you have followed all of the above steps and your lawn is still looking dead and dry, what you can do is give the grass a slight tug. If it easily rips out of the soil then unfortunately in this case the grass has died. If you still feel some good resistance there, then the grass still has hope for recovery.

My grass has died, what do I do?

If your lawn has unfortunately died due to the hot weather, you'll need to sow a new one from scratch. If there are still some healthy areas, an overseed may be all that's required. Explore our wide range of top-quality lawn seed for all soil, traffic and condition requirements here. Please note: some areas may be under hosepipe bans. If this applies to you, check with your local council to find out whether exemptions apply for watering newly sown lawns.

Here are our handy how-to guides for both of these grass sowing methods:

If you are looking to sow new grass seed, feed your lawn or want any additional advice, please get in touch. We are more than happy to provide as much information as you need to achieve your lawn goals. You can contact us by phone on 0800 411 8141 or by email at sales@a1lawn.co.uk.