Dormant Lawn

I’ve been asked numerous times over the last few days about lawns going dormant/brown and watering. Over the last few months, the weather has been extremely hot and very dry. We have just not had any substantial and consistent rain since the start of spring. If you haven’t been watering your lawn it might have gone into dormancy and taken on the appearance of a desert landscape. The good news is that grass is resilient and will usually recover when conditions approve. During a dormant phase, grass stops growing and starts going brown. What can you do to help your lawn until we get rain and conditions improve?

1. Water – Should we water or should we leave it to nature? Generally, lawns will recover after a drought, but it might take time and a bit of TLC. If you have invested time and money into your lawn and don’t want it to go dormant or brown, water. If possible, water heavily twice a week. The general rule of thumb is 1 inch twice a week, the key is to make sure the water is penetrating down into the soil. One inch of water is a lot of water so please check your municipal water rates. Measure the amount of water you are putting down by using a straight edged container on your lawn (Tupperware or cut the bottom off a 2l milk bottle, placed on the lawn) to measure how much you are watering. If you water little but often the water sits on the surface, doesn’t get to the roots, and simply evaporates. Try water very early in the morning or early evening. Watering at night does however increase the risk of lawn diseases but it’s better than not watering at all.

2. Mowing – Most lawns have slowed down their growth but if it needs cutting, it is important not to cut the lawn to short and if possible, to cut it higher. For this time of year, I would recommend cutting at approx. 6cm in height. The longer the grass the better chance it has to protect itself from the scorching hot days.

3. Raking or Scarifying – DO NOT DO ANY RAKING OR SCARIFYING of the “dead” grass as this will cause more stress on the lawn. Please wait until the conditions have improved before doing any renovation work.

4. Wetting Agent – This will help those customers who are watering to make best use of the water applied and allow the soil to re-wet and conserve water. Please email me if you want more information and costs sales@mrlawn.co.uk

Treatments

I’m currently visiting clients for their Summer Treatments. The treatment is a Coated Granular Feed that is high in nitrogen and magnesium. The great advantage of the product I’m using is that it will only release nutrients when the conditions are favorable, and it will not scorch the lawn. Please contact me if you by any chance have not had your Summer Feed done by the middle of August. I sometimes send out emails for booking but don’t get replies...

Dog Wee/Patch Repair, I have these available in 2.2kg bags. It basically consists of High Quality Barenbrug Seed (200g) and a blend of Topsoil and Coco Flakes (2kg). Please email me if you would like to order a bag or two - £12.00 per bag. sales@mrlawn.co.uk

Wetting Agent – This will help those customers who are watering to make best use of the water applied and allow the soil to re-wet and conserve water. Please email me if you want more information and costs sales@mrlawn.co.uk

Please email or call if you have any questions.

Regards

Denton