When temperatures soar, your lawn faces significant stress. However, with the right care strategies, you can help your turf survive (and even thrive!) during these hottest months. Here’s how to keep your lawn healthy when the mercury rises.
Keep up your watering regime
Watering is the number one tool to helping your lawn survive the summer heat. However, you don’t necessarily need to water more just to keep your lawn happy. If your lawn is already well established and in a good watering routine, keep it up. You only need to consider adding extra water if you notice signs of heat stress or the day is unusually long and hot.
An established lawn benefits from long deep waters less frequently, encouraging deep root growth and a more drought tolerant lawn. Extra splashes can be helpful on super hot days.
If you’re still establishing a lawn and are faced with some extreme heat, you will need to increase your watering. As your lawn doesn’t have a deep root system yet, it relies on the overhead watering to help it grow. Increase your watering to ensure your lawn doesn’t dry out while establishing, this could be upwards of 6-7 times a day in extreme heat. A neat trick is to soak a towel and hang it up near your lawn, once it’s completely dry, your lawn will be too, so water again.
Water in the morning
When you do give your lawn a good watering, make sure to do it before the heat of the day. We recommend in the morning between 4am and 9am. This way you will reduce evaporation and allow the grass to dry before the evening.
Reduce traffic
While it’s hot, your lawn is stressed. It’s more vulnerable to damage from foot traffic. Limit activity on your lawn during the hottest parts of the day, and consider creating designated pathways if you must cross the turf regularly.
Raise your mowing height
During the heat an extra couple of inches on your lawn can help shade the soil from the harsh sun. This in turn helps your lawn to maintain moisture and protect from sun damage. Remember to never mow more than 1/3rd of the leaf blade off at a time.
Skip the fertiliser
Extreme heat is not the time to fertilise. In fact, a fertilise now could cause unnecessary stress on your lawn and even cause fertiliser burn. A fertilise will be helpful to give your lawn a much-needed boost once the weather cools down again, so just hold off until temperatures drop.
Pay attention
Regularly check your lawn and know what to look for when your lawn needs help. Check out our blog here for identifying and managing heat stress.
Help it recover
Once the heat is through, treat your lawn to plenty of water and a soil conditioner like Lawn Soaker. This will help to re-hydrate your lawn and improve water penetration deep down into the roots.
After extended periods of extreme heat, aerating your lawn will help to reduce compaction and improve absorption of both water and fertiliser. You can follow this up with a fertilise to replenish nutrietns if your lawn hasn’t had one in awhile.
If you’re ever having trouble with your Turf Farm lawn, don’t hesitate to get in touch or find more helpful blogs and advice here.
