Should I water the lawn in a heatwave? Gardeners issued warning against soaking grass

The summer sun is beating down on the UK right now, with record-breaking temperatures rising up to 32C for many part of the country.

Millions of Brits will be out in their gardens enjoying the heatwave, but if you’re not careful your lawn might not make it through the next few days in the same shape.

British gardens simply aren’t used to this kind of weather, and with no rain forecast over the course of the next few days, the grass will dry up and plants could die.

Before you break out the hose and start drowning your garden in water, experts from gardens and driveways specialists Marshalls advise an unusual course of action to get your garden to the other end of the heat.

Don’t overwater the grass

Overwatering the grass can be just as damaging as leaving it to dry up (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

It may seem counterintuitive, but if you give your grass too much water, it's just as damaging as leaving it baking in the sun.

As the experts advise: “When watering grass you are looking to water deeply to ensure there’s enough water to see through a drought.”

Only water the grass during cooler periods of the day and ensure that you only do it once a week.

Watering daily can drown the grass, so you must resist the temptation to keep getting the hose out.

Don’t trim the plants

Trimming the plants will mean they need more water (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

This is another tip that might go against instinct, but now is the worst time to remove any dead-looking leaves.

Cutting plants encourages them to grow and at a time like this it’ll mean they need more water.

The experts advise: “Trimming a plant will signal them to grow, which uses vital energy and water, which obviously needs to be preserved in heat, so wait until the heatwave has passed to give plants a good trim.”

Give vegetable patches shade

The heatwave is damaging gardens across the country (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

As much as your veggies need the sun to grow, leaving them out to bake while still in the ground is the last thing you want.

Nobody wants to find their efforts have gone to waste in the garden, especially when people aim to be more self sufficient and cut down costs on their groceries.

The experts explain:

• Water your vegetable patch in the morning or evening using a watering can
• Keep all vegetable patches sheltered - creating a small canopy could help

Covering your crops up will keep them healthy and edible for when they’re finally ready to enjoy.