This British heatwave has us all a bit out of sorts, not to mention the state of our lawns.
The lack of rain and the scorching heat has left plans wilted, and our lawns dried out and patchy.
However, there are ways you can protect your garden from drying out through the heatwave.
Gardening experts at Mowers Online have shared their top tips for keeping your lawn alive - and just in the nick of time too.
From the most common mistake you could be making that causes more harm than good, to the benefits of saving your grass clippings.
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Make Sure the Cutting Blades aren’t Set too Low
Setting the cutting blades on the lawnmower too low is a commonly made mistake by most gardeners.
When you cut the grass too short, you essentially take away its food supply which it needs to survive in hot, dry conditions, causing it to die.
This leads to a lack of protection for the earth and soil underneath the lawn, meaning it will most certainly ‘crack open’.
Recycle Grass Clippings
Recycling your grass clippings can be an excellent additional source of feed and nutrients for your lawn in the form of fertiliser.
Grass clippings are heavily composed of water, so they break down efficiently and quickly.
What’s more, it will give your lawn a healthy look all year round and prevent any severe damage through long periods of unusual weather conditions.
So, when you mow the lawn during a heatwave, leave the grass clippings on the ground as it will act like mulch and help to reduce water evaporating from the soil below.
Watering
When it comes to watering your lawn, it might be tempting to get the hose out at midday when it's at its hottest.
But in fact, this could do more harm than good as it could lead to the lawn losing water too quickly, meaning it will dry out.
Instead, you should water the garden early in the morning or in the evening when the sun has gone down and it's much cooler out.
Expert Peter Dowdall explains more here.
Remove Weeds
Weeds feed on the same source as the grass and plants so removing them it's important to remove them.
Use a hoe or tiller to get rid of weeds down on your borders, and a long blade or trowel to stay on top of lawn weeds.
Sprinkle any bare patches with grass seed and water the area well each day.
Feeding
While the use of lawn feeds and chemicals in the garden is a personal choice, experts at Mowers Online recommend adding fertiliser to your lawn immediately after mowing.
However, if the ground is dry, lay off the chemicals as the added salt can intensify already harried conditions.
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