Brown grass is dead grass
Brown grass is a common sight in the summer months especially if there’s been a drought. The good news is that the lawn can be resurrected and is usually waiting in dormant mode. Keeping your grass watered during heatwaves would be the obvious solution but this isn’t always possible with hosepipe bans and summer vacations.
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Try to limit foot traffic on the lawn, we understand this is difficult if you have children wanting to play outside. Continue to mow the lawn, making sure the mower blades are sharp to avoid blade damage and setting the blade height to only remove the top 3rd of the grass blade.
Using a mulching lawnmower and leaving the grass cuttings to decompose naturally will keep moisture locked in and protect the grass from further heat damage (remember to keep mulch coverage light and not smother the grass). In addition, aerating whenever possible will allow moisture to reach the grass roots.
Mushroom Rings are mystical places
We are risking upsetting some fairy loving readers or Pagan believers here, but science tells us that fungi in a circular shape is to do with toadstools root system rather than supernatural forces. In Celtic folklore the fairy ring is thought to transport humans into a fairy realm where there are forced to dance with the fairy folk until they collapse with exhaustion, but in reality, the roots of the fungi travel underneath the ground and sprout in the circular shape of the original fungus.
We recommend leaving any fungus and toadstools, when they decompose, they will benefit the soil and removing them is more likely to help them spore and grow elsewhere.
Keep grass as short as possible
This is a common mistake in lawn maintenance. Every lawnmower is designed with height of cut settings and this should be selected to suit the time of year and grass conditions. As the growing season starts selecting the blade height to 50mm will give optimum grass blade thickness which is crucial for growth. This height may seem rugged at first but remembering that grass blades are solar panels for the lawn and the more energy created, the more luscious the lawn.
If you’re wanting to achieve the traditional striped lawn using a roller mower, then following the advice of only trimming off a 3rd of the grass height with each cut is the best rule to follow. Cutting the grass too short will cause stress to the grass blades and increase the chances of disease, moss growth and brown, patchy areas.
Compost is best for mulching
Compost is usually the 1st choice when it comes to adding nutrients to soil but adding too much can increase potassium andphosphorus productivity to toxic levels. What mulch is best depends on what you need it for. Wood chips are ideal for scattering around trees and are proven to produce the best growth. A thin layer of grass cuttings creates a warm, nitrogen rich mulch which can be dug into vegetable patches, added to potato mounds and used to supress weeds. After clearing fallen leaves, they can be bagged and turned into a useful mulch. Left for 6-12 months they can be used as a basic mulch like grass cuttings, and if left for over two years can be used as a potting compost.
Gravel or broken pots helps containers to drain
When it comes to container gardening is common practice to place stones, gravel or broken pots at the bottom of the pot before adding soil and compost. We have been led to believe that this helps with drainage, but it has been confirmed that this potting tradition is not only pointless but could inhibit root growth. Placing a large stone or piece of crockery can be used to stop the soil from dropping out from the bottom of the container, but soil itself reserves water better than stones or gravel.