During prolonged periods of hot, dry weather, grass naturally goes dormant as a survival mechanism. While the lawn may turn brown and appear lifeless, the roots usually remain alive, waiting for cooler temperatures and rainfall to kick-start growth again.

The biggest mistake? Trying to force a lawn through a drought.

Instead, it’s better to work with nature.

Leave it alone

If your lawn has stopped growing, there’s little benefit in mowing it. If you do need to tidy it up, raise the cutting height so the grass remains longer. Longer blades shade the soil, helping to reduce moisture loss and protect the roots from scorching.

Don’t waste precious water

During drought conditions or a hosepipe ban, it’s rarely worth using valuable water on an established lawn. Mature grass can survive weeks without rain, even if it looks unsightly. Instead, prioritise watering newly laid turf, young plants and containers, which have much shallower root systems and are far more vulnerable.

Remember, even during a hosepipe ban you can use hosepipes to water new turf. For other uses, please stick to the watering can!

Keep off stressed grass

Dry grass becomes brittle and is more easily damaged by heavy foot traffic. Limiting wear will give your lawn the best chance of recovering once the weather changes.

Resist quick fixes

It can be tempting to apply fertiliser or lawn treatments in the hope of greening things up, but during drought this often places even more stress on the grass. Wait until temperatures fall and regular rainfall returns before feeding or carrying out repairs.

Recovery is often quicker than you think

Once rain arrives, most lawns begin to green up surprisingly quickly. Any small bare patches can be repaired by overseeding, while larger damaged areas may benefit from laying fresh turf when soil conditions are cooler and moisture levels are higher.

Think long term

A brown lawn in summer isn’t necessarily a dead lawn. Patience is often the best treatment.

If your lawn fails to recover after several weeks of cooler, wetter weather, it may be a sign that some areas have suffered permanent damage. At that point, professional advice can help determine whether simple repairs or replacing sections of turf will deliver the quickest route back to a healthy lawn.

With drought conditions likely to become more common in future years, understanding how grass naturally responds to extreme weather is one of the best ways to keep your lawn healthy for the long term.

Key points:

• Mow less: Keep grass longer to reduce moisture loss.
• Water wisely: Prioritise new turf, not established lawns.
• Be patient: Brown lawns usually recover with rain.

If you would like further advice on lawn care this summer or would like to talk to us about ordering turf, please contact us on 01392 231040 or email sales@wesellturf.com

Summer is one of the most challenging seasons for lawns due to extra use. Your lawn will require a level of commitment to keep it healthy and strong. We’ve put together some advice for new and established lawns.

NEW TURF

For emergency situations when only new turf will do, its transformative effect will give your garden an instant wow factor.

However, when laying turf during July and August, when higher temperatures and drought are more likely, you need to water thoroughly. The danger of just a light watering is that roots are attracted up to the surface rather than down into the soil. For a large area sophisticated irrigation may be needed to deliver enough water. Please do ask us for advice on this as we want your new turf to be healthy not dying off as it hasn’t had enough water.

If you are having turf delivered during the summer it is best to lay it on the day of delivery. If this is not possible, unroll the turf in a holding area and water it regularly so it doesn’t dry out.

Read more about laying turf here

ESTABLISHED LAWNS (2 years or older)

Watering

Prolonged periods of heat and dry spells are the biggest problems for your lawn during the summer, and lawns can quickly appear ‘dead’. But don’t be alarmed: the roots will still be alive and colour should be restored after a good downpour or watering. The turf we grow and supply is hard-wearing and has some drought tolerance. Read more about our turf here

Although it’s not necessary to water, if you do want to keep your lawn green, a couple of times a week should be enough. To avoid scorching and evaporation the best time for watering the lawn is early morning or evening, ideally allowing the moisture to sink a good 10cm into the soil.

Weeding and moss removal

It’s very common to have weeds in your lawn during the summer: weeds love sunshine and warmth, so keep up the weeding.  It’s a good idea to hand weed before they get out of control and set seed.

If you want to apply a weed killer, do so when they are actively growing between April and September, avoiding drought periods. Cool evenings are the best time to do this.

Feeding

Continuing to feed your lawn helps support and protect it through the summer months, ensuring it remains a vibrant shade of green, enabling vital nutrients to nurture and condition it, keeping it healthy and strong throughout the entire season. A well-fed lawn enables recovery after any extended periods of drought. You can feed your lawn after mowing every 3-4 weeks between May and August, though in most gardens twice a year (Spring and Autumn) will give good results. Apply fertilisers when the soil is moist, or when rain is expected. Your local garden centre will be able to advise you on a suitable product.

If your garden has features which are challenging for healthy grass growth – such as deep shade, poor soil quality or poor drainage – using lawn feed can really help.

Mowing

Your lawn will be at its strongest during the summer months and will grow fast if it rains. So it’s a good idea to cut it regularly to keep it healthy, leaving it around 5cm long. Don’t cut it really short as this will cause damage and dry out in hot spells. Never cut more than one third of its current length.

In dry spells grass growth can slow right down so  mow less often. It’s easy when it’s very dry to inadvertently cut it a little short – which will give you a straw-coloured lawn. But as above, an established lawn will recover quickly when it gets a drink.

Summary

• New turf will need rigorous watering
• Established lawns are much more resilient but can lose their greenness. This is easily reversed.
• Weeds thrive in sunshine so try to remove them before they spread too much seed
• Feeding – particularly useful if your garden is shady or poorly drained
• Mow cautiously in the warmest weather to keep grass greener.

If you would like further advice on lawn care this summer or would like to talk to us about ordering turf, please contact us on 01392 231040 or email sales@wesellturf.com