Some helpful tips

Your Lawn in Spring

Drought
All plants require lots of water to remain in good, healthy condition, and your lawn is no exception. However, the driest March on record was followed by the warmest April ever, with so far, very little rain in May either. We are now officially in a drought, and this is badly affecting all lawns, particularly those on sandy soils, which tend to dry out so readily. If you have the opportunity to use a sprinkler, this will obviously be of huge benefit, providing that the lawn receives a thorough soaking, as only light watering will be of no benefit.

If your lawn has been severely stressed by a lack of water, it could be beneficial to take steps to help water penetrate the surface when water is available. Some light pricking with a fork, or better still a Sorrel roller, will help water to penetrate the surface. This should only be done when water is available again, either via rainfall or manual watering. It is also worth considering an application of a wetting agent – please ask for details.

Mowing
If you are concerned that drought is affecting your lawn, then it may be appropriate to lift your normal summer mowing height by half to one inch, but keep up your frequency of mowing. Cutting a little higher than normal summer heights should allow deeper roots to grow and will help trap moisture by reducing evaporation from the surface. It will also help your lawn to keep a greener appearance by leaving more of the green leaf visible.

If drought stops grass growth and you cannot water your lawn, then please stop cutting. If drought does stop grass growth there is no need to panic, as grass generally has good powers of recovery.
Pests
Please be vigilant for any signs of Chafer Beetles in your garden, as May and June are the times when these pests are common. Please see the separate information on Chafers for more details.