As the hot weather continues, lawn owners are being urged to be mindful of how often they water their gardens in the current heatwave – and to not make these mistakes
The UK is set to bask in another week of scorching temperatures, but garden enthusiasts are being urged to rethink their lawn care routines during the heatwave.
According to lawn experts at Anchor Pumps, it’s crucial to monitor how often you water your grass during hot spells.
They recommend stepping in to manually hydrate your lawn when there’s no rainfall, but caution against daily watering.
1. Avoid overwatering
In the absence of rain, resist the urge to soak your grass with a hose. Instead, aim to water your lawn roughly every other day of the week, such as Monday, Wednesday, or Saturday, reports the Express.
The Anchor Pumps team warns: “Watering daily will lead to a shallow root system, which will lead to extensive lawn damage in the future as the grass becomes less resistant to heat.”
2. Don’t ignore discolouration
If your grass starts to fade into a blueish, grey colour, it’s a sign that it’s dehydrated and needs immediate watering, say the gardening gurus.
You can determine if your lawn has been adequately watered by observing signs of healthy grass.
If it’s “green, healthy and vibrant” there’s a good chance that you’ve not been underwatering it.
3. Examine the soil
The Anchor Pumps team suggests that a screwdriver is a handy tool for assessing the condition of a lawn.
They recommend using an average 6-inch screwdriver and attempting to push it into the ground.
Healthy soil is easy to penetrate, but dry soil will be difficult to crack, indicating you need to water the grass more.
4. Avoid overwatering
An oversaturated lawn will sprout unwanted growth, like mushrooms, which flourish in damp, dark environments. Consider these as a clear sign of an overwatered lawn.
The best course of action is to refrain from watering for a few days if the grass is still wet and resume a proper watering schedule once it has dried out.
5. Don’t water too late
According to the pump experts, the optimal time to water your lawn is between 6am and 10am: “Anything just before or after midday will evaporate due to higher temperatures,” they said.
Likewise, you should also avoid watering your lawn in the evening and at night when the temperature is too cold for the water to be absorbed by the grass.