A yellow lawn is not inevitable, even with the first warm weather, you can keep a beautiful green lawn by following a few tips.
This time, summer has truly arrived! The first heat waves have quick and visible consequences on the appearance of your lawn. In just a few days, your beautiful green carpet can lose its vigor and shine. The grass is suffering and visibly yellowing. But don’t panic, you can keep a resplendent lawn, provided you adopt the right reflexes.
Yellowing of the lawn in summer is a natural and common phenomenon. It does not mean that your lawn is dead, but simply that it lacks water. It is well known, our English friends know how to pamper their lawns and have some good tips to share. The first is precisely to combat the water stress suffered by your lawn during these first peaks of heat. “Without sufficient hydration, your lawn can become yellow and resemble straw, taking months to recover”, underlines expert Cheryl Harper, interviewed by the Daily Express.
To prevent this, watering deeply two to three times a week is more effective than light daily surface sprinklings. The best time is early in the morning, to allow the grass to absorb moisture before the heat of the day causes rapid evaporation. Avoid watering in the middle of the day when the sun is at its peak. The water will evaporate before it reaches the roots. Similarly, watering in the evening increases the risk of disease by leaving the grass wet all night.
Besides watering, mowing also plays an important role. As soon as temperatures rise, space out mowing and increase the cutting height to between 7 and 10 cm. Stick to two mowings per month, no more, then stop mowing the lawn when temperatures are too high. In very sunny areas, you can also opt for more drought-tolerant turf varieties, such as mixes containing ryegrass, experts note. This resistant species offers a good result and can survive the summer without too much damage. It is also the gardeners’ best friend at Wimbledon, the famous grass tennis tournament which is held in July near London.
Yellowing of the lawn can also be caused by diseases or small pests. In this case, reduce watering and aerate the soil thoroughly before opting for a treatment. In this case, do not hesitate to seek advice from a specialist. Finally, last advice which is not the least important, if the heat persists and the drought sets in in your home, accept being defeated. Your lawn will end up yellowing anyway and the water would be wasted, what’s more in a period when it can become a precious commodity and be the subject of prefectural decrees. Don’t worry, your lawn will quickly regain its beautiful green color as soon as the rains return.