Fast track your summer lawn care and beat the hot weather with our summer lawn care advice. Warm weather can bring some challenges to your lawn whether it's an existing lawn, a new lawn or you are looking to renovate this summer. We've got bonus tips along the way to help you achieve perfect growth conditions for a greener and healthier lawn. Growing grass has never been easier.
Correct mowing practices for summer
The key to green, lush growth in summer is regular mowing. Regular mowing is great for prompting your the grass in your lawn to spread and thicken.
In summer you can mow as much as you like unless faced with extreme heat or drought and depending on your growth levels. You do not want the grass to grow too long, nor do you want to take off more than 1/3 at a time.
If you are currently faced with a drought, less mowing will be more beneficial for your lawn as it will ensure it retains more water in it's leaves along with creating shade on the roots from the sun. For extreme summer heat and dry weather you can mow every 14 days.
Bonus tip: If your lawn is less than 8 weeks old then the more you mow the better. It will help the lawn to establish quicker and thicken out.
Watering requirements - established lawn
If you want to keep a nice green lawn in a hot summer, then you will need to water the lawn heavily a every few days.
You might think watering daily is a good thing in summer months, but unless you are seeding then you may actually promote lawn disease and shallow roots.
Bonus tip: Think about your watering requirements in summer, are you able to collect rain water and use this?
Watering requirements - newly seeded lawn
Lawns with freshly laid grass seed require different levels of watering to an established lawn.
You need to keep the seed constantly moist for the first 21 days to allow for germination. In the peak of summer this could mean two times a day and for droughts three times a day. As long as you water enough, seeding in summer is actually great as it makes sure the temperatures are warm enough for fast germination and growth so your lawn should establish pretty quickly.
Bonus tip: You want to ensure the first few inches of the soil moist not just the top layer.
When to water
You need to water your lawn at the right time. The best time to water your lawn is early morning. If you water your lawn in the middle of the day and it's warm it'll likely evaporate before it is used by the lawn.
You can also water early evening if needed, watering too late in the evening can promote lawn disease.
Bonus tip: Get our 14-page guide including the 5 critical pillars of lawn which you can use to create your ideal lawn and maintain it every year, PLUS a comprehensive monthly lawn care calendar.
Biostimulants
Biostimulants are a great addition to a lawn care routine as they increase nutrient uptake in the plant so it fully utilises any fertilisers that have been applied. Biostimulants work under the surface, helping the root network to expand to create a healthier, stronger plant more resilient to drought.
Bonus tip: If you are looking for lawn maintenance this summer, our Spring/Summer Booster Pack contains Biostimulant and a summer fertiliser to turbocharge growth throughout spring and summer for up to 3 months.
Summer fertilisers
Your lawn has different nitrogen needs depending on the time of year. You will need to consider using a high quality nitrogen fertiliser in the spring/summer months to ensure to keep your grass green, increase the grass growth and maintain a healthy lawn.
So what fertilisers are best for summer? You want to look for a granular fertiliser, these are easy to apply and last for longer (typically 3 months).
A combination of slow release fertiliser and fast release fertiliser is ideal for fast results but without releasing too much nitrogen and potentially scorching the lawn.
A high NPK level will promote lush, green growth - NPK around 22-5-10 is ideal.
Bonus tip: Our Greener Growth Fertiliser is a great example of a summer fertiliser - NPK: 22-5-10 +2.5% MgO +2.5%CaO
Can be applied once the threat of frost is over until late summer. Application from early spring to August is recommended.
Wetting agents
Dry weather can cause problems for your lawns moisture conditions, especially if you are unable to give it enough water. You may be faced with a hose pipe ban over the summer months.
Luckily, there are a few things you can do to prepare, including wetting agents. Using wetting agents throughout the summer helps water penetrate the soil in dry patches and helps hold the water in the soil so it can be used by the plant for longer. This will keep your lawn greener for longer and reduce your watering requirements.
Bonus tip: These can be applied alongside seeding or fertilising with great results.
Get rid of weeds and moss
Summer is the perfect time for weeds to take over your lawn.
To stop weed growth and kill any in your lawn we'd recommend a weed killer such as Weedol For Lawns which will cause no damage to your existing grass. We would usually recommend to avoid products like 4-in-1 as we've seen many a lawn damaged and scorched by these.
Weeds and moss can prevent your lawn from establishing as they compete for soil and water. Moss also can prevent your seed from having good seed to soil contact so always address these issues prior to a renovation.
To remove moss from your lawn you want a high dosage of Iron Sulphate which will turn the moss and then you can allow this to work for 7-14 days before raking out the dead moss.
Bonus tip: Our packs include Iron Sulphate to either be applied before the pack to remove moss or you can apply it after 8 weeks to harden the lawn and 'green it up'.
Renovating in summer?
Now we are not saying that it is the best time to renovate your lawn, but we can definitely argue some points for the case!
Soil temperatures guaranteed to be warm enough for seed to germinate. This is a massive problem in early spring or late autumn if you leave it just a little too early/late then it can be too cold for your seed to germinate and it was all a waste of time. None of that in summer!
Usually fast results due to the temperature. Warmer temps mean faster growth = faster results!
Means you can enjoy it throughout the summer rather than waiting for autumn. If your lawn currently doesn’t look great then why wait! May as well get some enjoyment out of it this summer.
Don’t get rained on when applying - probably!
Bonus tip: As long as you water enough, seeding in summer is actually great as it makes sure the temperatures are warm enough for fast germination and growth so your lawn should establish pretty quickly.
Dormant lawn?
You may have noticed in previous years that some lawns turn completely brown/yellow in times of extreme heat and it looks a lot like dead grass. This is a sign that the lawn has actually gone dormant to protect itself.
A lawn will go dormant and turn yellow which is a cool natural defence system and it should be back to green after some rainfall (potentially supplemented with watering too). It takes many weeks without moisture for grass to actually die!
However, the prolonged dry spell may have weakened the lawn, particularly if there are areas which were newly established or weren’t the healthiest to begin with.
When the rain does return or you decide to start watering, you can look at repairing any areas which are a bit sparse or helping the green growth along.
Bonus tip: The Lawn Pack for summer lawn care
Once all underlying conditions above have been sorted you can use The Lawn Pack and follow our guides as normal to ensure the best results. It contains all the products you need for professional results and they’re all measured out for your lawn.
If your lawn is particularly bare with lots of bare patches you can use The Lawn Pack Plus.