How to revive your lawn after hot weather spell

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With more hot weather forecast in the next few weeks, and a hosepipe ban looming, it's not good news for grass, which has suffered badly during recent extreme heat.

If your lawn is looking less than its best, whether due to being parched or another reason, there are some simple ways to perk it back up and have it looking healthy quite quickly.

Changes in grass colour and texture are often signs that something is wrong.

Bad weather, fungi and lawn care mistakes can leave your grass far from green and vibrant, but the following five common issues can be fixed, as this expert advice demonstrates;

Lawns under attack sometimes need a bit of help to recover and look their best

Spongy under foot

A buildup of thatch of more than a couple of centimetres is often the cause behind lawns that feel spongy under foot and aren’t growing particularly well.

This can be rectified by scarifying the lawn. This involves using a spring-tine rake or scarifier to remove the moss from around the base of the grass plants.”

Reddish tint

The height of your lawnmower may need adjusting, and blades need to be sharp for best results.

If your lawn has taken on a reddish tint, it’s often a sign of a fungal disease called red thread, especially after a period of warm, wet weather.

To treat red thread, apply a high nitrogen fertiliser to your lawn.

Yellow with white tips

If your lawn appears slightly yellow with white tips, it could be that your lawnmower blades need sharpening.

Watch for changes in the colour and texture of grass, to detect what may be causing a problem.

The white tips indicate that the mower is tearing the blades of grass, creating frayed edges. As a rule of thumb, mower blades should be sharpened after every 25 hours of use.

Dry, bleached spots

Dollar spot is a disease caused by a fungus called Sclerotinia homoeocarpa. It causes distinctive small, circular patches of dead grass that are bleached white or straw-coloured.

It’s often a sign that you’re not mowing your lawn regularly enough, or that it needs a boost of nitrogen.

Yellow or brown bald patches

Unsightly yellow or brown patches that are almost devoid of grass are often a sign that your mower height is set too low.

Effectively, this causes parts of your lawn to become scalped. This can be avoided by adjusting the height of your lawnmower.

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