How to Stop my Lawn Drying Out

2022 was a horrendously long dry summer putting paid to many garden plants and quite a few lawns as well. However, many many lawns survived very well and were back to their former glory once the rains got going in autumn. If you gave them a helping hand with some autumn fertiliser and possibly a dose of wetting agent then you should be in a good place now.

If your lawn did well and you're not fearful of damage should we have a repeat this year, then you need do nothing more than you are already doing. If however, your lawn suffered and one or more of the following points is true then you may want to take a pre-emptive step.

Main Causes of Dead Summer Lawns (apart from dry weather!)

Lawn age - over 20 years is usually the turning point
Amount of thatch - the more thatch the worse your lawn would be
Compaction – worse for older lawns or ones not aerated
Heavy use and wear and tear
Mowing too short - the longer the grass the deeper the roots and the cooler the soil
Mowing infrequently - try to mow frequently and remove 1/3 of the leaf or less
Lawns poorly fertilised will not have the capacity to withstand stressful conditions

The Remedy for your Lawn

Depending on the age of the lawn (over 30 years is getting very old) and the severity of the problem you have two options:

Older lawns are best replace. It is often easier and cheaper to replace than try and sustain a terminal lawn.
Lawns not classed as old which did suffer in 2022 should be helped to withstand a repeat summer drought by improving lawn care and by using a wetting agent preventatively. This is done by an application of a wetter prior to dry weather. If the weather doesn't dry then no further treatments are required. If it does dry then further treatments would be applied to maintain the lawn.