LAWN CARE DURING DROUGHT

It's not often in the UK that we have a dry spell which lasts long enough for grass to start turning brown but now we have it and the chance of rain in the near future is low.  It's especially unusual on the Pennine Mountains of West Yorkshire where it, naturally enough, rains aplenty even during summer.  Here, in the north, we have reservoirs, rivers and lakes galore.  However, it's all going topsy turvy because in the southern counties of the UK, where they generally have 'better' weather, they keep getting rain.  Yet I don't recall it raining here, where I live, for a couple of weeks at least.  When there was rain, during the night, it must have been a sprinkle because there wasn't much evidence of it in the morning.  While the grass at the front of my home is neglected - there's simply too much of it to water - and going brown, it is the back of my home which is the most important to me; that is the lawn that I care about. 

Rejuvenated lawn, June 2017



In earlier posts I have shown 'before' and 'after' images of my lawn, lawn resurrection, lawn rejuvenation, where various things have caused the lawn to deteriorate but how it has easily been radically improved.  But at the moment it is looking rather tragic.  You see, under my lawn, is sandstone rock.  Yep.  I cannot dig a fork into my lawn more than an inch or so.  So, that I have ever had a decent lawn is a kind of miracle in itself. 




While there is a lack of rainfall here right now, Yorkshire Water Authority confirm that water levels are ok at the moment and they say on their website that we should water our lawns using a watering can late in the evening to reduce the risk of evaporation.  So, I guess it is ok to water my lawn in moderation - and it needs it.  I have been busy trying to ensure that my recently transplanted James Grieve miniature apple tree, and my recently transplanted Japanese Maples 'Katsura' and Acer palmatum dissectum 'Ornatum' , the hostas, and the ferns - all precious to me - do not lack water, and I have let the lawn suffer a bit instead. 




So I have done a bit of investigation with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).  The RHS lawn care during drought (external link) gives us a lot of information which is interesting and enlightening. For example, I didn't realise that overwatering a lawn is bad for it.  I thought quite the opposite, that underwatering would be bad.  So, there you go!  They give good information about how to judge how long to water a lawn with a sprinkler and how to tell how much water you have given a lawn.  Also, their website says: "Do not use lawn weed killers on drought-affected turf in autumn. Delay treatments until the following spring, when the grass and weeds are growing vigorously. Use a proprietary lawn moss killer, if required."




What I was really looking for was whether or not I should feed my lawn during drought.  The RHS webpage did not tell me but various other websites say no, do not feed a lawn during drought.  You may find this webpage of use: Lawnsmith.co.uk - Lawn care during drought (external link)




As I am not a fan of dominant lawns but prefer mixed borders, I have reduced the size of my lawn considerably since I first began tending this garden in late 2009.  At one time, grass just about covered the entire garden but now it is a tiny lawn, easy to care for (takes three minutes to mow with a hover), and it will probably get even smaller still in time.  As long as I can access my washing line, that is all I need.  Here in garden changes over the years, you can see the reduction in lawn. 




If you have a shady garden and growing a lawn is nigh on impossible for you, perhaps a moss lawn would be the way to go.