Keep Your Lawn Lush: Smart Summer Care Tips for a Greener Garden
As summer arrives with brighter days and rising temperatures, it’s not just sunseekers soaking up the heat—our gardens feel it too. While we welcome barbecues, picnics, and paddling pools, lawns are at risk of drying out, yellowing, or even dying off if not properly cared for. The good news? With a few simple strategies, you can keep your lawn looking green and resilient throughout the summer.
Why Lawns Suffer in Summer
The main danger to grass during hot weather isn’t just the heat—it’s smothering. Covering your lawn with inflatable pools, garden furniture, or outdoor rugs blocks the vital sunlight, air, and water it needs to survive. In just 24 hours, grass under a pool can begin to yellow. After three days, it may go dormant, and within two weeks, that patch could be completely dead.
Many people try using foam tiles, plastic mats, or sand to protect grass from garden furniture, but these do little to solve the problem. The real issue is lack of airflow and light—not pressure alone.
How to Help Your Lawn Thrive in the Heat
🌿 Lift and Loosen
If parts of your lawn look flattened or pale, give them a helping hand. Use a rake or a stiff brush to lift the grass blades and restore airflow. This small step can speed up recovery, especially after a cooler night.
🌿 Puncture for Health
In summer, your soil may become hard and compacted. Aerating the lawn—by pushing a garden fork or aerator tool into the ground—lets water, oxygen, and nutrients reach the roots more easily.
💧 Water with Care
Avoid watering during the hottest part of the day. Early morning or late evening is best to reduce evaporation and avoid scorching. Grass that looks dry or even brown isn’t necessarily dead—consistent watering can bring it back in a few days.
✂️ Mow Smarter
Raising your mower blades in summer leaves grass a little longer, which shades the soil and retains moisture. Leave the clippings where they fall—this acts like a mulch and returns nutrients to the earth. If you’re repairing damage, cut a little shorter and distribute clippings or mulch to support regrowth.
🌱 Patch Up Bald Spots
Now’s a great time to fix any dry or dead patches. Reseed with a grass mix suited to your garden (sun or shade tolerant) and lightly cover with compost or topsoil to help seeds retain moisture and deter birds. With consistent care, new grass should establish in 6–8 weeks.
🚧 Drain Pools, Don’t Drown Lawns
Emptying paddling pools or buckets of water onto the lawn might seem harmless, but dumping large volumes in one place can waterlog the roots. Instead, spread water out evenly across your garden or repurpose it for flowers, shrubs, or thirsty veg beds.
A Healthy Lawn = A Happy Garden
With a little planning and regular attention, your lawn can remain a lush green space all summer long—ready for sunbathing, picnicking, and evening strolls barefoot on the grass.
