KEEP YOUR GRASS GREEN

QMy lawn always looks patchy and straw-coloured during the summer. What’s the best way to keep it looking healthy? Jill Turner, Hemel Hempstead

AIt can be alarming how periods of hot weather cause the lawn at the heart of your garden to become brown and patchy, but you can take steps to minimise the sun’s effects and aid your lawn’s recovery.

With any lawn, it’s good to encourage deep roots. Check that the soil isn’t compacted as this will make it tough for tiny roots to penetrate. If you struggle to get a fork into the ground, then your lawn’s roots will struggle too!

To remedy this, and to help water penetrate your turf, punch holes with a garden fork to a depth of around 10cm all over the lawn to aerate it. If you have a large lawn, hiring an aeration machine will really speed up this process.

As far as watering is concerned, a long water once every week, in conditions where moisture can reach deep into the ground, will make for a more drought-tolerant lawn. Finally, raising your lawn mower blades will ensure your lawn isn’t cut too short, adding to its stress. Try taking off the mowing box and allowing the grass clippings to fall back onto your lawn too. This will act as a mulch, slowing down the evaporation of water, which your lawn needs to maintain its good looks.

And don’t forget that lawns are tough. It should recover quickly from sun and heat exposure after a few heavy rains. You can also help your lawn to revive in the autumn months by raking it over with a spring-tine rake to get rid of any build-up of clippings. Top dress it with a 70 per cent lawn sand and 30 per cent compost mix, before overseeding (this will reduce moss and weed invasion and will fill in sparse or damaged areas) and applying a feed in autumn.