There are many things that gardeners can do to prepare for periods of drought, such as harvesting and conserving rainwater, mulching beds and borders and choosing drough-tolerant plants.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Long periods of hot weather, without rainfall, remind us that water is a precious commodity. When dry spells become drought and hosepipe bans are implemented, it’s crucial to reduce water use and to apply the water you do use wisely.
Don’t worry about brown lawns
Grass is tough and an established lawn with a healthy root system, can withstand periods of drought. When grass turns brown it looks like the whole lawn has died, but it will recover once rains return.
If your lawn is still green and in active growth, it is advisable to adjust your mowing regime.
Raise the height of the cut and let clippings fall. If you have a lawnmower with a mulching option this reduces the clippings to a smaller size. If you have a grass box, you can also redistribute the mulched clippings to the borders to help with moisture retention in the beds and borders.
When rain returns and parched lawns start to green up again, you can take the time to implement your grass maintenance regime.
Mulching matters
Grass clippings make a ready-made mulch that is free and readily available! Mulch is a thick layer of material placed over the soil and around plants, used to suppress weeds and lock moisture into the soil, while acting as a physical barrier to drying winds and direct sun. Some mulches also contain nutrients, acting as slow-release plant food. As worms take the mulch into the soil, they help to improve soil structure, making it more moisture retentive, free-draining and fertile.
Mulching mowers are designed to cut the grass into fine clippings which are then recycled by being blown back down onto the lawn. This helps to feed the grass roots with nutrients and additional moisture for a healthier and greener lawn.
Many of the petrol lawn mowers available are classed as ‘3-in-1’ or ‘4-in-1’ machines because they offer the user the option of collecting, mulching, rear-discharging, or side-discharging the grass. These petrol lawnmowers offer excellent value and include self-propelled and push models from market leading brands: Mountfield, Stiga, Hayter, Toro, and AL-KO.
Mowers that mulch
If you are looking for a powerful ride-on tractor with a side discharge mulching capability so you don’t have to collect your grass trimmings take a closer look at the Mountfield 1538 M-SD. In tall growth conditions, the side discharge mode neatly cuts and spreads the grass so it can be left to wilt naturally.
For areas that are being cut on a more regular basis you can purchase a mulch plug which when fitted will cut and re-cut the grass trimmings into smaller particles that disappear into the turf, returning valuable nutrients to the soil. This is useful in drier conditions when the grass is shorter.
At Mowers-Online we stock a range of petrol mowers, hand or self-propelled that come with mulching features to help manage your grass clippings and recycle them in an environmentally friendly way, retaining moisture in the flower beds.
The ATCO Quattro 22SH BBC is the ATCO flagship walk-behind mower, the 53cm /21″ hybrid steel/aluminium cutter deck houses a 163cc Honda OHV engine which is a balanced combination of performance and fuel economy. The walk-behind lawnmower benefits from a blade brake clutch, 4-in-1 mowing functions and responsive self-propelled drive. It also has the Collect, Mulch, Side and Rear Discharge features.
At the other end of the budget scale sits the popular Mountfield SP42. The 4 wheeled Mountfield SP42 has great features including a mulch plug and 60L fabric grass bag. The fabric grass catchers let air circulate through the cuttings for more efficient collecting.
The Mountfield SP185 is another fantastic and affordable petrol mower, self-propelled to optimise your effort and make the task easier in this heat. It comes with various mowing functions: Collect, Mulch and Rear discharge.
If you are looking for expert advice please give us a call to talk through your requirements and we can help select the mower for your garden.