Treating your garden this season

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We may be set for a hot, dry summer so it’s important to keep our lawns and borders healthy.

As we all know, drought is the main reason why grass and plants die in the summer heat. Clever water management can help the garden thrive through a heat wave. Keeping the soil moist before the summer arrives will help store moisture close to the deep roots. The available moisture will give the lawn, borders and pots a better chance in dry conditions. Watering when the soil is already arid will only influence the surface not beneath.
Watering in the early morning is best, before the heat of the day evaporates the moisture. This is easier said than done when we must get to work or get the children ready for school. We recommend a sprinkler system set on a timer, these are reasonably priced especially when you think about the cost of replacing turf or plants.

We recommend the Portek Tripod Garden Sprinkler £49.99, it can be set up on grass slopes as well as vegetable patches and has a 360-degree rotating spray with a 12-metre range. Click here for more details

Mulching is another important way of locking in moisture and adding nutrients to the soil. Adding a layer of leaf or grass mulch will help retain moisture in the top-most soil layers.  

We recommend the Weibang Virtue 46 Mulching Lawn mower £349, it comes with a 5 year warranty and offers mulching and side-discharge options. Click here for more details

See our blog on 5 tips for making the most of your mulching lawn mower

Weeds feed from the same source as the grass and plants so removing them is an important chore. Use a hoe or tiller on borders to keep weeds down. Keep on top of lawn weeds by removing them with a long blade or trowel.

For larger weeding jobs we recommend the Oleo-Mac Petrol Tiller £349, it has a wide 82cm working width that can be reduced to 55cm. It has a plant guard and can also be used as an aerator. Click here for more details

Mow the grass once or twice a week, but don’t cut it too short. The desired height for an ornamental lawn in the summer months is 15mm or half an inch. For heavy traffic, family lawns a height of 30mm or an inch would be advisable as well as using a petrol lawnmower.

See our blog 3 tips for keeping your lawn looking great!

The use of lawn feeds and chemicals in the garden is a personal choice. Lawns will benefit from a little extra help in the summer months. We advise you add fertiliser immediately after mowing but lay off the chemicals if the ground is parched, the added salt can intensify already harried conditions.

We recommend the Solo 7.5 Litre Garden Sprayer with 50cm Lance £40.99, it is designed for both feed, weed and pest control mixtures and the 7.5 litre tank will cover a large area. Its easy to fill, made from durable plastic and doesn’t require maintenance. Click here for more details

It’s not rocket science that the more time you spend tending to the garden the better it will look. But if time is limited, don’t despair there are plenty of tools and watering systems available to help save your garden from drought.