You will need:
- Wetting agent (e.g Abzorb Triple Action Wetting Agent)
- Fertiliser (e.g Sward Booster G or Nutrigem 15-15-15)
- Applicator (knapsack/boom sprayer)
- Correct PPE (overalls, rubber boots, chemical resistant gloves & face shield)
- Lawn paint (e.g Green Lawnger)
Lawn Drought:
After a few weeks of sun and minimal rain, the weather quickly takes its toll on lawns across the country, with once green grass now various shades of brown with little or no signs of growth. Do not panic that your grass has lost its colour!! Grass that loses its colour actually turns brown as part of its survival technique in the hot and dry weather - the food and water is being stored underground in the roots rather than in the leaves. Well established lawns rarely die from drought, it is the newly turfed lawns that are at risk.
Weeds:
When the grass is in drought mode and has turned brown and stopped growing, weeds will be a lot more prominent, as their long roots enable them to reach groundwater that grass cannot.
When the rain comes...
A short shower of rain will have no effect on a lawn that is looking very brown and sorry for itself as the water will either run off the soil or evaporate, as the thatchy and straw like grass breaks down to form hydrocarbon residues that soak into the open pore spaces in the soil and essentially waterproof it.
As soon as the heavier rain finally arrives, it may also unfortunately run off if the wetting agent Abzorb hasn't been applied. Abzorb is a wetting agent that works by breaking down the lipids that have waterproofed the soil, enabling the rain to penetrate the soil and reach the roots of the grass. The second action of Abzorb is to hold water in the root zone where it is needed, by increasing the humic content of the soil. This in turn will benefit the good soil bacteria and leads to a generally healthier soil structure. This fast acting wetting agent needs to be applied just before the rain, or watering - it contains soil penetrating surficants to assist the penetration of water in dry areas. Available in 1L, 10L & 205L.
Once the grass has started to recover, this is when you need to apply the Sward Booster and Nutrigem. Sward Booster is ideal for feeding or aiding stressed grass and is packed full of nutrients and 19 essential Animo Acids. If you didn’t apply Sward Booster, the plant would have waste valuable energy producing the amino acids themselves. It can be used on plants of all sizes & ages providing they are actively growing. A concentrated emulsion fertiliser, containing a unique package of sea weed and fully chelated trace elements. Ideal as a stand alone fertiliser. Nutrigem provides all of the nurtients needed to grow and recover. Nutrigem fertiliser will provide all of the nutrients that the plants need to grow and recover while the Sward Booster has an amino acid complex to provide the plants with the building blocks that it needs for growth. The autumn that follows a dry summer is the ideal time to repair and renovate your lawn, please see our other guides on de-thatching and over seeding.
Lawnger Lawn Paint will restore the natural green colour and last up to 14 weeks. It contains no hazardous chemicals.This is an ideal way to make the lawn green until the foliar fertilisers mentioned below being to have an effect and the lawn greens up naturally.
Once the grass has started recovering, we recommend using Sward-booster and a balanced NPK fertiliser such as Nutrigem 15-15-15
For more information on helping your lawn recover from drought, please get in touch with our sales team on 01522 246491.
