As we get ready for Spring, Johnsons Lawn Seed advises on how to help lawns recover from record-breaking rainfall
Waterlogged lawns are not a pretty sight at the best of times, but after one of the rainiest 18 months on record the experts at Johnsons Lawn Seed look at what can be done to help your saturated grass recover.
Lawns become waterlogged when the amount of rainfall exceeds the drainage ability of the ground. Too much water can damage or even destroy fine turf grass, which will drown and give way to moss, lichen, liverwort and algae.
As more and more homes are built on flood plains and the use of concrete, tarmac and artificial grass create further barriers to drainage, the sorry sight of puddles and sodden grass is an increasingly common problem for British householders. Another typical cause of waterlogging is heavy clay soil, which tends to have poor drainage, and/or soil which has become compacted by constant usage or heavy machinery.
Guy Jenkins, Consumer Manager at Johnsons Lawn Seed, comments: “Prevention is better than cure and you can give your lawn the best chance of surviving waterlogged conditions by preparing the soil well before planting grass seed in spring.
“One of the most effective measures you can take is to properly aerate the soil using a hollow-tined aeration tool or garden fork to loosen up the ground and create drainage holes, which should ideally be about 6 inches/15cm deep. Make sure you break up hard lumps – especially in dense clay soil – and brush the excess soil away from the lawn area, into flower beds or borders. You can then fill the holes with horticultural sand or some other free-draining top dressing material.
“Larger areas can be prepared using a powered aerator and you should repeat this procedure every autumn if you have a lawn or other grassy area that’s prone to being waterlogged. If you already have a lot of water standing on your lawn, carefully aerating the ground – trampling as little as possible – will help it drain away faster. Whilst grass won’t grow if left soaking in puddles for ages, it’s a relatively hardy plant and you’ll give your lawn the best chance of recovery with regular aeration.
“After a particularly wet winter and early spring like we’re going through in Britain right now, you can also help lawns to recover by giving them a good feed. All Johnsons Lawn Seed varieties are coated with environmentally friendly Seedbooster® treatment, which wraps each seed in its own parcel of fast and slow-release fertiliser.
“For more mature lawns we recommend Organic CleanLawn by Neudorff, an organic fertiliser which naturally suppresses moss and weeds and consists of 100 % natural ingredients. This will not only help your lawn cope better with waterlogging but will also protect it against drought. You should feed the grass again in autumn with a phosphorous-rich fertiliser that will promote strong and healthy root growth.
“As well as applying fertiliser in early spring, you should rake out any moss and remove any other debris and dead matter from the lawn, so that when the sun actually shines your grass won’t have any competition for its rays. If you need to mow, do so on a high setting to start with, to avoid damaging winter-worn grass. Any bare patches can be overseeded with good quality grass seed such as our Quick Lawn with Accelerator®, which combines a superb fine leaved appearance with excellent wear tolerance. The Accelerator treatment enhances water absorption and germination speed, while the seed coating contains bio-stimulants for a quick start”.
To find out more about Johnsons Lawn Seed products please visit http://www.johnsonslawnseed.com/product-range.aspx or speak to your local sales representative.