I’m a gardening expert – here are 5 common mistakes that make grass go brown & patchy, and when to AVOID mowing the lawn

WHILE many Brits are enjoying basking in the sunshine, hot weather can be a nightmare for garden lovers.

Heatwaves have a devastating impact on lawns in particular, often turning lush green grass brown, shrivelled and straw-like.

But all is not lost, as there are measures you can take to protect your garden from succumbing to the sun’s burning rays.

Here lawn care expert Carlos Real, managing director of , shares the common mistakes to avoid, and provides tips on how you can keep your grass in tip top condition.

Early bird

Resist the urge to give your lawn a drink in the middle of the day, when the sun is at its hottest.

Carlos urges Brits to try to water their grass first thing in the morning instead.

He explains: “You want to be watering the lawn in the morning over the next few days, not in the middle of the day.

“The reason for that is the water will evaporate before it soaks into the soil if you do it in the middle of the day.”

It’s also best to avoid watering grass in the evening.

Doing so means droplets cling to it overnight, potentially stagnating the roots, and encouraging mildew and fungus growth.

No mowing or fertilisers

It’s not wise to put grass under undue stress in hot temperatures, so Carlos advises against mowing and using chemicals that boost growth.

He says: “The grass is going to be under a lot of stress from the heat – hot weather really stresses grass out and it can take a while to recover.

“You should avoid mowing over the next few days, and don’t use fertilisers.”

Super seaweed

Once this spell of hot weather has passed, Carlos says it’s time to give your grass a bit of TLC.

He recommends using a bio-stimulating seaweed treatment which can help to correct pH irregularities, making the soil more alkaline and boosting its moisture retention capabilities.

Alkaline-extracted seaweed can also help to increase grass growth and make it more tolerant to stress from the environment.

Carlos says: “If at all possible, after the hot weather is finished, using a seaweed treatment will help with recovery.”

Mow woes

Mowing the lawn is often seen as chore and people put off doing it for weeks at a time – but this is a big mistake, Carlos warns.

He says: “People leave it too far between mowing.

“In the summer you really want to mow every three or four days.

“You could mow every day if you really wanted to – but every three or four days is fine.”

Carlos also advises against cutting the grass too short. This is because the grass needs the surface area of the blade for photosynthesis.

He says: “Don’t reduce the height of cut by more than a third every time. 

“If you reduce the height by more than this, it puts the lawn into a state of shock.

“The way you think about grass is, each blade of grass is a plant, so that surface area on the actual blade is the only way that that plant is getting sunlight to use in the photosynthesis process.

“So if you reduce the height of the blade by too much, it’s not going to get enough sunlight to continue its growth.”

Water after mowing

One aspect of mowing that people often forget, according to Carlos, is that the grass needs to be watered afterwards.

He adds: “People don’t water their lawn enough – they should be watering it twice a week in the summer at least.

“The way to think about watering is not that you’re watering the actual blades of grass, but more you’re soaking the soil underneath.

“So that’s how you should think about it, don’t even consider the green stuff, think about the actual soil ‒ soak that.

“You can do it with a hose pipe, but a sprinkler would be perfect.

“And you can’t really over-water grass, because it will just deal with it.

“Much more common is people under-water, and then they end up with brown and dry patches.

“If it’s hot weather, you should water every day, for sure.

“Where the temperature is at its summer average, in the early 20s, watering every two or three days will suffice.”