Keeping a Lawn Alive Through an Irish Summer
Mow Higher, Not Shorter
An Irish summer is usually kind to lawns, plenty of moisture and mild temperatures, but the dry, warm spells that do come can stress a lawn quickly, especially if it is mown too short or was never established well. A little seasonal know-how keeps a lawn green and healthy through the season. Here is how to look after a real lawn over an Irish summer.
The single best thing you can do for a lawn in summer is raise the cutting height. Longer grass shades the soil, keeps the roots cooler and the ground moister, out-competes weeds, and copes with dry spells far better than grass cut short. Scalping a lawn in summer stresses it, dries it out and lets weeds and moss in. Mow regularly but with the blades set higher, and never take off more than about a third of the height in one cut.
Watering: Less Than You Think
- An established lawn often needs no watering in a normal Irish summer, the climate does the work.
- In a genuine dry spell, water deeply and occasionally rather than little and often, to encourage deep roots.
- Water in the early morning or evening to reduce evaporation.
- A lawn that browns in drought is usually dormant, not dead, and greens up when rain returns.
Feeding, Weeds and Moss
A summer feed suited to the season keeps a lawn green and vigorous, which itself helps it resist weeds. Deal with weeds as they appear, and keep an eye on moss, which thrives in shade, damp and compaction, often a sign of an underlying drainage or light problem rather than just a surface issue. A healthy, well-fed, correctly mown lawn crowds out most problems on its own, which is why good basic care matters more than reaching for products.
Recovering a Tired Lawn
If a lawn comes through summer looking tired, worn, patchy or moss-ridden, autumn is the time to recover it, with aeration, scarifying, over-seeding and feeding to build it back up before winter. Often, though, a lawn that struggled in summer was really let down by its ground preparation or drainage, see preparing ground for a new lawn. LandArt designs, builds and advises on gardens and lawns in Dublin. If a real lawn is more upkeep than you want, see artificial grass vs a real lawn.
Mowing height matters more in summer. Watering is only needed when the lawn genuinely needs it. Feeding, weeds and moss need steady care, and a tired lawn can be recovered with the right autumn work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How short should I cut my lawn in summer?
Not too short, raise the mowing height in summer. Longer grass shades its own roots, holds moisture, resists drought and out-competes weeds, whereas a scalped lawn dries out and lets weeds and moss in. Mow regularly but with the blades set higher, taking off no more than a third at a time.
Do I need to water my lawn in an Irish summer?
Often not. An established lawn usually needs no watering in a normal Irish summer. In a genuine dry spell, water deeply and occasionally rather than little and often. A lawn that browns in drought is generally dormant, not dead, and recovers when the rain returns.
Why is my lawn full of moss?
Moss thrives in shade, damp and compacted ground, so a mossy lawn usually points to an underlying problem, poor light, poor drainage or compaction, rather than just a surface issue. Improving those conditions, along with good mowing and feeding, is the lasting fix.
Design a Garden That Lasts, with LandArt
LandArt is a Dublin garden design and build studio led by Dean Lacey MGLDA, creating gardens that look right and work in the Irish climate, from lawns and planting to full landscape design.
Talk to us about your garden, and we will design and build a space suited to how you use it and the ground you have.
