Homeowners are being urged to carry out a test to find out whether their lawns are in a healthy state. Keeping gardens in tact can be tricky, especially during this season where weeds thrive and garden pests find their way into spaces. However, there is a simple test that gardeners can do to find out whether their patch of grass needs some extra care.
Gardeners should carry out the ‘footprint test’ by simply stepping onto their lawns to see if any footprints remain. This shows whether there is a need of intervention where lawn care is considered. According to the University of Illoinois, a lawn maintaining the shape of a shoe once stepped on is a cause for concern.
A footprint remaining on a lawn that has been walked across typically suggests that a garden is on the verge of drying out and could potentially be suffering with drought stress – where not enough water is avaliable to meet the needs of the grass.
The less water grass has when stepped on, the slower it’ll be to spring back to its original shape. Therefore, the test acts as an indication to reveal how dry the grass is before there are any visible or clear signs of dehydration, such as browning and wilting.
The great thing about this test is that even if the grass shows signs of drying out, beecause it works in the early stages it means the grass can still be saved.
When spotting signs of drought stress, the obvious solution might be to water more. However, that is not the case.
The qualty and quantity of water is much more crucial in hydrating lawns rather than how often it’s watered. The RHS says that “watering more thoroughly, but less frequently helps get the water down to the deeper root tips.”
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) recommends using rainwater to hydrate lawns that are in poor conditions, and advises against mowing in extreme heat.
Detecting these signs as early as possible will help keep lawns both healthy and looking better.