An expert has revealed a major mistake gardeners should avoid during heatwaves – otherwise they risk drying out their lawns.
Jonathan Hill, the lawncare expert and director at turf-growing company Rolawn, told the Mirror that the worst thing people can do when it hot is to over-mow their lawns.
According to Jonathan, this is because when it’s hot, over moving grass can ’cause stress to a lawn’.
Green fingered folk are likely to find that their best option is to let the grass grow a bit longer during heatwaves, he said.
‘The shorter the grass, the less shade there is to protect the roots, and therefore the amount of moisture held by them is reduced – grass that is too short will dry out,’ the expert revealed.
In addition, Jonathan noted, gardeners should ensure that when they do cut the grass, they should make sure they use sharp blades. If the mower blades are too blunt, they can tear the grass.
He explained: ‘To avoid scalping the lawn, the cutting height of your mower should be increased during dry conditions. A higher setting will allow valuable moisture to be trapped, limiting evaporation and encouraging stronger, deeper roots to grow, which improves drought tolerance overall.’
When people are mowing, they should limit the amount they remove, ensuring that it isn’t more than a third of the length of the grass blades in any one cut, so they can avoid damaging the lawn.
Gardeners should avoid over mowing the grass during heatwaves – otherwise they risk drying out their lawns (stock image)
Meanwhile, British garden enthusiast and content creator, Joseph Clark, discussed a major mistake people make when it comes to caring for their plants.
In a video he shared on his TikTok channel, Joe’s Garden, he said one of the most common ways we water plants is likely causing them more harm than good.
According to Joseph, most people water plants ‘from the top’, meaning they stand above the plant and spray water downward, allowing moisture to collect on its surface.
Although quick and convenient, Joseph warned that this method resulted in ‘bone dry’ soil beneath the surface, which could have serious consequences for the health of the plant.
‘If you water your potted plants like this then you may be causing more harm than good’ Joseph said in the video, while watering the plant in a circling motion while placing the can just a few inches above its surface.
He continued: ‘Although the soil may seem saturated, dig a little bit deeper and it can often be bone dry […] Most containers will have a slight gap between the soil and inner side of the pot, this is especially the case with plastic pots.
Meanwhile, gardening expert Joseph Clark (not pictured) has revealed why the way most people water their plants is not optimum (stock image)
‘As water will always travel down the path of least resistance, it will funnel down the sides of the pot and out the drainage hole in the bottom.
‘This can sometimes leave the middle of the root ball dry.’
To remedy this he revealed a genius hack that involved filling up a large tray or container with water and placing the potted plant inside it.
To demonstrate, he filled up a large transparent plastic bowl with water to about halfway before carefully placing a potted plant inside it.
‘The soil will absorb up the water through the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, helping to give your plant an even drink all the way throughout,’ he explained.
However he said that for larger potted plants, a slightly different method would have to be employed.
‘Bury a smaller pot in the middle [of the potted plant] and water directly into this – this will get the water straight into the roots.’
A clip showed the expert place a small-to-medium sized funnel-type container into the centre of the large potted plant.
He then pushed it deep into the soil of the potted plant before filling it entirely with water.