A drought has officially been declared across England and Wales this summer. Despite the fact that rain is forecast for the coming few weeks, the pundits are already saying that it won’t be enough to redress the damage that has already been wreaked across our water supplies in the UK.
Bit by bit, water companies across the country are seeking to implement hosepipe bans in a desperate bid to preserve our dwindling resources. England’s green and pleasant land has turned into a tinder box of yellow parched lawns and wilting flowers that will wither on their stems with no chance of revival now until next year.
Whether an official hosepipe ban is in place or not, the narrative coming out of the water companies is the same – to use it sparingly and with due regard to the fact that reservoir water levels are in some places more than 50 percent below what they should be.
What does a hosepipe ban mean?
The rules of a hosepipe are quite clear across the regions. If you are concerned about water levels in your region, whether the ban is official are not, you should be complying with the following:
- Do not water a garden using a hosepipe.
- Do not clean your car or trailer.
- Do not water your plants either with a hose or using a watering can.
- Do not fill or maintain a domestic swimming pool or paddling pool.
- Do not draw water through a hosepipe for recreational purposes (that means no running through the sprinkler in your birthday suit!)
- Do not fill or maintain a domestic pond.
- Do not fill or maintain an ornamental fountain
- Do not clean the walls or windows of your home
- Do not use a hosepipe or jet wash to clean your driveway or patio, or other outdoor surfaces
With the risk of a £1000 fine looming over you, the stakes are relatively high – particularly as your neighbours are encouraged to ‘spy’ on you as well. As we wait for the inevitable rain, the question many are now asking is ‘how can I look after my lawn during a hosepipe ban?’
Mitigating damage to your dry, parched lawn
- Try to avoid walking on the lawn. When it is parched, it grows extremely slowly. Walking on the lawn could damage what is left of the grass blades through erosion and soil compaction.
- You can keep the lawn mown, though because it grows very slowly in dry conditions, it will need less attention. When you do get the mower out, don’t cut the grass too short. You may want to raise the mower blades by about an inch /two and a half centimetres higher than your usual cutting level.
- When you do mow, leave a sprinkling of the grass cuttings on the lawn. This will mulch down and in time replace any vital nutrients that may have been lost.
New vs. old lawns
If you have an established lawn that has turned brown, do not worry – the grass is simply doing what it is grown to do – storing its food and nutrients as close to its roots as possible to keep alive. The shrivelled brown husk you see on the surface belies the fact that the grass is still alive and healthy.
If, however, you have recently laid a new lawn that has not yet established itself, you may be at risk of losing your investment. If the amount of investment is considerable, you may want to throw yourself at the mercy of your local water authority and ask for special consideration – after all, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Though, you may upset your neighbours who are sticking rigidly to the ban!
Look for an alternative solution
There is an alternative to the constant maintenance pressure and stress involved in trying to save a lawn in the most challenging of circumstances – and that is to replace it with something that requires absolutely no work at all, does not need water, or mowing, will not die off and will remain as green and verdant all year round no matter what the weather – and that is to replace it with an artificial lawn.
Don’t forget that time is finite – and if your lawn is becoming increasingly labour intensive due to the amount of care and attention it needs during a period of drought, and yet further care and attention during wetter periods of fast growth, you could consider cutting out this amount of work completely if an artificial lawn for your space is considered suitable.
So, instead of worrying about weed killers and fertilisers, mowing the lawn, or pulling out any weeds, you could sit with a coffee and admire a lush alternative that precisely mimics the green of a healthy lawn all year round – even during a hosepipe ban! You won’t have to lift a finger!
If you would like to explore some more of the advantages of installing an artificial lawn in your outside space, then contact us, and we can talk you through the many benefits.