UK households are being urged to carry out a simple screwdriver test on their lawns before September arrives, following a summer marked by extreme heat and dryness.
The UK has experienced an incredibly hot summer, with five heatwaves and extreme dryness, sparking droughts across the country and turning green grass yellow and brown. While rain has hit some parts of the country this week, many people are looking forward to more consistent spells of rain to help their lawns recover.
Why compaction is a problem
Garden experts have warned that lawns often become compacted during the summer months, as they are in use more. This happens due to more footfall, as well as things like paddling pools and garden furniture being more in use.
This makes it more difficult for air and water to reach the roots, which can cause problems when heavy autumn rain arrives. This can lead to flooding or water gathering on the lawn, which isn't desirable.
The screwdriver test
There is a simple test for checking whether a lawn has become too compacted over the summer months.
Laura Bradbury, Head of Ecommerce at Vonhaus, said: "Push a long screwdriver gently into a few different sections of the lawn. If it goes into some areas easily but meets much more resistance in others, particularly where furniture, paddling pools or heavy footfall have been over the summer, the soil may have become compacted."
She added: "Identifying those areas now means homeowners can plan to aerate them once conditions are cooler and suitably moist, rather than only noticing a drainage problem after persistent autumn rain."
Planning for autumn
Bradbury also noted: "Late summer is a useful time to take stock of the garden before wetter and windier conditions arrive."
She continued: "The aim should not be to make every part of the garden spotless. Instead, homeowners should focus on the areas where compacted soil, trapped debris and standing water are most likely to cause problems once autumn begins."
"The screwdriver test gives homeowners a quick way to compare different parts of the lawn before committing to a larger job," she said. "If the soil feels much harder beneath areas that have supported furniture, paddling pools or heavy footfall, those sections may benefit from aerating once the ground is cooler and suitably moist."
If the soil is found to be compacted, it can be aerated using specific gardening tools available for this purpose.
