Spring Tips
Turf is a living organism and like all plants, it needs regular water, nutrients, and sunshine to survive and thrive. Ideally, grass should soak up 4-6 hours of direct sunlight a day but with the unpredictable UK weather, this isn’t always consistent. It’s also dependent on your type of turf and its purpose.
What’s important, is spotting the signs that your lawn isn’t receiving enough sunlight and being able to revive it before too much damage has been done. This article explains the importance of sunlight for your lawn and how you can help your garden receive as much light as possible.
WHY DOES GRASS NEED SUNLIGHT?
Put simply, grass turns sunlight into energy which encourages growth, strengthens grass blades, develops root systems, and creates essential nutrients – all of which help grass survive through factors such as extreme weather conditions or high traffic.
Sunlight also produces chlorophyll within the grass blades which absorbs sunlight and provides those rich green shades. In winter months when there’s not as much sunlight, grass might start to lose its greenness. This doesn’t mean it’s dying but there isn’t enough sunlight to produce chlorophyll.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY GRASS NEEDS SUNLIGHT?
It’s easy to see if your lawn is receiving lots of sunshine, as we’re usually all outside enjoying the heatwave too! But how do you know if your lawn isn’t receiving enough sunlight? A few signs you can look out for include:
- Yellow grass roots (due to lack of nitrogen and nutrients)
- Blades becoming finer
- Thinner patches
- Uneven surfaces
- Grass becoming easily damaged
- Stressed areas during extreme weather
WHAT HAPPENS IF MY LAWN DOESN’T GET ENOUGH SUNLIGHT?
Grass is a living thing and needs sunshine to survive. Along with the above symptoms, your lawn will eventually thin out, chances of disease will increase and ultimately it will be quite unsightly.
HOW CAN I HELP MY GRASS SOAK UP MORE SUN?
If you do spot your grass in need of some vitamin D, the good news is that there are lots you can do. Before problems occur, see if you can action any of these suggestions to prevent your lawn from struggling with a lack of sunshine:
- If you can, remove anything blocking the sun – tall hedges, trees, walls etc.
- Trim large tree branches to create gaps within the canopy
- Allow your grass to grow a little longer
- Remove thatch, garden debris or leaves from your lawn
- Choose a shade-tolerant turf
WHAT IS SHADE-TOLERANT TURF
Your garden might be naturally shady due to buildings, the direction of your garden or trees you might not want to remove. These can all have an impact on your turf. But that doesn’t mean you can’t achieve a gorgeous green garden.
You can buy shade tolerant turf that provides a strong base for the grass roots to form, and with over-seeding and fertilising, it will produce a healthy-looking lawn – even in limited sunlight. An example of one we offer at George Davies Turf can be found here
If you need some support with creating the right condition for your lawn or are looking to replace your existing turf, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me and my team who can help recommend the right product for you. Call us on 01234 818905 or email info@georgedaviesturf.co.uk