Return of rain brings recovery advice for parched lawns

After weeks of hot and dry weather that left much of the UK's grass brown and yellow, rain has finally returned. But experts are urging gardeners to be patient before trying to restore their lawns, warning that well-meaning efforts could do more harm than good.

Andres Gomez, garden expert at outdoor cleaning appliances provider Aiper, has led the warnings, telling gardeners not to mow their lawn despite its parched appearance.

"Don't mow the lawn," Gomez said. "They are surprisingly resilient, despite looking brown and parched and will come back to life when the rain starts again. Mowing it can add extra stress and pressure on the grass so just leave it as long as possible."

Leaving grass unmowed, he explained, helps protect the soil and allows it to "lock in the moisture for longer" when it rains, meaning the lawn will recover more quickly.

Advice on pruning, watering, and grey water

Gomez also advised against pruning shrubs, even those with dead stems. "Just leave them as pruning will put extra strain on your shrubs," he said. "Wait until they are showing signs of new life before you attempt to prune."

On watering, Gomez recommended using "grey water" — water used for washing up, boiling vegetables or pasta, and even bath water — once it has cooled, pouring it directly onto the ground to reach plant roots. He suggested focusing on watering a few plants deeply at a time rather than trying to cover the whole garden.

"The main mistake people make is trying to water much too sparingly and not focus on watering deeply," he said. "It's better to focus on individual pots or shrubs each day and rotate around the garden so everything gets a deeper soak."

He also advised watering early in the morning so plants can use the water throughout the day, adding that night-time watering can encourage slugs and mosquitoes or midges.

Gomez said people often worry too much about their lawns when their priorities should be elsewhere. "Focus on plants, shrubs, and trees," he said, noting that lawns recover quickly when rain comes.

Caution against overwatering scorched grass

Separate advice from lawn care experts at Lawnsmith also urges caution when reviving scorched lawns. They warned households not to overwater, as this can lead to more problems, and instead recommended watering slowly.

"We are all aware of the potential for flooding after extended dry periods: the soil can't absorb heavy rain, which runs off rapidly," the Lawnsmith experts said. "To avoid run-off when reviving the lawn, we need to take it slowly so as not to cause run-off and waste water."

Their recommended approach includes using a wetting agent on the first day to prepare the soil to retain more water, then watering by sprinkler for 15 minutes in any one area after aerating. If water runs off before 15 minutes, they suggest moving the sprinkler to another area and rotating. Two days later, the process should be repeated, and by day six, watering should last around an hour.

The experts also advised determining whether grass is simply dry or completely dead. Dead patches, which appear bare or dull brown or grey, will not recover unless reseeded.

Summer 2026: a season of drought and hosepipe bans

The brown grass that has become common in parks and gardens across the UK follows a summer marked by weeks of hot and dry weather, with droughts declared in many parts of the country and hosepipe bans still in place in several areas. Record temperatures and dryness have been recorded since as early as May, according to the Daily Express, leaving gardeners struggling to keep plants and grass alive.

As rain returns and restrictions are eventually lifted, the advice from experts is clear: resist the urge to rush into lawn care, and instead let nature — with a little patient help — do the work.