How to care for an alternative lawn in summer
Alternative lawns, made with plants that require little water, are extremely suitable for the Italian territory, subject to an increasingly hot and arid climate, thanks to these plants' ability to withstand drought. However, their extremely adaptable nature in difficult conditions does not mean that during the hottest summers it is not necessary to care for them properly, to support them even during the most difficult periods.
For this reason, we have compiled a list of tips on how to care for alternative lawns in summer. Our constant work with these valuable plants has allowed us to accumulate a lot of experience regarding their best performance, both within the Botanical Dry Garden and in the gardens we have designed for our clients. And we know that summers with very high temperatures can be a real challenge for anyone who takes care of a garden. However, by following our tips, it will be much easier to look after an alternative lawn.
Irrigation
With the arrival of summer, watering should gradually become more infrequent, while steadily increasing the irrigation times. The time of irrigation should be chosen based on the plants' needs, selecting the times when the soil is completely dry, even below the surface layer: usually, this condition occurs approximately every 15 days. However, during the first summer of the lawn's life, it is important to allow for a few extra waterings, to give the plants the right amount of water needed for the growth and expansion of the cover. This continues until the seedlings have completely established themselves, assessing the soil moisture and the condition of the seedlings from time to time before giving more water. Once the lawn has completely established itself, only a few emergency waterings per year will be necessary to support the seedlings during dry periods.
Especially in summer and during periods of intense heat and drought, it is important to always keep in mind some fundamental rules to make the plants increasingly self-sufficient and resistant. We recommend, especially during this period, to avoid daily watering, which proves to be highly counterproductive. It is preferable to water infrequently, early in the morning, so that the plants do not remain wet for too long and dry out before the daytime heat. Whatever type of system is available, it is always better to prefer infrequent and abundant watering. In this way, a summer downpour of 15-20 mm is simulated, which stimulates the root systems to grow deep and makes the plants increasingly self-sufficient.
Another advantage of this technique concerns the presence of insects. Lawns that are watered infrequently also create the perfect environment to prevent the presence of mosquitoes, which are less attracted to dry areas. Therefore, a low-water-use lawn, in summer, creates environments that do not favor the presence of annoying insects, and makes the garden very pleasant to visit even in the evening.
Dry garden mowing during the summer
Alternative lawn seedlings reach, at most, 15 cm in height including the flower. Therefore, during the summer, we advise not to let them reach excessive heights, since keeping them always around 3 centimeters stimulates horizontal growth. In this way, not only will the lawn grow faster, but above all, it is much easier to keep weeds under control. Removing the flowers with mowing is also very useful for the development of the garden: they will return within a few days of pruning, but in this way the flowering will be lower and more prolonged.
Weeds in low-water-use gardens
All varieties of our groundcover seedlings, once the area is closed, manage to have good control over weeds. However, during the first period of the lawn's life, when the seedlings are spaced apart, they leave more space available for weeds. For this reason, we recommend performing more frequent mowing, which is able to contain their growth and, at the same time, stimulate the growth of alternative lawn seedlings.
With the arrival of the heat, and following our instructions for irrigation, the conditions should be created to compromise the survival of weeds, most of which are unable to prosper for long periods without water. Meanwhile, the alternative lawn seedlings, which are more drought-resistant, will tend to cover the surface, no longer leaving any space for other species.
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