Reasons why your grass seed isn’t growing this summer

Before we delve into the finer details, ensure you’re giving your lawn the best possible start at growth – our video guide on How to sow grass seed explores the key points to ensure your grass seed grows as best it can from day one!

It’s too warm outside!

At this stage, you may wonder at what temperature grass seed stops growing? Seeds require warmth to germinate – temperatures of at least 8°C are perfect for growth! But it should come as no surprise that heatwave conditions make growth difficult for your grass due to temperatures rising beyond 20°C with little to no rainfall – blimey! These conditions even make it hard for us to get much done without cold drinks and ice cream close at hand!

This additional heat causes your lawn to dry out – and while this technically causes your grass to slow down when it comes to growth, there are some easy ways to make sure your lawn is getting all it needs to overcome all the potential issues the summer sun can bring to your once stunning lawn.

Your grass seed isn’t getting enough water

Most lawns can suffer from drought during the summer months, and although hot UK weather is always welcome, it can leave your garden grass dry and yellowed.

 What should I do if my lawn is always dry?

In dry weather conditions, we recommend that our customers double up on their watering (watering your lawn twice daily). This is to help combat the unusual levels of heat and sunshine. 

A quick test to see if your soil is moist enough for germination is to drive a screwdriver into the soil. If it can reach up to 6/7 inches deep, you’re in luck – if it can’t, it needs much more water.

Always remember: if temperatures in your area are pushing 20°C in the summer, it would be best to wait until the warmer weather passes before sowing new grass seed.

Your soil needs aeration

If your lawn is suffering from dry soil, there’s a good chance it also suffers from compaction. Compaction happens when the soil is not getting watered whilst also receiving heavy traffic (lots of walking over it). This means your garden soil becomes hard and dry, and it is essentially suffocating since it restricts the flow of moisture and nutrients from getting down to the roots of the grass. The way to fix this is through aeration.

How to aerate a lawn

We have a helpful video on lawn aeration below, which goes over the process in a few simple steps:

Your grass seed isn’t getting enough light

If your seed is buried too deep, it won’t be able to get any of the good stuff it needs to grow – sunlight! When sowing new grass seed, gently rake it into the soil so it is around three £1 coins (stacked) beneath the surface. This depth gives it adequate space to grow and receive light while protecting it from the elements (and pesky birds!).

You have got the wrong seed!

All too often we hear from new customers that the seed they have bought just isn’t growing, despite following all of the above. It is important that you buy the correct seeds for your needs. For light shade, dark shade, clay soils, sandy soils and more. Some grass seed species thrive in better conditions than others, and this will ultimately affect how your lawn turns out no matter how much TLC you give it! To find out how to choose the right grass seed, visit our blog here.

As you can see, there are a few reasons your grass seed might struggle to grow in the summer months. But what it usually comes down to is the fact that it’s either too warm outside, your grass seed isn’t getting enough water, or you’ve either sown it too deep or too close to the surface.

We have also included a few guides below for further reading:

• How to sow new grass seed 
• Overseed your lawn
• How to repair a drought-damaged lawn.