Maintaining a vibrant lawn through summer is often an uphill struggle. Heatwave after heatwave of blistering heat puts tremendous strain on grass, but there’s a straightforward method to preserve its health and colour.
A major error many gardeners commit during summer is not fertilising their lawn. This may be to avoid scorching it, but leaving lawns unfertilised can genuinely harm the grass. Lawns require increased amounts of phosphorus during summer months to maintain robust root systems, and without proper fertilisation, you’ll end up with weak, shallow roots incapable of retaining enough moisture.
This leaves lawns struggling to bounce back from heat damage or periods of drought, making recovery by autumn highly improbable and resulting in unsightly yellow, patchy grass.
Nevertheless, organic farming experts at Crop Fertility Services have revealed a technique for nourishing your lawn without causing summer damage: applying chicken manure pellets as fertiliser.
They explained: “Chicken manure for lawn fertilisation is an excellent way to feed your lawn naturally. Chicken manure, when applied in the correct amounts, will not burn your lawn, and it will fertilise it for up to two years.”
Why you should fertilise lawns with chicken manure pellets
These pellets provide phosphorus, which promotes root development and aids lawn recovery from environmental stress, whilst also supplying nitrogen and potassium.
Nitrogen serves as the essential nutrient for continued growth, whilst potassium enhances grass’ durability to maintain health even during prolonged dry spells. Chicken manure serves as an eco-friendly solution to maintain lush green grass throughout summer whilst providing essential nutrients to strengthen and thicken weakened turf.
Lawn fertilisers are ideally applied during early morning or late afternoon hours, avoiding midday when the sun’s intensity peaks and places additional stress on the grass.
Simply distribute the chicken manure across your lawn area. Whilst it’s advisable to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines on the packaging, you’ll generally require approximately two kilograms per 100 square metres.
Scatter the chicken manure pellets in a uniform, thin coating before thoroughly watering the lawn to help nutrients seep into the soil.
The specialist explained: “This is an optional step, as chicken manure will start to break down naturally with or without watering. With that being said, the best time to water your lawn is right after spreading. This will help the manure start to break down, especially if it’s in pellet form.”
Chicken manure pellets should invigorate the grass, transforming it into a rich green shade and promoting enhanced growth for a lush, dense lawn throughout the summer months.
