Thatch Should Do It!

Meet Spike.
To get water into my lawn when it's dry, I use a lawn spiker. It punches nail holes in the turf as I push it along. Fantastic.

However, there is one proviso: The lawn needs to be soft (i.e. moist) first - too hard and it just bumps along over the surface, like it did yesterday. It's a chicken-and-egg situation.

This is where patience comes in. Wetting the surface layer allows the spikes to get a hold, then they will dig into the thatch, making holes for the water. But it's not easy. In fact, it is just about the hardest job in my garden.

If the thatch will not wet, then a few drops of washing-up liquid applied with a watering can (use an eco-friendly washing liquid if you wish) works wonders. They act as a surfactant (I think that's the word for a wetting agent) and reduce the surface tension, thereby facilitating wetting. However, I don't like doing this, because water from down below reaches the surface, soil particle by soil particle, using this same surface tension. Removing it could deprive the roots of water. I don't know this, but I suspect.

A sharp garden fork is a good tool for breaking through the thatch. You don't need to spike it all: just dry spots.