Coastal Salt Spray Damage in Emsworth & Chichester Harbour: How To Protect Your Lawn

Brown tips and thinning grass near the coast can be salt stress. Here is how to prevent and repair salt spray damage in Emsworth and Chichester.

Lawns close to the sea often suffer from salt spray carried on coastal winds. Salt pulls moisture out of leaf blades and can scorch tender growth, leaving grass pale, brittle and patchy. If you are in Emsworth, East Wittering, Bosham or close to Chichester Harbour, use this plan to toughen your turf.

Prevention first

• Shelter the windward edge with permeable screening or low hedging. A solid fence can cause turbulence.
• Mow a little higher at 4.5 to 5.5 cm so crowns are shaded and less exposed.
• Rinse after dry, windy spells using a watering can to wash salt off blades.
• Feed lightly and regularly rather than one heavy dose. Overfeeding soft growth increases scorch.

Repair steps

1. Soak the sward to flush salt from the thatch and upper soil.
2. Apply a gentle, potassium-forward feed to support cell strength.
3. Overseed thin areas with a hardy rye and fescue blend suited to coastal sites.
4. Topdress 3 to 5 mm of sandy loam to improve surface drainage.

Want to time renovation work correctly for our climate? See the Year-Round Lawn Calendar for Chichester Gardens:
https://lawncarechichester.co.uk/year-round-lawn-calendar-what-to-do-each-month-in-chichester-gardens/