Across the UK this summer, bowling greens are being baked in the intense summer heat. Weeks of hot, dry weather have left surfaces bare, cracked, and rock-hard. For many clubs, the underlying soil has crossed into a more serious condition — hydrophobicity — where the soil physically repels water, a phenomenon known as Localised Dry Patch.
If that’s where your green is today, you’ve got a problem.
You can simply can’t wait until your usual mid-September renovation programme to put things right, as a successful renovation will be difficult if not impossible with greens in their current state.
Why Waiting Is Not an Option
Renovation time is when greens should be at their healthiest, moisture in the soil, turf actively growing, roots well-fed, ready to withstand scarifying, aeration, and oversowing.
But if your green is still hydrophobic and bone dry in September:
- Aerators could break up the surface and bounce instead of cleanly penetrating.
- Seedlings from oversowing will fail — germinating in the top few millimetres only to wither days later.
- The renovation you pay for will have almost no lasting effect.
Clubs in this position will spend the autumn throwing money at a programme that was doomed before it even started.
The Recovery Window Is NOW
If your green is suffering from Localised Dry Patch or severe drought stress, you must spend the coming weeks recovering soil moisture before you even think about autumn renovation.
That means:
- Breaking through the hydrophobic layer.
- Restoring the soil’s ability to accept and hold water.
- Rehydrating the rootzone so your turf can recover ahead of autumn.
The Proven One-Two Punch: Aquacept + BioActive Yucca
This is where Aquacept and BioActive Yucca come in, used together in an intensive recovery programme that has already been a lifeline for many clubs this year.
- Aquacept produces protease enzymes that target and break down the waxy, water-repelling proteins that cause Localised Dry Patch. This unlocks the soil so water can finally penetrate again.
More on Aquacept → - BioActive Yucca is a fully natural, certified organic wetting agent and biostimulant. It improves water infiltration, helps moisture spread evenly through the soil profile, and supports microbial life to aid long-term recovery.
More on BioActive Yucca →
The Recovery Programme
Here’s what works — and what needs to start today:
- Tine the surface to open the soil. You might have to go gently with this, or even start by hand pricking with a fork.
- Apply Aquacept (750g in at least 70 litres of water per green application) with BioActive Yucca.
- Pre-dilute Aquacept in tepid water before adding to your sprayer.
- Apply in two passes at right angles for full coverage.
- Repeat weekly or as spot treatments, with frequent hand soaking using a hose to push water into the rootzone.
You’ll see results fastest where the surface is regularly soaked after treatment — Aquacept needs moisture to work.
Is this the New Normal?
This summer’s weather isn’t a one-off.
Extreme heatwaves and prolonged dry spells are now a regular part of the UK bowling calendar. The old model of throwing more sand on the green every year, hoping things will even out, is not just outdated, it’s actively making drought recovery harder.
I’ve written extensively on why blindly adding sand is a dangerous long-term trap:
Your Autumn Renovation Depends on This
The choice is stark:
- Act now with an intensive Aquacept + BioActive Yucca programme, restore moisture, and go into September with a more healthy, still recovering, but receptive green…
- Or wait, and risk a renovation that fails before it starts, wasting money and leaving your green in poor shape for another year.
The window to turn this around is short. Let’s not waste it.
📦 Order now and start your recovery programme this week:
Full application guide included with Aquacept (look in your account area for the download after purchase, or drop a line to John)