This is a very common lawn problem, especially in late summer. Soil beside paths, driveways, paving and fences often gets hotter and drier than the rest of the lawn because hard surfaces reflect heat and shed water. In prolonged dry weather the soil can shrink, pull away and crack, which makes it hard for grass to establish along the edges.

To tidy it up and get a more even lawn:

• Fill the cracks and low spots with fresh Daltons Premium Lawn Soil, then level and lightly firm it. This helps stop the soil continuing to pull away.
• Resow with grass seed straight away so it can establish as the weather cools. In New Zealand, early autumn is a great time to do this.
• For small patch repairs, Daltons Premium Lawn Patching Gold is ideal because it’s an all-in-one mix (seed, soil and fertiliser), making it quick and easy to use in those tricky edge areas.
• Water consistently while the new seed establishes. In dry spells, watering early morning or early evening helps reduce stress and supports steady growth.
• If those edges dry out and crack every year, you may need to repeat the top-up and patching the following season until the soil stabilises.

Once the lawn has some moisture back and the worst heat has passed, an end-of-season Daltons Premium Lawn Fertiliser application can also help the rest of the lawn thicken up, which improves the overall look.