Your crispy brown lawn isn't dead — but what you do in the next few weeks decides it: 4 jobs, in the right order

Here's the plot twist: it's almost certainly not dead. It's dormant — grass's dramatic little survival trick where it shuts down growth and protects its roots until the rain comes back. But the next few weeks are where you either help it or finish it off.

"The lawn is the most hard-wearing plant in your garden. Even if the dry weather continues, once the autumn rain comes, usually the lawn will bounce back," says horticulturist Kate Turner, who has worked on BBC Gardeners' World.

So: four jobs, in this order, and only once the weather cools and rain returns.

1. Rake out the dead stuff

Once the lawn starts waking up, give it a good rake to clear dead grass, thatch, and debris. Think of it as exfoliating. The living grass underneath needs light and air, not a blanket of its own crispy former self.

2. Aerate the concrete you call soil

A summer of sun, paddling pools, and foot traffic compacts soil into something roughly resembling terracotta. Spike it — a garden fork works — so water and air can actually reach the roots instead of running off toward the drain.

3. Overseed the bald patches

Gardening experts advise waiting until temperatures drop and rain returns, then raking over bare patches and adding grass seed. Autumn's warm soil plus cool air is basically a spa weekend for germination.

4. Feed it — but not yet

Fertilizer on a stressed, dormant lawn is like handing an espresso to someone mid-faint. Wait until the lawn has visibly recovered, then use an autumn feed to build roots before winter.

And the do-nots, free of charge

• Don't water a dormant lawn during a hosepipe ban — it's a waste, and the grass will manage.
• Don't mow it while it's brown and suffering.
• Don't stomp all over it; dormant crowns are fragile little drama queens.

Patience now, smugness by October.