Clever Tricks That'll Help Prevent Lawn Burn During The Summer Months

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Summer is the season that sees many Americans spending more time outside than ever. However, if you don't take precautions to prevent lawn burn, you may find yourself greeted by a patch of yellowish brown withering grass as opposed to a lush green lawn when you step outside. Just as you need to apply sun block and cover up to avoid being burned at the beach, your lawn needs protection from the summer sun and heat as well. This includes everything from making sure it's hydrated to providing a bit of shade, as well as several other clever tricks that can help your lawn thrive throughout the summer months.

While most of these tricks involve things to do for your lawn, at least one preventative practice involves not doing something. Fertilizing is commonly accepted as a critical part of a successful lawn care routine. However, utilizing high-nitrogen fertilizer during summer can actually cause lawn burn and/or exacerbate the situation. So, while your natural reaction to seeing brown patches develop may be to try and nourish your grass, it's best to hold off on high nitrogen fertilizer until fall. If you fertilize during summer, make sure you are using a fertilizer specifically designed for the season, such as Scotts Turf Builder Plus 2-in-1 Fungicide and Fertilizer, and follow the manufacturer's directions precisely.

Something else you should avoid doing is excessively walking on your lawn. While limiting foot traffic may seem to defeat the purpose of having a lawn, it is also one of the best ways to prevent lawn burn during the summer. This is because walking on your lawn stresses the grass. Under normal circumstances, this isn't much of an issue. But, during hot, dry periods, grass is already severely stressed.

Part of what it takes to help prevent lawn burn during the summer is doing what you should be doing throughout the year — following proper mowing and watering practices. However, it is all the more important you do these basic lawn care tasks correctly during summer, when grass is stressed. In addition to following proper maintenance practices, it is important to keep your lawn equipment in good working order. Sharp mower blades, for example, can reduce stress and moisture loss. So, if you see signs that your mower blades need sharpening, do so post-haste. 

When it comes to mowing, it is still advisable to follow the one-third rule. However, it is a good idea to aim at keeping your grass a little higher — in the 3 to 4 inch range. This means waiting until it is 4.5 to 6 inches tall before cutting it. The idea is taller grass will provide more shade for the soil, which helps retain moisture and prevents the root structure from being exposed to the sun. Conversely, scalping a lawn by cutting it too short is practically inviting lawn burn and may make it impossible to recover your green grass. 

As the summer heat rises, you may feel the temptation to water your lawn more often. However, you should think twice about watering every day. The best practice is to water less frequently but more deeply, which encourages deeper root growth. It also prevents overwatering, which can lead to fungus growth and root rot. It is also critical to pick the best time of day to water, which is typically in the early to mid-morning period. This allows the grass to adequately dry and prevents additional burning during the heat of the day. 

A properly aerated lawn has a much better chance of surviving summer heat. However, timing of aeration is critical. If your grass is already showing signs of stress, attempting to aerate will only add to the stress and likely accelerate the dwindling process. So, be sure your grass is aerated before the summer heat hits its zenith by taking care of this task in spring or early summer. Otherwise, it is better to wait until fall.

Another major issue is having the right type of grass for your lawn to handle the summer heat. If you see your once-green lawn quickly dying off as the summer heat rises, you may want to consider overseeding with another type of grass seed, one that is better able to withstand the heat of summer. The practice of overseeding with warm weather, drought resistant strains of grass, can result in a mixed lawn that can withstand changing weather conditions throughout the year, as warm weather grass will emerge while cool weather grass is dormant and vice versa. 

Finally, just as you may need a bit of shade or a cover up to escape the summer sun, so does your lawn. Planting trees is an obvious way to provide shade. However, this is somewhat of a long-term solution. You can provide immediate sun relief by utilizing temporary shade producers like sunscreens or cloth sheets stretched over portions of your lawn. Another overlooked issue causing lawn burn is the reflection of the sun off the windows of your house. You can resolve this with non-reflective window tinting or window coverings such as shutters.