Summer Lawn Care: How to Keep Your Lawn Healthy All Season

Summer is the season of vibrant gardens, lush lawns and long days spent outdoors. At the same time, hot, dry conditions can challenge your lawn’s health, leading to brown patches, thinning grass and stressed turf. With the right summer lawn care practices, you can keep your grass healthy, green and ready for all your favorite outdoor activities. From proper mowing and watering to spotting early signs of drought or disease, these expert TruGreen tips will help you maintain a vibrant, resilient lawn all season.

Even with careful care, summer heat, sun and heavy use can take a toll on your lawn. Recognizing the most common challenges early allows you to take preventive action and keep your turf healthy. Here are some key factors to watch for and how to address them:

• Heat and Sun Exposure: Prolonged sunlight can dry out soil and grass, causing blades to brown or curl. Mowing your grass higher and only when needed will shade the soil and help to keep the soil cooler and reduce water loss.
• Drought Conditions: Extended dry periods can lead to patchy or dormant grass. Adjust your watering schedule based on soil type, temperature and sunlight exposure. Deeper, infrequent watering encourages stronger root growth. The goal is to not let the turf dry out between waterings.
• Foot Traffic: Family activities, pets or lawn games can compress soil and damage grass blades. Rotate play areas and aerate compacted zones to keep turf strong.
• Pests and Diseases: Insects and fungal diseases become more active in warm weather. Regularly inspect your lawn for unusual discoloration, lesions or visible insects. Early detection allows for faster, more effective intervention.

By staying proactive and monitoring these factors, you can prevent minor issues from turning into larger problems and keep your lawn looking its best throughout the summer. 

While it may not be the most glamorous task, inspecting your lawn for pests can prevent larger problems later on. Get eye level with the grass to spot insects like sod webworms or chinch bugs.  

You can also check for diseases:

• Look for gray spots, lesions or unusual discoloration on blades.
• Inspect areas that appear thin or stressed to see if damage is localized.

If you notice these signs, TruGreen specialists can identify the cause and recommend a treatment plan to keep your lawn healthy. 

Watering is critical during hot, dry months. Follow these best practices:

• Water early in the day to reduce evaporation and allow roots to absorb moisture.
• Aim for 1-2 inches of water per week, adjusting based on rainfall, soil type and temperature.
• Pay attention to problem areas, such as lawns near paved surfaces, slopes or sunny spots, which dry out faster.
• Water deeply and less frequently to encourage deeper root growth, instead of shallow, daily watering. 

Summer is also a key time to make sure your lawn stays well-nourished. Heat and frequent activity can cause grass to lose essential nutrients more quickly, so a few targeted steps can make a big difference:

• Apply a slow-release fertilizer formulated for summer conditions to support steady, balanced growth.
• Add mulch around trees and garden beds to help protect soil, retain moisture and reduce heat stress.
• Aerate compacted areas so water, air and nutrients can move more easily into the root zone.

TruGreen specialists can build a customized fertilization plan based on your grass type and local climate, helping your lawn stay strong and resilient throughout the summer months. 

Even healthy lawns can struggle during the hottest months, and identifying early signs of stress helps you correct issues before they spread. One of the most common problems is drought stress.

Signs of Drought Stress and How to Fix It  

If your lawn is suffering from drought stress, you’ll see changes in color and texture. Grass that isn’t getting enough water may appear dull or grayish, feel brittle or fail to spring back after being stepped on. These signs mean your lawn needs more consistent moisture.

Watch for these signs:

• Grass turning tan, yellow or brown.
• Early drought stress causes grass blades to appear dull gray or blue-green.
• Footprints or mower tracks that stay visible.
• Crunchy or wilting blades.

How to fix it:

Increase deep watering in the early morning and aim for about 1 inch per week as consistent moisture is needed to restore the lawn. Adjust irrigation coverage as needed or ask a TruGreen specialist for help restoring balance. TruGreen’s Lawn Stress Guard can also provide added protection by helping your turf recover more quickly from heat, drought and environmental stress. 

Heavy use during summer can cause compaction, thinning and bare patches. To protect your lawn:

• Remove toys, pool floats and furniture when not in use.
• Aerate and overseed bare or thin areas to strengthen turf.
• Only mow as needed.
• Provide adequate moisture to aid recovery.