These are the top reasons your lawn is brown this summer (Here's how to fix the problem!)
Almost every home has a lawn, but keeping them healthy in the summer is a major challenge. We spoke to GP Landscape Design to share a few tips to help your lawn look as beautiful as the rest of your garden.
More Stories
Almost every home has a lawn, but keeping it green is a unique challenge that changes year to year based on the weather and emerging fungal issues. But with the proper watering, mowing, and monitoring schedule, your lawn can look healthy for years to come.
The biggest stress for the lawn? It's heat
Greg Picca is the owner of GP Landscape Design in Center Moriches, NY, where he has decades of experience in garden design and care. Greg says the extreme heat early this summer has been a common stress for lawns. Some gardeners mistakenly water more during heat waves, but the solution is strategic watering.
Deep and infrequent watering is more effective than light daily watering. A thorough irrigation session every other day encourages grass roots to grow deeper into the soil, helping the lawn withstand dry conditions and summer heat. Watering early in the morning is generally best because it reduces evaporation while allowing the turf to dry during the day.
During extreme heat, Greg programs a "cool down session" during extreme heat where the sprinklers go on for just a few minutes around 4 or 5 p.m. This cools down the lawn after the hottest part of the day is over and gives the lawn enough time to dry out before the evening arrives, which is important to prevent fungal issues.
A brown lawn is not a dead lawn
It's important to let the lawn go brown during water restrictions. Lawns that are brown from hot and dry weather are not dead. They are dormant. Dormant lawns will green up when the weather cools down and rain consistently returns.
Overwatering your lawn will cause problems
When homeowners see crunchy brown spots, they often assume the lawn is too dry and needs water. However, fungal issues thrive in humid and wet environments so it's possible it may be getting too much water. A trick to tell the difference is to push a screwdriver into the ground. If it goes in easily, the soil is saturated and it does not need more water.
Give your blades of grass time to dry out by watering during the morning. Do not water your lawn in the middle of the day because much of the water will evaporate before it absorbs into your lawn.
Some grass species brown easier than others.
Some lawns can be invaded by less desirable grass species like Creeping bentgrass. Unlike many desirable residential turfgrasses, creeping bentgrass develops a relatively shallow root system. It's used for golf putting greens because it stays short and grows vigorously, but it needs frequent watering and does not look good with the typical turf. Creeping Bent grass has an almost neon-green shade compared to the rest of the lawn and it will turn brown during a stretch of dry weather. In many cases, controlling or removing the bentgrass and reseeding with a more desirable turf species is the most effective long term solution.
Seek a professional
If lawn care doesn't spark joy, leave it to the professionals to help. GP Landscape Design in Center Moriches, NY specializes in custom landscape design, expert pruning, seasonal maintenance, and year-round landscape care. Owner Greg Picca has more than 25 years of experience and combines practical horticultural knowledge with thoughtful design to create outdoor spaces that stay beautiful through every season.
