As the name implies, cool season grasses enjoy cool temperatures from 50-70 degrees. When temperatures are consistently above 80 degrees, your lawn is struggling just like humans can struggle in elevated temperatures.
It is no surprise that lawns with cool season grasses look far better in the spring and fall than in the summer when temperatures exceed the comfort level of cool season grasses.
Lawns in Greater Columbus during the summer are on defense. Defense against disease, insects, and poor cultural practices. There are several things that homeowners can do to reduce the stress on your lawn during the summer:
- Cut only during cool times of the day such as late morning or evening.
- Water deeply and infrequently targeting 1” to 1.5” of watering per week and not watering at night, only in the early morning.
- Cut your grass at the highest setting or second highest setting throughout the year. Cutting lower than this is a catalyst for disease and undo stress on your grass.
- Cut no more than 1/3 of the grass off the top. Doing so promotes deeper roots and minimizes stress on your grass.
- When edging along sidewalks and driveways, avoid pitting out these areas as exposed soil will invite weeds, especially crabgrass along heat sources.
- Minimize foot traffic during the heat of the day and do not cut your grass at this time.
Cool season grasses are out of their comfort zone when temperatures are above 80 degrees. Lawns often struggle mightily during the summer but usually recover in the fall. Consider Power Seeding in the late summer to fill in bare areas and replenish areas that have lost turf density. As grass ages, it loses fertility and does not produce as much new grass. Periodic seeding is crucial for thickness and introduces new grass that is better suited to fight off disease and insects.
Another reason cool season grasses struggle during the summer is high humidity. Humidity is a catalyst for fungus such as brown patch, summer patch, dollar spot and red thread. Fungicides can help to stop the spread of a fungus once there is an outbreak but will not reverse the fungus. When evening temperatures are near 70 degrees with accompanying humidity near 70 degrees, fungus outbreak and spreading can occur. Avoid watering your lawn in the evening. Water sitting on the grass overnight is a catalyst for fungus.
