While escaping the summer heat is easy for us to do by heading indoors and turning up the AC, this isn’t the case for your yard. You may have already noticed a few brown patches starting to pop up on what was once luscious green grass. While having a great sprinkler system is an excellent tool to help keep your yard looking healthy during the summer heat, there are a few other tricks you can apply to your yard to help prevent it from getting scorched by summer heat.

Don’t Over Mow Your Grass

Keeping your grass maintained a little higher than you would during cooler months allows the roots to extend deeper and prevent weeds from showing up. Weeds and grass compete for water, so keeping your weeds to a bare minimum will help your grass to remain healthy.

Avoid Fertilizing

If your lawn looks rough come midsummer, try to resist the urge to fertilize it. A general rule of thumb says stopping fertilizing about 30 days before summer arrives is best. Giving your lawn extra fertilizer during the summer heat can burn your lawn. If you do choose to fertilize, organic fertilizers are slow-release and less likely to burn your lawn — but we advise waiting until fall or spring.

Water During The Morning

Be sure to water your grass in the morning because it isn’t as hot out, and less water will be lost to evaporation from sunlight. Another benefit of watering your lawn in the morning is that you’re also giving it more time to hydrate before night comes. Giving your lawn half an inch of water twice a week should help keep your grass hydrated and green.

Minimize Lawn Traffic

While it’s probably impossible to avoid walking on your lawn, you can definitely limit how much traffic it sees. Grass during the summer season is dryer, so walking and driving on it can lead to damage. Heavy traffic can cause packed-in soil, which prevents air from getting down to the roots.

Plant Trees

Plant some trees to provide shade throughout your yard for a more permanent solution. It may not be a quick fix, but these trees will help provide shaded areas for many years. Trees also help improve air quality, increase property value, and offer a relaxing home environment.

While it may seem like a hassle initially, following the above steps will help keep your lawn healthy throughout the summer heat. Your grass will tolerate heat more easily if it is kept healthy throughout the year, so follow proper fertilization, watering, mowing, and pest control tips.