June: Transition to Summer Mode
Raise your mowing height to 3.5 to 4 inches. Water deeply (1 inch per week) and infrequently rather than light daily sprinkles. Deep watering encourages roots to grow downward.
July: Peak Stress
Survival mode for cool-season lawns. The grass may go dormant (turn brown) if temperatures stay above 90 degrees. Dormancy is normal. Do NOT fertilize dormant grass. Treat active crabgrass with post-emergent herbicide if it escaped the spring pre-emergent.
August: Recovery Planning
Plan your fall aeration and overseeding. If you’re seeing grub damage, apply curative treatment. Continue deep watering. Begin lowering mowing height back toward 3 inches in late August.
