Summer is often a demanding time for most homeowners with tall fescue lawns. During the scorching summer months, it’s a challenge to minimize the propensity to infection and heat stress on a tall fescue lawn. Tall fescue, a cool-season grass, grows best during the cooler days of fall and spring. This grass type offers higher heat tolerance compared to other cool-season grasses as well as higher cold tolerance compared to warm-season grasses. With proper care for fescue in summer, you can ensure that your tall fescue lawn gets through the season smoothly.

Why Tall Fescue Grass Deteriorates during Summer

The most common reasons your tall fescue grass may decline or go brown in the summer heat are related to soil that’s too wet, drought stress, or brown patch disease.

In mid-summer, growth of glass typically slows down slightly, following the natural growth cycle of grass, since the carbohydrates (food reserves) used by grass is more than that it makes. Hence, if the grass is affected by any disease or stress, it recovers slowly. Plants with drought-stress have a purple to grayish color and a “curled up” or narrower leaf blade. Additionally, the grass becomes spongy where you can see footprints for several minutes after walking on the lawn.

Brown patch also affects a lot of lawns. This fungus typically causes tan-brown patches of medium to large size. Sometimes, some “cobwebby” fungal strands are also seen in the morning dew. When infected with brown patch, there are tan lesions on individual leaves with a border of deep brown color when the fungus is active. This hue fades to just brown once the damage is done.

This disease can be treated with the application of easily-available fungicides – the common active ingredients include propiconazole, azoxystrobin, and chlorothalonil.

“Although it’s best to apply the fungicides preventatively, i.e., before the occurrence of the weather conditions for this disease, you can also apply them curatively to arrest the progression of the disease.”

However, remember that fungicide application will not result in automatic recovery. If properly applied, the fungicide will arrest the fungus. But if the weather is hot and leaves are already damaged, the affected area will take some time to generate new leaves free from disease instead of the old damaged leaves.

Also, follow the label directions for any pesticide item.

Brown patch in a lawn

How to Keep Tall Fescue Green in Summer

Here we offer you some effective tips to help your tall fescue in summer survive the heat and stay lush and healthy throughout the hot months.

1. Mow Accurately

Ensure that your mower is at its highest setting when you’re mowing your tall fescue summer lawn. Ideally, you should mow tall fescue at 3 ½ to 4 inches. Additionally, mow only when necessary. Prolonged dry periods can interfere with lawn growth and mowing. When the grass is affected by moisture stress it can result in further lawn damage.

2. Water Properly

If you don’t have an irrigation system in place, set up a sprinkler to water your lawn during prolonged spans of no rain (like more than 5 days) and elevated temperatures. This will help your lawn to withstand the environmental/heat stress.

Tall fescue grass protects itself from prolonged drought by turning brown (going dormant). It’s not dead and revives itself when rainfall occurs. However, if drought stays for long enough and the temperatures are too high, it can die.

In case there’s an irrigation system in place, set the system to run during the early morning, between 4 and 6 am. This allows water to enter the soil and the loss to evaporation will be less. Early morning watering will also help in disease control compared to watering in the middle of the night or evening.

3. Reduce the Inputs

Avoid adding anything to your lawn in the stressful months of summer. If needed, apply just enough fertilizer necessary for maintaining plant health and protecting them from diseases. Don’t apply any weed killers to your tall fescue summer lawn, except for any special circumstance.

“It’s best for your tall fescue lawn to tolerate minor infestations of weed during summer until fall when you can kill weeds more safely.”

4. Schedule Fall Lawn Care

Fall is the time your tall fescue lawn will repair and revitalize. A damaged lawn can be revived with treatments like lawn aeration, seeding, and composting. These practices can also prevent healthy lawns from damage and falling into disrepair.

Stay on top of your lawn care needs by scheduling a September aeration during summer. All American Turf Beauty can help you plan your fall lawn treatments for your tall fescue lawn.

Wrap Up

Follow these valuable lawn care tips for your tall fescue in summer and help your lawn survive and thrive during the hot months. In case of any summer lawn care concerns like seeding fescue in summer or planting fescue in summer, contact All American Turf Beauty and we’ll be happy to help you. We service many areas in and around Iowa including Ames and Spencer. Our summer lawn care experts can effectively cater to all the needs of your tall fescue lawn in Spencer & Ames!