Every August, we see the same thing across Copperas Cove and the rest of Central Texas. Homeowners make this one particular mistake that turns a manageable summer lawn situation into a full-blown disaster!

Ready for it?

They try to make their lawn look so perfect in July, and by August, they've destroyed it!

Trying to Force a Green Lawn in Peak Heat

July in Central Texas is brutal. Temperatures regularly exceed 100 degrees, and the grass is doing everything it can just to survive. When homeowners try to force their lawn to stay lush and green by overwatering, over-fertilizing, and mowing too frequently, they push a stressed plant past its limits.

The result is worse than if they had just backed off and let nature take its course.

What Overwatering in Texas Summer Looks Like

More water sounds like it should help, but overwatering in peak heat creates its own set of problems. Soggy soil in high temperatures is a breeding ground for fungal disease. Overwatered roots become shallow and weak.

And if you're watering during the heat of the day, most of that water evaporates before it ever reaches the roots anyway.

The Better Approach: Survival Mode

In July, your goal isn't a perfect lawn. Your goal is a living lawn. Shift your mindset from maintenance to survival. Water deeply and infrequently in the early morning.

⬆️Raise your mowing height.

🚫Skip the fertilizer.

🚫Stop comparing your lawn to the neighbor who has an automated irrigation system running twice a day.

Accept Some Brown

A lawn that goes partially or fully dormant in August is not a failed lawn, it's a smart one. Dormant grass is conserving energy and protecting itself. As long as the crown is alive, it will recover.

Some of the most beautiful lawns in Copperas Cove in October were completely brown in August. Patience is a critical part of your Central Texas lawn care routine.

Call Evans When You're Not Sure

There's a difference between a dormant lawn and a dying one, and sometimes it's hard to tell.

If you're worried about your lawn this August, Evans Lawn Care can take a look and help you figure out the right approach.

We've seen it all in Central Texas summers.

Give us a holler and we'll tell you exactly what those brown patches need.