How do I look after a lawn in summer?
Managing a lawn through hot dry weather — mowing height, watering decisions and what brown grass actually means.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 1 hr
- Read
- 2 min
Short answer
Raise the mower blades, mow less often, and generally do not water. Brown grass in a British summer is dormant, not dead, and recovers with rain. Longer grass shades its own roots and survives drought far better than a closely cut lawn.
Most summer lawn damage is self-inflicted: cutting too short in hot weather, then watering to compensate. Longer grass has deeper roots and shades the soil, which is a far more effective drought strategy than irrigation.
What you'll need
- Mower with adjustable height
- Sprinkler (optional)
- Grass seed for autumn repair (optional)
Step by step
- Raise the mower height for summer.5cm or higher. Longer grass shades the soil, retains moisture and roots more deeply.
- Mow less often in hot dry weather.Growth slows or stops. Mowing a stressed lawn adds more stress.
- Never take more than a third of the height in one cut.Removing more shocks the plant, and in summer it may not recover quickly.
- Accept brown grass rather than watering.It is dormancy, not death. Established lawns green up within a couple of weeks of rain.
- If you do water, water deeply and infrequently.A thorough soak once a week encourages deep roots. Light daily watering trains shallow roots that suffer more.
- Leave the clippings on the lawn.They return moisture and nutrients and act as a light mulch. This matters most in summer.
- Keep off the lawn during severe drought.Dormant grass is fragile and foot traffic damages the crowns, which is what actually kills patches.
- Plan repairs for autumn rather than attempting them in summer.Overseeding in September works; overseeding in August drought does not.
Tips
- A sharp mower blade matters more in summer — a blunt blade tears the grass, and torn tips lose moisture and brown off.
- Watering a lawn uses a lot of water for a cosmetic result. In a hosepipe ban it is also usually prohibited.
- If a lawn browns off every summer in the same patches, those areas may have shallow soil or compaction worth addressing in autumn.
Common mistakes
- Cutting short in hot weather — It exposes the soil, dries it out faster and stresses the grass exactly when it is least able to recover.
- Light daily watering — It encourages shallow roots that suffer badly the moment watering stops.
- Reseeding in summer — New seed needs consistent moisture. Autumn sowing establishes far more reliably.
Questions people ask
Should I water my lawn in a drought?
Usually no. Established grass goes dormant and brown, and greens up within a couple of weeks of rain. Watering a lawn is a substantial use of water for a purely cosmetic result.
Is brown grass dead?
Almost never. It is dormant — the plant has shut down above ground to protect its crown and roots. Keep off it and it recovers with rain.