Welcome to Summer in Metrolina: Surviving the Heat

This is the toughest season for Tall Fescue in the Charlotte area.
Your goal is to help your lawn survive, not thrive. Think defense, not offense. Tall Fescue hates hot, humid Southern summers and most big box store grasses will die off (this is why your neighbor’s lawn looks like a dirt track). You’re not going to have a golf course lawn in August—and that’s fine. All the work we’ve done from last fall up to this point is to put our lawns in the best possible position to minimize the summer damage.

The Big Picture

  • Fescue goes dormant. Growth will stop once daytime highs hit the 90s.
  • Heat and drought are your main enemies. This is why selecting the right grass seed of our area is so important.
  • Fungus can take over. 2025 has been particularly bad for brown patch fungus.
  • Weeds (especially crabgrass and nutsedge) love the heat and moisture.
  • Irrigation amounts and timing is critical, otherwise: more fungus.

What To Do (and What NOT To Do) This Summer