10 Things You Should Stop Doing to Your Yard During a Heat Wave
When the heat cranks up, your yard feels it. And believe it or not, some of the things you think are helping can actually be making it worse. Heat waves stress grass, plants, and even soil structure.
Doing the wrong things during extreme heat can lead to burned grass, dead plants, and a yard that takes way longer to recover. Here’s what you need to stop doing if you want your yard to survive a heat wave without wrecking it.
Watering in the Middle of the Day
Watering when the sun’s beating down does way more harm than good. Most of that water evaporates before it ever hits the roots.
You’re wasting water and risking leaf scorch. The best time is early morning. The water soaks in deep, and the lawn dries before night, which helps prevent fungus.
Cutting the Grass Too Short
Scalping your lawn during a heat wave is a fast way to fry it. Short grass exposes the soil to more sun, drying it out even faster.
Leave it taller. Longer blades shade the soil, hold moisture better, and keep the roots cooler. It’ll bounce back faster when the heat breaks.
Fertilizing Anything
Fertilizer and heat waves don’t mix. You’re asking stressed grass and plants to grow when they’re struggling just to survive.
It can actually burn the lawn or plants. Hold off on feeding anything until temperatures cool down. Focus on moisture, not growth.
Spraying Weed Killer
Weed killers are way less effective when it’s scorching, and they’re more likely to damage your grass or nearby plants.
The heat makes it harder for the chemicals to work right, and stressed grass is more vulnerable to damage. Wait until temps drop back down.
Planting Anything New
New plants need time to establish roots, and that’s almost impossible during extreme heat. You’re setting them up to fail.
Even drought-tolerant plants struggle to settle in during a heat wave. Hit pause on landscaping projects until the weather cools.
Ignoring Mulch
If you’re not mulching, you’re making the heat way harder on your plants. Bare soil bakes in the sun and loses water fast.
A few inches of mulch helps hold in moisture, keeps roots cooler, and reduces how often you’ll need to water. It’s one of the easiest fixes.
Running Sprinklers Every Day
More water isn’t always better. Shallow, frequent watering encourages shallow roots, which makes grass even weaker when it’s hot.
Deep, infrequent watering is the way to go. Let the sprinkler run long enough to soak the soil a few inches deep, then give it a break.
Power Washing Hard Surfaces
Power washing your patio or driveway during a heat wave sounds harmless, but it adds steam and humidity to already stressed plants nearby.
Plus, blasting hot concrete with cold water can actually cause cracks. Save it for a cooler day.
Using String Trimmers Too Aggressively
Over-trimming edges or around trees during high heat can expose roots, bark, or soil that really shouldn’t be exposed right now.
It dries out the base of trees, scalps the lawn edges, and can cause long-term damage. Keep trimming light until the heat breaks.
Ignoring Signs of Stress
Wilting, browning, and crunchy grass aren’t things to brush off during a heat wave. Ignoring them means you’ll deal with way more damage later.
Look for early stress—like grass losing its spring when you walk on it—and adjust watering or shade where you can. A little attention now saves a ton of recovery work later.
*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.
