Houston Grass Weekly Update with Michael Romine — July 29

Video Summary

In this week’s Houston Grass update, Michael Romine covers how to protect your lawn during a stretch of 100°F days with no relief in sight. With the grass now fully dependent on irrigation, his advice comes down to three priorities: get your sprinkler system running and verify full coverage, keep mowing weekly while raising the mowing height, and watch closely for the dry spots that invite chinch bugs. He also explains why this is not the time of year to fertilize. The short version: water carefully, mow high, and skip the feed.

Why Hot Weather Changes Everything for Your Lawn

When air temperatures hit triple digits day after day, your lawn stops living off rainfall and becomes entirely reliant on the water you give it. Think of your lawn like a marathon runner in the heat: it’s still performing, but it has almost no margin for error. A single missed water station—a broken sprinkler head, a poorly covered zone—can turn into visible damage fast.

That shift in reliability is why summer lawn care is less about feeding and growing and more about maintaining and protecting. The goal in extreme heat isn’t a greener lawn; it’s a surviving one.

Step 1: Get Your Irrigation Dialed In

The single most important thing you can do in extreme heat is make sure your irrigation system is working at 100%.

Turn It On and Inspect Every Head

Turn your system on and confirm that every sprinkler head is functioning. In peak summer, a broken or clogged head isn’t a minor inconvenience—it’s the difference between a healthy zone and a dead patch. As Michael puts it, if a head isn’t giving full coverage, “you’re gonna find out real quick,” and unfortunately the way you find out is dead or dying grass.

Run Each Zone Manually and Walk the Yard

Don’t trust the timer to tell you everything. Run your irrigation system manually, then physically walk your yard zone by zone while it runs. You’re checking for:

• Heads that aren’t popping up or rotating
• Spots the spray isn’t reaching (edges, corners, behind obstacles)
• Any early dry spots that signal a coverage gap

This walk-through is the equivalent of checking a fence line for gaps before the storm hits. It’s far easier to catch a weak zone now than to repair dead turf later.

Aim for One Inch of Water Per Week

The target is about one inch of water per week. You can measure this with a simple tuna can or rain gauge placed in the spray zone—when it fills to an inch, you’ve hit your mark for that watering. Consistent, deep watering encourages deeper roots, which handle heat far better than shallow, frequent sprinkles.

Step 2: Keep Mowing—But Mow Higher

It’s tempting to back off mowing in a heat wave, but you should still be mowing at least once a week.

Never Cut More Than the Top Third

No matter what type of grass you have, never remove more than the top one-third of the leaf blade in a single mow. Scalping the lawn strips away the leaf tissue the plant needs to photosynthesize and shade itself, and in extreme heat that stress can be the tipping point between a stressed lawn and a dead one.

Raise Your Mowing Height

Here’s the analogy that makes this click: a taller blade of grass shades itself the same way a wide-brimmed hat shades your face. When you raise the mowing height in hot weather, the taller canopy shades the soil and roots beneath it, keeping the ground cooler, reducing evaporation, and giving the plant “shade from itself.” Higher mowing height in summer is one of the cheapest, most effective things you can do for heat resilience.

Step 3: Hold Off on Fertilizer

This is not the time of year to fertilize. Fertilizer pushes new growth, and forcing tender new growth during a heat wave asks the plant to spend energy it doesn’t have to spare. In extreme heat, feeding the lawn adds stress rather than relief. Save the fertilizer for milder conditions.

Step 4: Watch for Dry Spots and Chinch Bugs

Dry spots are the warning light on your dashboard. They’re often the first visible sign of an irrigation gap—and they’re exactly where trouble begins.

In hot, dry conditions, those stressed dry areas are prime real estate for chinch bugs, which thrive in the heat and can quickly kill weakened turf. By keeping a close eye on your water coverage and eliminating dry spots before they spread, you remove the conditions chinch bugs love. In other words, good watering isn’t just about hydration—it’s your first line of pest defense.

If you spot an area that stays dry or brown despite adequate watering, inspect it closely for chinch bug activity so you can address it before it spreads.

Quick Hot-Weather Lawn Care Checklist

• Turn on irrigation and confirm every head works
• Run each zone manually and walk the yard for full coverage
• Deliver about one inch of water per week
• Mow at least weekly, never cutting more than the top third
• Raise your mowing height to shade the soil and roots
• Skip fertilizer until the heat breaks
• Monitor for dry spots and watch for chinch bugs

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should I water my lawn in extreme heat?

Aim for about one inch of water per week. Deep, less-frequent watering encourages deeper roots that tolerate heat better than shallow, daily watering. Measure output with a small can or rain gauge placed in the spray zone.

How often should I mow during a heat wave?

Keep mowing at least once a week. Skipping mows lets the grass grow too long between cuts, which forces you to remove more than the healthy amount when you finally do mow.

Why shouldn’t I cut more than one-third of the grass at a time?

Removing more than the top third of the leaf blade strips away tissue the plant needs to photosynthesize and shade itself. In extreme heat, that added stress can push an already-strained lawn toward dying.

Should I raise or lower my mowing height in summer?

Raise it. A taller canopy shades the soil and roots, keeps the ground cooler, and reduces moisture loss—giving the plant “shade from itself” during the hottest part of the year.

Is it okay to fertilize my lawn in hot weather?

No. Fertilizer drives new growth, and pushing tender growth during a heat wave adds stress the plant can’t afford. Wait until conditions moderate before feeding.

What are chinch bugs and why do they show up in summer?

Chinch bugs are small insects that thrive in hot, dry conditions and can rapidly kill weakened turf. They tend to appear in dry, stressed areas, which is why eliminating dry spots through proper irrigation is one of the best ways to prevent them.

How do I find dry spots in my lawn?

Run your irrigation system manually and walk your yard zone by zone while it’s running. Look for areas the spray isn’t reaching and any patches that stay dry or discolored—these signal coverage gaps that need attention.

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• It’s HOT! How to Care for Grass in Houston’s Heat
• What Are the Grass Seed Heads in My Houston Lawn?
• How to Check Irrigation Systems
• How to Plant Palmetto Grass
• Grass Health Tips – Beating the Summer Heat in Houston

This post accompanies the Houston Grass weekly video update with Michael Romine. Watering targets and mowing practices are general guidance for hot-weather lawn care; adjust based on your specific grass type, soil, and local watering restrictions.