Surviving Colorado Summer: Heat, UV, and Your Landscape

June Through August Is Survival Season

Colorado summers are beautiful, but they're genuinely hard on landscapes. Intense UV at elevation, low humidity, high temperatures, and water restrictions combine to stress turf and plants in ways that require active management — not just irrigation.

The Summer Irrigation Reality

Water restrictions limit when and how much you can irrigate. Most Front Range municipalities prohibit watering between 10 AM and 6 PM — the hottest part of the day — which is actually good practice regardless of restrictions.

Optimize your irrigation window:

• Run cycles between 4–7 AM whenever possible
• Allow turf to dry completely between cycles (aids disease prevention)
• Deep, infrequent watering is better than frequent light watering — encourages deeper roots that access cooler, moister soil

Raise the Mowing Deck

This is repeated advice because it's the most ignored advice. In June, raise your mowing deck to the summer setting and leave it there until September. For bluegrass, that means 3–3.5 inches. For tall fescue, 3.5–4 inches. Do not scalp in summer.

Accept Dormancy

Kentucky bluegrass goes dormant when soil temperatures exceed 85°F. The lawn turns tan. This is not failure — it's adaptation. Dormant turf is alive; it's protecting itself.

Dormancy management:

• Water once per week, deeply, to keep crowns alive even in dormancy
• Do not fertilize dormant turf
• Do not power-rake or aerate dormant turf
• Keep foot traffic minimal

Pro Tip: If you choose to keep the lawn green through summer dormancy pressure, you must commit to consistent deep irrigation throughout. Irregular irrigation that alternates between dormancy and recovery cycles is worse for turf than staying in dormancy.

Hail Damage

Colorado hail season peaks June–August. Significant hail events — 1 inch or larger — can shred turf and damage plants severely. After a major hail event:

• Avoid foot traffic on damaged turf for 1–2 weeks
• Damaged turf almost always recovers if the crown is intact
• Shrubs with shredded leaves should be observed through summer — don't prune immediately
• Document all damage with photos for insurance purposes

Late Summer: Eyes on Fall

By August 15, start planning fall renovation. Book aeration, order seed, schedule irrigation winterization. The window between "it's still summer" and "it's too late" is short in Northern Colorado.

Updated on: 29/04/2026