Water 2-3 times per week at 0.5 inches per session, never daily. Raise your mowing height. Stop fertilizing until September. These three changes alone will carry most North Texas lawns through summer.
Texas summers don't ease you in. By late June, Crandall and Forney temperatures regularly hit 100°F and stay there. For Bermuda, St. Augustine, and Zoysia lawns, the three most common grass types in Kaufman County, the difference between green and dead often comes down to a few key decisions made in May and June before the peak heat arrives.
This guide covers exactly what to do, when to do it, and what to avoid during the most punishing months for North Texas lawns.
Water Deep and Infrequently: Not Daily
This is the most important thing you can do and the mistake most homeowners make. Daily shallow watering trains grass roots to stay near the surface where soil temperatures are highest during summer. Deep infrequent watering forces roots downward into cooler soil where they can survive drought stress far better.
The right schedule for Crandall and Kaufman County: Water 2-3 times per week, approximately 0.5 inches per session, for a total of 1-1.5 inches per week. Water before 10am to minimize evaporation loss and reduce fungal risk.
A practical way to measure output: place a tuna can in your yard while the sprinkler runs. When it's full, you've hit roughly one inch. Time how long that takes. That's your baseline per session.
Kaufman County Water Restrictions
The DFW Metroplex is operating under moderate drought conditions in 2026. While Kaufman County follows its own municipal water authority guidelines rather than Dallas city ordinances, neighboring Dallas has a permanent ordinance restricting irrigation to two days per week between April and October, with no daytime watering allowed. Check with your specific water provider. Crandall, Forney, and Heartland all have separate authorities, for your current allowed schedule before setting any irrigation timer.
Raise Your Mowing Height Immediately
Cutting grass short in summer is one of the fastest ways to kill it. Taller grass shades its own root zone, retains soil moisture, and reduces heat stress dramatically.
| Grass Type | Summer Mowing Height | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Bermuda | 1.5 – 2 inches | Every 7-10 days |
| St. Augustine | 3 – 4 inches | Every 7-10 days |
| Zoysia | 2 – 2.5 inches | Every 10-14 days |
Never remove more than one-third of the blade height in a single mow. This stresses the grass and turns it that ugly yellow-brown color. If your lawn got away from you, bring it down gradually over two or three sessions spaced a few days apart.
Also make sure your mower blade is sharp. A dull blade tears grass instead of cutting it cleanly, creating jagged edges that turn brown and make the lawn more vulnerable to disease and heat stress.
Stop Fertilizing Until Fall
Fertilizing during peak summer heat, July and August, pushes aggressive blade growth at exactly the wrong time. That new growth is tender, demands more water, and burns easily in 100°F temperatures. It also stresses the root system at a time when you want roots conserving energy, not chasing nutrients.
When to fertilize again: Wait until September for warm-season grasses in the Crandall area. A fall application of slow-release fertilizer helps roots strengthen going into winter and gives the lawn a head start for spring green-up.
Understand the Difference Between Dormant and Dead
Bermuda grass will go dormant and turn brown during extended drought. This is normal and not the same as dead. Dormant Bermuda is still alive and will green up again with water or when temperatures drop. St. Augustine is less drought tolerant and will show stress faster, but can also recover from dormancy if the crown is intact.
To test if dormant grass is still alive: pull on a handful of grass. If it resists and stays rooted, the crown is alive. If it pulls up easily with no resistance, those areas may be genuinely dead and will need reseeding or sod in fall.
Watch for Summer Pests
Chinch bugs, armyworms, and sod webworms are active in North Texas lawns during summer and can cause damage that looks like drought stress. If you're watering correctly but still seeing brown patches that spread irregularly, inspect the edges of the affected area closely for insects. Chinch bugs are tiny, about the size of a grain of rice, and cluster at the border between green and brown grass.
Catching pest damage early is critical. A patch the size of a dinner plate can become half your yard in two weeks if ignored during the growing season.
What to Do If Your Lawn Is Already Brown
If your Crandall or Forney lawn is already showing significant brown patches in summer, don't panic and don't overreact by dumping water on it daily. The right move depends on what's causing the browning:
- Even browning across the whole lawn: likely drought dormancy. Maintain your watering schedule and it should recover.
- Irregular patches with defined edges: possibly pest or fungal damage. Have someone take a look before treating.
- Brown near concrete and walkways: heat reflection from hardscapes. Water these areas slightly more frequently.
- Thin, pale grass that pulls up easily: root damage, possibly from grubs or severe compaction. May need aeration and reseeding in fall.