Brown grass in summer has several possible causes. The fix depends on identifying the right one. Here is how to figure out what is actually going on.
The most common cause of summer browning in Middle Georgia is simple heat stress combined with insufficient water. When soil moisture drops and temperatures stay above 90 degrees for extended periods, warm-season grass slows growth and can lose color. Bermuda handles this better than centipede or St. Augustine. Consistent deep watering — not daily sprinkles — is the primary fix.
Grubs, chinch bugs, and armyworms all cause browning that looks like drought stress. The key difference: insect-damaged grass does not recover with watering. Grub damage feels spongy and turf pulls up easily. Chinch bug damage concentrates in sunny, hot areas. Armyworm damage appears suddenly and spreads fast. If watering does not green things up within a few days, inspect for insects.
Dollar spot, pythium blight, and other summer diseases can brown out sections of your lawn. Dollar spot creates small straw-colored patches 2 to 6 inches across. Pythium shows up as greasy, wilted patches that appear overnight in hot, humid conditions. Disease-related browning often has distinct patterns or textures that differ from even drought stress.
Cutting grass too short in summer removes the canopy that shades the soil and protects roots from heat. Scalped lawns brown out fast. Mowing with dull blades tears grass instead of cutting it, creating ragged brown tips across the entire lawn. Raise your mower height in summer and sharpen blades regularly.
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