How to Keep Your Grounds in Good Condition During Hot Weather.

Hot, dry spells put managed green spaces under real pressure. Whether you maintain a school site, care home grounds, commercial property, or open public space, prolonged heat can undo months of careful upkeep in a matter of weeks — if you are not prepared. This guide covers the key steps facilities managers and grounds teams should take to protect green spaces during hot weather, and what to watch out for before problems escalate.

1. Adjust Your Mowing Schedule.

One of the most common mistakes during a dry spell is continuing to cut grass on the same schedule as the rest of the year. When soil moisture drops, grass enters a period of stress. Cutting it too short removes the leaf area it needs to protect its roots from heat and to retain what little moisture remains in the ground. The result is brown, scorched turf that takes weeks to recover

What to do:

• Raise the cutting height — leave grass longer than usual to provide shade for the root zone

• Reduce mowing frequency during prolonged dry periods

• Avoid cutting during the hottest part of the day

• Never remove more than a third of the blade length in a single cut

If your site has a fixed mowing contract, raise this with your grounds maintenance provider and agree a temporary adjustment. A good contractor will have already flagged it.

2. Prioritise Watering — But Do It Proper for high-use or high-visibility areas such as entrance planting, sports pitches, or recently turfed sections, irrigation becomes critical during a heatwave. Watering little and often is actually counter productive. Shallow watering encourages grass and plant roots to stay near the surface, making them more vulnerable when the heat intensifies. Deep, infrequent watering pushes roots downward where conditions are cooler and moisture lasts longer. Water early morning (before 8am) or in the evening — midday watering loses too much to evaporation.

• Focus on recently planted areas, turfed sections, and ornamental beds — established lawns can usually withstand a dry period

• Apply enough water to penetrate several centimetres into the soil, not just dampen the surface

• Check for hosepipe restrictions in your area and ensure any watering complies with local regulations
  
  

  3. Hold Off on Feeding

• Applying fertiliser to stressed, drought-affected turf is a mistake that can cause more damage than the heat itself. Nitrogen-heavy feeds during dry spells can draw out remaining moisture, scorch roots, and trigger growth the plant cannot sustain without adequate water.
  
  What to do:
  
• Pause any scheduled feeding programmes during dry spells If irrigation is in place and the grass is growing well, feeding can continue at reduced rates
• Seek advice from your grounds contractor before resuming a full feeding programme after a dry period ends
  

4. Keep on Top of Weed Control.

Drought-stressed grass thins out and creates gaps. Weeds — which are generally more drought-tolerant — are quick to exploit those gaps and establish in weakened turf. Regular inspection and timely intervention prevents a manageable situation from becoming a widespread problem that requires significant remedial work in autumn

What to do:

• Carry out spot treatments on emerging weeds before they set seed

• Note any areas where turf has thinned significantly — these may need overseeding once conditions improve

• Avoid broad herbicide applications to stressed turf without professional guidance

5. Protect Newly Planted or Turfed Area

If soft landscaping work has been carried out recently — new turf, planting, or seeding — those areas need particular attention in hot weather. Establishment takes time, and plants that have not yet developed a deep root system are far more vulnerable to heat stress than mature growth

What to do:

Increase watering frequency for newly turfed or planted sections

• Use a light mulch around plant bases to retain moisture and reduce soil temperature

• Flag newly landscaped areas to your grounds team so they are prioritised during dry conditions

• Avoid heavy foot traffic on newly turfed areas — grass under heat stress is slower to recover from compaction
  

6. Check Playground and Outdoor Surface

Hard and artificial surfaces can become a safety concern during extreme heat. Rubber mulch, wet pour surfacing, and artificial grass all absorb and retain heat — on very hot days, surface temperatures can be significantly higher than air temperature

What to Do:

• Follow manufacturer guidance for any proprietary surfacing installed on your site

• Carry out a visual inspection for any surface damage, lifting, or deterioration that dry heat may have worsened

• Ensure play equipment is checked for heat-related expansion or surface issues as part of regular inspection rounds

7. Plan Remedial Work for Autumn.

Even with the best management, hot summers will leave their mark. Bare patches, weakened turf, and stressed planting will need addressing once conditions improve in early autumn — the best window for overseeding and renovation work on lawns and open spaces Start noting problem areas now. It will save time when you come to brief your grounds contractor ahead of the autumn schedule.

Final Thought

Hot weather is not just an inconvenience for grounds maintenance — it is a test of how well your site is managed throughout the year. Grounds that receive consistent, professional attention tend to cope far better with seasonal extremes than those where maintenance is reactive If you are concerned about how your site is holding up this summer, or want to discuss what a managed grounds maintenance contract would include during dry weather conditions, get in touch with the team at Pro Ground Services We work with schools, councils, care homes, and commercial properties across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire — and we are always happy to carry out a free site assessment.

Pro Ground Services Ltd provides grounds maintenance, soft landscaping, and playground solutions across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire. Contact us to discuss your site requirements.