If you've stepped outside this week in Glen Allen, you already know — this is the kind of summer heat that puts lawns to the test. After a stretch of temperatures pushing into the mid-to-upper 90s with heat indexes well into the 100s, local lawns are under serious stress right now. July in central Virginia is the hardest month on a lawn. Temperatures sit in the 90s for stretches at a time, rainfall becomes unpredictable, and cool-season grasses are operating well outside their comfort zone. This is the month when a lot of lawns hit a wall — and when the decisions made in spring either pay off or show their weaknesses.

We've been doing this long enough to know what works and what doesn't in July. Here's the honest guide to keeping your lawn alive through the worst of the Virginia summer.

Once summer heat sets in and rain gets scarce, I start getting a version of the same question from homeowners across Glen Allen and Short Pump: should I still be mowing? My lawn looks stressed — is cutting it making things worse?

It's a great question, and the honest answer is: it depends. Here's how to think through it.

There’s no shortage of advice out there when it comes to summer lawn care. Unfortunately, not all of it is helpful—and some of it can even do more harm than good.

At ELM Lawn Care, we’ve seen it all. So let’s set the record straight by busting some of the most common myths that come up during the hottest time of year.