A healthy lawn is the pride and joy of many homeowners, and in many cases, it can be a very expensive investment.
What you don’t want is this beautiful looking investment to turn into a brown, patchy mess.
If your lawn is a barren, patchy wasteland of brown spots and dead patches then you might be wondering what’s causing the problem.
Reasons for Dead, Patchy Grass Lawns
There are plenty of possibilities for barren grass lawns including:
- Fungal diseases such as brown patch or rust that can kill off healthy areas
- Various animal digging activities like grub damage from earthworms burrowing through soil
- Dog urine which contains nitrogen-rich waste products that could burn grass blades leading them to turn yellow prematurely instead being green all season long
- Heat stress caused by lack of rainfall in an area where it has been abnormally hot due to drought conditions.
All these causes will result in noticeable effects not just aesthetically but also potentially impacting health too since most people who eat meat
How to Fix Dead Grass – 10 Tips
Dead grass is a problem for homeowners. They’re not sure what to do about it, and often end up making the situation worse by doing the wrong things with their beloved lawn.
Here are some of the best tips on how to fix dead grass and get it into shape so you can enjoy your lawn again!
1. Aerate your lawn
This will help the grass grow deeper roots and improve drainage. It’s a good idea to do this in the fall or early spring, while it’s still cool and moist.
To aerate your lawn, simply use an aerator to pull plugs of grass from your lawn. This will allow air and water to penetrate the soil, allowing your lawn to be healthier.
You can rent an aerator from any home improvement store, but you’ll have to do it yourself. If the ground is hard and dry, soak it before aerating it.
2. Fertilize your lawn with organic fertilizer
There are many types of organic fertilizer that you can buy at garden centers or home improvement stores that will work well on your dead grass lawn.
The key is to get one that has nutrients for green growth (nitrogen) as well as nutrients for root growth (phosphorus).
Organic fertilizers also add beneficial bacteria to the soil, which helps break down organic matter and release nutrients into the soil for plants to use.
3. Plant new grass seed.
If you have a small patch of dead grass, you can plant new grass seed in the spring or fall.
Make sure to use good quality grass seed that is appropriate for your region and climate. You’ll need to water the seeds until they are established, which may take several weeks or months.
4. Add fresh compost to the soil under your lawn.
Fresh compost will help add nutrients back into the soil and improve its overall health and structure.
It will also attract worms and other small organisms that help break down organic matter and release nutrients into the soil for plants to use.
You can usually buy fresh compost from a garden center or waste management company.
5. Spread mulch over your lawn (not straw).
Mulch will help keep moisture in the soil, prevent weeds from growing, and add nutrients back into it as it breaks down over time.
If you spread straw over your lawn, it will eventually decompose, but it won’t do much else for your lawn while it’s there except maybe hold some moisture in place temporarily (until it gets warm enough for weeds to grow).
You can buy mulch at any home improvement store or garden center, but if you don’t want to spend money on mulch, try using leaves or wood chips from around your yard instead.
6. Water your lawn.
Watering your lawn will help it grow and keep weeds from growing. It will also help the soil stay moist, which is important for roots to grow deep into the ground.
If you don’t have a sprinkler system, try watering your lawn with a hose or watering can once or twice a week. You’ll need to do this all summer long if you want to see results.
Some Tips to Deal with a Lawn with Dead Grass
Do not use a weed killer
Weedkillers are designed to kill weeds and grasses alike, so using them on your lawn will just kill all of your grass and leave you with a patchy lawn that may never grow back.
If you want to get rid of weeds without killing everything else, try spot treating them with an herbicide instead of spraying your entire lawn with weedkiller.
Do not water too much or too little
If you aren’t watering enough, your grass won’t be able to grow properly because it needs water in order for its roots to reach out into the ground and grab nutrients from the soil.
However, watering too much can cause problems as well because overwatering leaves your lawn susceptible to diseases like fungal leaf spot which can reduce its vigor and ability to grow healthy roots.
Try watering once every 2-3 days for 10 minutes at a time during the summer months depending on how hot it is outside and how dry it is outside as well – this should be sufficient but not excessive watering for most lawns.
When winter rolls around, stop watering altogether unless there has been heavy rain or snowfall in which case you should hold off until the next day before watering again so that your lawn doesn’t get soggy overnight – this could cause root rot if left untreated so make sure you keep an eye on how wet or dry your lawn gets during winter months!
Do not over fertilize
Fertilizers are designed to give your lawn the nutrients it needs in order to grow healthy and strong roots, but too much fertilizer can actually do more harm than good.
Overfertilizing your lawn will cause it to grow super fast and cause its roots to grow out of control which can lead to a lot of problems such as root rot, fungal leaf spot, and other diseases.
If you want your lawn to look lush and green, make sure you use a slow release fertilizer that won’t burn through all of its nutrients at once – this will prevent it from growing too fast or getting sick.
Do not let animals poop on your lawn
Animals like dogs and rabbits will poop on your grass, but this can be devastating for your lawn if left untreated.
Dog poop contains harmful bacteria that can kill grass instantly while rabbit feces contain spores that can cause diseases like ringworm which is deadly for most plants including grass.
If you see dog or rabbit droppings on your lawn, try cleaning them up with a broom or rake immediately before they have a chance to spread around – don’t forget about the grass blades!
When to Get Professional Help for Dead Grass
You should consider getting professional help if your lawn is in really bad shape.
If you’ve tried everything on this list and your lawn still looks terrible, it may be time to call a professional landscaper or other lawn care service to help you out.
They can test soil to see if it’s lacking nutrients and fertilize it for you. They can also test the pH of your soil to see if it’s acidic or alkaline.
If your lawn is too acidic, they can apply lime to balance out the pH level and make it more conducive for grass to grow.
A professional landscaper can also aerate your soil and apply fresh compost to it. They can use their equipment to do this, which will make the process faster than if you were doing it by hand.
They may also be able to suggest other methods of fixing dead grass that I haven’t covered in this article.
They’ll also give you an estimate of how much it will cost to do the work, which can be helpful if you’re on a budget and don’t want to overspend trying out different fixes your self.
How to Prevent Dead Grass
1. Aerate and fertilize your lawn in the spring and fall (not just in the fall)
Aerating and fertilizing once a year is a good practice. However, doing it twice a year is even better.
The more often you aerate and fertilize, the healthier your grass will be (and the less likely it is to get dead spots).
2. Remove dead patches of grass as they appear
If you let dead grass patches stay on your lawn, they will eventually turn into large dead areas that are hard to fix.
If you spot a patch of dead grass, remove it as soon as you can so it doesn’t spread.
You can use a weed whacker, shovel or rake to remove the dead grass and then cover the area with fresh soil or compost.
3. Don’t let your lawn get too dry in the summer
Watering is only half the battle when it comes to growing healthy grass in hot weather.
If you don’t water often enough, your lawn will be more likely to get dry and die out in places than if you were watering it regularly.
Make sure to check how often and how much water your lawn needs before deciding how often to water it.
4. Don’t overwater your lawn
Overwatering your lawn will cause the roots to grow shallow and weak, which makes it more likely for them to dry out and die.
It will also make your lawn more susceptible to disease, especially if you have a problem with fungus or mold.
If you’re having trouble growing grass in your yard, try using one of these methods on a small patch of grass first before trying it on your entire lawn.
If it doesn’t work well for you, move onto the next method until you find one that works for you.
Final Thoughts
Dead grass is a problem that many homeowners face. It’s not just unattractive, but it can also be unhealthy for people and animals who live in the area.
The good news is that there are plenty of methods you can use to get your lawn growing again. You’ll just need some patience and persistence since it may take several weeks or months before you see results.