Nothing quite beats the feeling of pride you get when you can sit back and look out at a perfectly manicured lawn with luscious green grass.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in a world where these things are easy to come by. Keeping your lawn healthy can require a significant amount of time and effort, but is well worth the extra work.
If you’re struggling to keep your grass looking well-maintained all year round, you may be facing an issue that most other homeowners deal with at some point in their lives. In this article, we’ll be looking at some of the possible reasons why your grass is dying and what you can do about it.
Why Is My Grass Dying Even Though I Water It?
You may be strict with your watering schedule, but even this isn’t enough to keep your grass looking lush and vibrant all the time. Some of the reasons why your grass is dying may be completely out of your hands, like lawn diseases or lawn pests that can damage healthy grass and cause it to turn brown.
If you want to figure out the root cause of your dying grass, here are some of the potential issues you may be facing:
You Have a Problem With Soil Quality
A lot of lawn problems start at the root, literally. The soil that your grass and plants are growing in plays an important role in the health of your lawn and whether it ends up turning brown or dying.
If your soil is too compacted, doesn’t have the right pH levels, or doesn’t contain vital nutrients, you could find yourself having to deal with various lawn diseases and dead grass in the future.
It may be difficult to identify poor soil yourself, so feel free to call in the experts to get a professional opinion on how you can rectify these problems and allow your lawn to thrive again.
You're Not Fertilizing Your Lawn Properly
Fertilization is another important aspect of lawn maintenance, but applying too little or too much can lead to you having a dead lawn.
Not fertilizing your whole lawn properly is a common root cause of dying grass for a few reasons. If you’re not laying down enough fertilizer, you’re depriving your lawn of the key nutrients it needs to grow healthy plants and grass. However, if you’re spreading too much, it can damage the roots of plants and make your lawn more susceptible to diseases.
You May Have Too Many People Walking Over Your Lawn
Although we would all love to keep our yards looking perfect all year round, it often is impossible to maintain — unless you never step foot outside.
Whether you’ve got young children constantly playing in the garden, or live next to a pedestrian walkway where people are constantly walking past, this excessive foot traffic can cause your grass to deteriorate over time.
On top of this constant use, you may also have to worry about things like dog urine that can lead to dead grass. Equally, if you have pest infested grass, you may need to consider putting in some systems to keep your lawn protected. The most prevalent lawn pest in the USA is white grubs that can quickly turn your lawn brown and damage your grass seed.
You Aren't Considering The Season
We all notice a big difference between seasons, whether we’re wrapping up in the crisp winters or struggling to keep cool during a heatwave — your grass is also impacted by these seasonal changes.
Extreme heat for extended periods, not getting enough rain during periods of dry weather, and snow can all create soil problems that lead to dead and brown areas of your lawn.
Adjusting your lawn maintenance schedule depending on the season is important. For example, watering during dry spells, or mulching affected areas as needed can all make a big difference to brown areas
You Aren't Using Chemicals Correctly
You may think that you’re doing the right thing by spreading pesticides, herbicides, and other lawn chemicals across your garden, but you may actually be doing more harm than good if you’re not applying them properly.
If you’re using too many chemicals, or using the wrong products, you could have a lawn full of dead grass on your hands before you know it. Make sure to follow the instructions on the product, or seek advice from a professional, when you’re considering using harsh chemicals on your lawn.
You Haven't Got Your Watering Process Down
We all know that we have to water our lawns like we would with any other type of living plant, but the process of watering is much more of a science than some homeowners would think.
Getting the right amount of water is key to preventing dead grass. Overwatering can drown the roots and cause lawn disease, whereas underwatering can quickly lead to stress and damage to your lawn. Over time, you should be able to figure out a watering schedule that aligns with your lawn and the time of year.
You Aren't Mowing Your Lawn Properly
Mowing your lawn is more than just trying to make it look better for your nosy neighbors, it also will help you to maintain the health of your lawn. Just like we would all go to the hair salon to get a trim, mowing your lawn is the same idea.
If you cut your grass too short, you will be weakening it and make it more susceptive to insect infestations, brown spots, and diseases. But if you aren’t mowing enough, you’ll be depriving the lower leaves of sunlight — another cause of dead grass.
Top Tips For Maintaining a Healthy Lawn
Worried that your lawn is facing one of the issues we’ve listed above? There’s no need to panic as there are plenty of ways you can revive dead grass.
To help you achieve and sustain a healthy and lush lawn, we’ve put together some of our top professional tips. When used in your lawn care routine, you can transform your dead lawn into a vibrant, lush oasis in no time.
Take Weed Removal Seriously
Weeds are often some of the biggest issues for gardeners which can lead to brown grass, dead grass, and lawn diseases that prevent new grass from being able to grow.
If you want to really stop dying grass, you need to take a strong stand against the weeds in your garden and implement a regular weed control program to prevent brown patches. It doesn’t take a lawn care professional to pull weeds, you just need to pull them out as soon as you see them.
For smaller weeds, you can just go straight in with your hands to remove them. But, you may also want to consider using pre-emergent herbicides if you’re struggling with weeds across your entire lawn.
Realize The Importance of Aeration
Lawn aeration may be something that you don’t normally associate with brown spots and a healthy yard, but with a few small changes, you can make your garden look like it has a whole new lawn.
Most lawns are made up of different grass varieties, but creating small holes in the soil can help to improve air circulation, regardless of what type of grass your yard is made up of.
These small holes can also help with water infiltration and nutrient absorption by reducing soil compaction. Normally, you’ll only need to implement this process once a year, but you may need to do it more often if you notice certain areas of high foot traffic or compacted soil.
Become A Master of The Lawnmower
Choosing the right lawnmower settings could make all the difference between amateur and professional lawn care. It’s one of the easiest ways that you can keep grass roots alive and prevent brown spots of a dead lawn.
Regular mowing an inch of grass naturally can sometimes be overkill, you only need to remove a thin layer of grass clippings to prevent brown spots every now and then.
Every grass species is also different and will require a different mowing process, so make sure to look into the recommended frequency for your lawn.
Keep Your Lawn Hydrated
Nothing is able to survive in drought like conditions, especially not a suburban lawn! If you want to protect your grass roots or revive dead grass you need to master your watering schedule.
The idea is to aim for deep, infrequent watering rather than shallow and frequent. This process encourages the growth of deep grass roots that store water deep within the soil. It’s also best to water your learning early in the morning and adjust your schedule depending on the time of year.
Give Each of Your Grass Blades The Nourishment They Need
There’s plenty that you can do to prevent dying grass, but providing grass roots with the healthy nutrients they need is an easy way to prevent brown patches and dying grass.
You can start by conducting a soil test to determine what nutrients your lawn needs, then adjust your lawn maintenance schedule accordingly. Choose high-quality fertilizers and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure you use them correctly.
In combination with the other tips that we’ve mentioned above, proper fertilization will make your lawn much more resistant to weeds, diseases, and environmental stresses.
It's Time to Deal With Dying and Brown Grass
If, like us, you take pride in your garden and don’t want to deal with the unsightly look of brown grass, it’s time to do something about it!
Whether you’re in the market for a new spreader, or just need some help and support on how to properly care for your lawn throughout the year, get in touch with our talented team of garden experts who are always on hand to help you out.
