Lawn Care. My lawn looks Dead. What can I do?

Question

I think it's dead. Should I reseed, ot just try watering, fetilizing, and airating?

Answer 1

Water, water, water, and then water some more. You need a good watering schedule. Same day, and same time of day. 30 minutes per each section and if that is not enough add more time to each section.

If you can afford it, have an automatic sprinkler system put in. It is well worth the money if you want a pretty lawn.

DO NOT fertilize it at this point. Never fertilize a dead lawn. Water will wake it up. Later on you can fertilize it.

Answer 2

Dig into the lawn with a spade a few inches down and pry the soil apart. If there is no moisture, you should try watering first.

If there is moisture but a thick "thatch" of grass stalks and roots, try dethatching the lawn. This is where you take a hard rake (with like four 4-inch tines) and gradually work your way through the thatch, removing at least 50% of the thatch. You then mow it fairly short and re-seed.

If the lawn has some green to it and is not thatched, you may try a greening lawn food that is high in nitrogen. Miracle Gro lawn food is good.

If there are just big patches where the grass doesn't seem to grow while everywhere else looks okay, you might have insects and/or grubs in your lawn that are killing the grass. There is an insect killer you can get at a home improvement store that is granular and spreads on your lawn. It contains a fertilizer, too. Although, you may have to re-seed the dead areas.

If the soil is very clay-like, you may try aerating. Heavy clay soils prevent nitrogen gases from reaching the roots, which kills the grass.

Answer 3

Simple and easy solution: Rake in a few bags of manure or compost into the lawn. About a 1/2 - 1 inch. Throw down some grass seed of your choice raking it in to insure soil contact with the seeds. Most importantly, cut the lawn high (about 4.5 - 5inches) ALL SEASON to insure a deep root system. That right there should make your lawn look like green velvet! Enjoy.

Answer 4

The posters have some great tips. Water is usually the first step. If you live in Seattle just wait for the post-summer rains. Some grasses do go dormant but again, it all depends on where you live. All lawns need a good maintenance schedule. To find about about one that is best for your area call a local lawn care specialist, visit your local Lowes or try these websites:

http://www.american-lawns.com/
http://turfgrassmanagement.psu.edu/homelawns.cfm

Answer 5

it is diffucult to give a definate answre to your question you posed. Many factors play in the demise of a lawn, where it would be droughyt, insect, disease, poor management, wrong variety of grass, some grasses jus t go dormant,or any combonation . Sorry can't be be of any other assistance.

Answer 6

Where do you live? It is probably just going dormant for the winter. If you live where grass stays green year-round then yes, it needs water.

Bert

Answer 7

in hot dry weather grass goes dormant , you can water it that well revive it if the weather is below the eighties at least in my area ,it will also vary depending on the type of grass