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How Do I Get My Lawn To Grow Back

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What Are The Main Causes Of Patchy Grass

How to Grow Grass with Dead Grass Spots | The Home Depot

Patchy grass can result from either dead or dormant grass. If your entire lawn is dead, you will need to remove the dead grass, prep the soil, and lay new sod.

When your whole lawn is the same brown color, the grass may be dormant. Cool-season grasses will go dormant in the summer when the sun produces prolonged periods of hot temperatures, while warm-season grasses will go dormant during the winter. In these cases, the grass is still alive and will come back to life and return to a beautiful hue when its intended season returns.

If your lawn is green in some areas and brown in others, you might be dealing with dead patches in the lawn but not an entirely dead lawn. To fix dead patches, rake out the dead area gingerly, fertilize it, and water it; eventually, it should come back.

Create A Healthy Lawn By Starting Over

Lets get this straight right from the get-go: A healthy lawn doesnt get taken over by weeds. So if it looks like youre raising weeds instead of grass, thats a sign of a more serious problem. And that may mean killing off the grass and starting over. Its a big reseeding lawn project thatll take several weekends and may cost you up to 25¢ per sq. ft. for equipment rentals, soil conditioners and seed. If youre willing to spend more, you can lay sod instead of planting seed, but dont skip the soil testing and remediation steps. Heres how to balance your soils pH level properly.

Are you ready for a fresh start? Just follow our guide for how to plant grass seed on an existing lawn and youll be the happiest gnomeowner on your block.

Identifying The Exact Cause

The next step is identifying the exact cause. For example, check for grub worms by digging up a small area of the lawn. If you see several worms within that small area, you have to treat your lawn with one of the grub control methods available. Treat other identified garden pests, diseases, and fungi once you’ve established they are the culprits.

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Easy Tips To Make Grass Grow Quickly

Almost nothing is more relaxing to me then walking through my backyard barefoot on a warm summer night. The only thing that makes this pleasurable though is having lush green grass beneath your toes. Getting your lawn perfect may seem complicated, but worth the effort. Follow these steps to make grass grow lush and green in your yard.

The first tip is the most basic but can also be the most important. Make sure to choose the correct grass seed blend for your;yard. Grass seed manufacturers make seed blends that perform well in sun, shade, or both. Some dont require much water while others may need a little extra care to really get them growing. Just make sure to get the type that works best for your situation, and if you have any questions about it, go to a local garden center since they typically have experts who can direct you to the best choice for your yard. Before you spread the seed, we suggest that you lay down a layer of fresh topsoil to really give your grass the best head start.

A final note on how to make grass grow lush, is to make sure you dont walk on it before it is established. Nothing will kill your new grass faster than heavy traffic. So in closing, make sure to choose the right seed, ensure it receives adequate water, cover with straw to retain moisture, and fertilize. You should have a beautiful lush lawn in no time to enjoy barefoot if you wish!

Getting Rid Of Lawn Ruts

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Q: Parts of my lawn can be extremely soft when wet, and when I cut my grass recently I left deep ruts across the softer parts. This didn’t tear up the turf or anything, but the ruts are un-sightly. What can I do to repair this damage?

Chuck, Cordova, TN

A: Roger Cook replies: First, let’s talk about preventing further damage. The obvious advice don’t mow when your lawn is wet will not only prevent the rut problem but will give you a better cut too. If the lawn is wet so often that this regularly interferes with your mowing schedule, have a landscape contractor take a look. You probably have a drainage problem that needs attending to.

Now on to fixing the ruts. A lot of people tackle this the wrong way: by filling the ruts in with dirt and then seeding the area. But filling doesn’t relieve the compaction, and the new grass never quite blends with the surrounding turf.

The best way to fix ruts is to loosen the soil. For shallow ruts no more than a few inches deep, take a spade fork and sink it into the ground alongside the rut at a 45-degree angle. With the fork’s tines buried under the bottom of the rut, gently push down on the handle and lever the sod up about 1 or 2 inches above the surrounding area. Then remove the fork and let the sod settle over time to a level that’s even with the neighboring lawn.

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How Do You Revive Dead Grass Quickly

There is no way to revive dead grass, but you can keep brown or yellowing grass from dying out. The best way to revive dehydrated grass is to offer moisture as needed. To revive a lawn that has spots of dead grass mixed in with dying grass, we have some tips. Start by raking the spots of dead grass to loosen the soil and remove the expired blades. Lightly rake the healthy areas to get rid of dying grass and aerate the soil for root stimulation. Once you have the land prepared, take a rotary seed spreader and lay down new grass seed over the dead spots. Using a lawn roller, gently press the seeds into the soil of the dead spots. Moisten the soil at regular intervals to support healthy growth. Make sure you also use a high-phosphorus fertilizer to give the grass seeds an extra boost.

Which Grass Should You Grow

While there are hundreds of grass species, only those that are classified as cool season grasses are appropriate for New Hampshire lawns. Cool season grasses grow best in the spring and fall and grow slowly or go dormant during the heat of the summer. The top choices for lawns are Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and fine fescue. Each of these grasses has its strong points and shortcomings, and the scales will tip in their favor depending on the growing conditions of your lawn. Grasses are often combined in mixes to make the turf more tolerant of a variety of environmental situations.

Kentucky bluegrass is considered by many to be the best of the turf grasses for its deep green, fine-textured blades and dense, spreading growth habit. Kentucky bluegrass is the species lawn owners most prize when they want to be the envy of the neighborhood. Kentucky bluegrass is best suited to lawns with loamy soils, full sun exposure, and caretakers who are willing to commit to large amount of maintenance in form of fertilizing and watering. It does not hold up to drought as well as other species and requires irrigation during hot, dry spells to keep it from going completely dormant.

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Preventing Moss In A Shady Lawn

Q: Parts of my lawn can be extremely soft when wet, and when I cut my grass recently I left deep ruts across the softer parts. This didn’t tear up the turf or anything, but the ruts are un-sightly. What can I do to repair this damage?

Chuck, Cordova, TN

A: Roger Cook replies: First, let’s talk about preventing further damage. The obvious advice don’t mow when your lawn is wet will not only prevent the rut problem but will give you a better cut too. If the lawn is wet so often that this regularly interferes with your mowing schedule, have a landscape contractor take a look. You probably have a drainage problem that needs attending to.

Now on to fixing the ruts. A lot of people tackle this the wrong way: by filling the ruts in with dirt and then seeding the area. But filling doesn’t relieve the compaction, and the new grass never quite blends with the surrounding turf.

The best way to fix ruts is to loosen the soil. For shallow ruts no more than a few inches deep, take a spade fork and sink it into the ground alongside the rut at a 45-degree angle. With the fork’s tines buried under the bottom of the rut, gently push down on the handle and lever the sod up about 1 or 2 inches above the surrounding area. Then remove the fork and let the sod settle over time to a level that’s even with the neighboring lawn.

What If The Grass Wont Come Back

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If the grass is already dead, you dont have any other way out, other than to replace the old lawn.

Start with removing the old lawn. You can use solarization or herbicides.

Solarization makes use of the suns heat to kill the old grass and cooking it. For you to get the most from the process, cover the entire lawn with clear plastic.

Herbicides kill roots, weeds, and grass. They can also harm you if you arent keen when using them.

For ideal results,; carefully read the instructions given on the label.

After;removing the old lawn, prepare the area for new grass, aerate the lawn, then apply compost on it.

The new lawn needs to be moist, but you should avoid applying too much water to it.

Water the lawn 5 minutes twice each morning for the first 2-3 weeks. You should water it once a day in the morning for 10-15 minutes until new grass shoots develop.

When the new shoots reach about 1 inch tall, spread a lawn fertilizer containing slow-release nitrogen.

The best way of;fertilizing the lawn;is by using the slow-release formula. This is to avoid burning off the grass before it can mature.

Its common to find some areas that dont have enough grass. In such a case, you dont have any other way out, other than to re-seed the lawn.

To save time, use sod instead of seeds. Purchase rolls of sod that fit the entire lawn area, unroll them, then water the lawn thoroughly. Water the sod daily to keep it moist for 2-3 weeks.

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Take Stock Of The Situation

Make sure your grass isnt simply dormant. Some grass types will go dormant and turn brown. Take a look at the crowns. Youll locate the crowns at the plants base. Grass blades grow from this whitish area.

Are the crowns healthy? If so, your grass is most likely dormant. On the other hand, discolored or dried out crowns mean your grass isnt going to turn green again.

Its time to put your DIY hat on after youve determined that youre dealing with dead grass.

How Do You Stop Grass From Growing In The Garden

Grasses may increase the beauty of your lawn, but over grasses can also destroy the beautiful view. You can easily get rid of this unwanted grass. Also, by applying some simple techniques, you can stop grass from growing. Lets see what can help you to prevent growing the grass.

  • Using herbicides can help you to stop growing the grass on the lawn. It will reduce the moisture of the soil, and you can easily get rid of the grass.
  • When you use the chemical spray, it will quickly kill the grass and other plants.
  • Salt is another ingredient that naturally kills the grass from growing in the garden.
  • If you want to stop growing grasses on the lawn or any yard, you can apply the salt and hot water mixture on the ground.
  • Pouring the hot water like boiling water will also kill the roots and stop the grass from growing.
  • You can also use the vinegar as this is one of the cheapest ingredients that helps to stop growing grass.

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The Best Way To Repair A Lumpy Lawn That Has A Few Bumps

It is actually quite simple to fix lumpy grass issues and prevent them from reoccurring if you have a green thick and healthy lawn. A comprehensive lawn care program will do this for you, make sure that it includes:

  • high-end nutrition components that thicken and fortify your grass plants,
  • regular aeration to loosen the soil and lessen heaving,
  • overseeeding to thicken the lawn and create a stronger more pest-resistant lawn,
  • and proactive insect control for Grubs and Chinch bugs.

Spring is the best AND worst time for people worried about how to fix a lumpy lawn. The ground is soft and the grass grows quickly to cover any repairs, but snowmelt-saturated soil plus traffic on your lawn add up to new bumps.; You can read more in our April checklist. There are tips to avoiding creating ruts from lawn mower wheels when you mow the lawn in our lawn cutting tips section as well.

Can You Resod A Dead Lawn

Help me identify what is wrong with my grass

There is no way to revive dead grass, but you can lay new sod to grow your landscape again from scratch. If you notice brown, bare, or thinning areas in your lawn, these are clear signs that you need to sow new seed or replace the sod. It is best to remove old and dead grass before planting a new lawn, but in some cases you are able to sow new seed over an existing lawn. Always identify the cause of dying grass before laying down new sod, otherwise, you will just end up with another yard full of dying grass. Contact a professional lawn care service to test your soil. This will let you know if the dying grass is due to poor soil quality, pests, diseases, or simply poor lawn care.

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Brown Grass Burns Stripes More

Spring Lawn Stripes

Q: Every summer, when things begin to dry out, we get three brown stripes in our lawn. I’m guessing that these are the leach lines to the septic system. Is there anything we can do to prevent this from happening

George, Xenia, Ohio

A: Roger Cook replies: You’re probably right about what’s causing the stripes, but just to make sure, get a copy of the septic plan and see if the lines correspond to it. The plans might be with the deed for your house, or at your board of health or building department. If the stripes line up with the pipes, the field probably has too much stone or sand too close to the surface, which would cause the ground to dry out too quickly. There should be about 3 to 6 inches of stone or sand above the drain field pipes, with 6 to 12 inches of topsoil above that. Poke around gently with a shovel to see how deep the soil goes.

Now, if the septic field doesn’t correspond to the brown areas, ask a local utility for the name of your local “one-call” center, which will come out and mark the location of all buried water, gas, or telephone lines. Once you know where it’s safe to dig, dig down and see what’s causing the area to dry out. You’ll probably find sand, stone, or just compacted soil, but I’ve uncovered asphalt walkways buried under the grass.

When To Start Over

If you’ve properly diagnosed your lawn problems, initiated the steps for regrowth, and still see no life in all or even part of your lawn within one month, it may be time to consider a complete revitalization. You can tell if your grass is dead by conducting a tug test. Grab a handful of brown grass and give a tug — if it pulls out without resistance, it is dead.

You have two options when your grass is dead. You can start over again with fresh seed or even sod if you are in a hurry. Be sure to plant only grass that will do well in your growing zone. If you do not have this information, check with your local Cooperative Extension Office.

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Causes Of Grass Dying

Below are the major causes of dead grass:

  • Poor preparation and installation:;Properly preparing the area and installing new grass is much more than spreading seed or laying sod over the area and if done incorrectly, seed and sod wont properly grow and can eventually die.
  • Cultural Practices:;Keeping your lawn green and happy involves properly watering, feeding and mowing at the proper height for the particular grass you are growing. In the turfgrass industry, these are called cultural practices.; When not correctly carried out, any of them can lead to your turfs demise.
  • Grass Type:;Make sure the grass you are growing is hardy in your particular climate and grows in the light conditions present in your yard. Planting grass that prefers a sunny location in the shade, or using grass not hardy in your area of the country leads to its eventual death.
  • Pests and Diseases:;Various pests and diseases affect turfgrass, leading to a weakened state and possible death. You can take a sample of the affected turf to your local garden store for diagnosis or contact your local county Extension Office. Its imperative to treat the pest or disease problem before installing new grass in the area.

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