Repairing A Hard Lawn
Some soil types, including those with a clay base, are more likely to become hard and compacted. In minor cases, aeration once a year can be enough to fix the problem.
More severe cases might require more extreme measures, such as lawn coring or cultivating the lawn with a rotary hoe.
If youre not sure about the best way to repair hard spots in your lawn, read our article How to repair a hard lawn.
Best Ways To Dry Up A Wet Yard
What’s Inside:
Having a water logged lawn can be super frustrating, but do you know whats more frustrating?
Not knowing how to get rid of the water permanently.
Luckily for you, your lawn doesnt have to be the next Atlantis, as we have several solutions to help you deal with wet areas in your yard.
Some of these tested and proven methods are so simple that you can implement them on your own, and they are effective enough to get rid of a soggy yard for good:
How Do You Fix Dry Cracking Soil
Dry cracking soil is a common problem in many lawns. It occurs when the soil surface dries, resulting in a hard crusty layer that can damage grass blades and root systems. This condition often appears following a drought or at times of the year when temperatures are high, humidity is low, and watering schedules have been suspended.
The good news is that dry, cracked soil is a pretty easy problem to solve. Of course, the ideal time to apply a soil amendment is just before or immediately after a rain, but if its too late for that, no worries. Just give your lawn an extra-good watering before you spread the topping. Doing so provides the material with the best chance of being absorbed into the soil.
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How Do I Fix Them
These seven easy steps will help you restore your lawn to its original condition:
Whatever the reason for your dry grass, follow these steps to restore your lawn. But before fixing these trouble areas, its important to know why they occurred. You wouldnt replace wet carpet without fixing the hole in the roof. The same logic holds true here. Remember, dry grass is only a symptom of the underlying problem that created it. Youll want to correct those problems first. Otherwise, the same dry grass will return.
How To Revive Dead Grass
Have you been looking out at your lawn lately, thinking that its looking a little dried up? Or maybe even dead? If you have some sad-looking grass, never fear! There are ways to revitalise your lawn .
Want to get your lawn back to looking happy and healthy? Find out more about how to revive dead grass below!
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Planting New Grass And Reviving A Dead Lawn
There are two ways of planting new grass and reviving a dead lawn. The first is to lay down seed. Use a high-quality grass seed and spread it evenly over your prepared lawn. For a larger lawn, you can rent seed spreaders from your local garden store. After the seed is laid down, cover it with a thin layer of soil.
The second method is to lay down sod. Sod is grass that is already growing and comes in rolls or squares with the roots and soil attached. To lay down sod, place it over the soil, making sure each section is set tightly against the one next to it to avoid empty patches. If you are only filling in dead spots, you can use plugs to fill in wherever you need new grass.
Whether you use seed or sod, follow up planting by rolling. Rolling sod helps press it down into the soil so the roots can attach to the ground. Rolling seed helps push the seed down into the earth so it can take root and grow strong.
How To Bring Your Lawn Back To Life In 5 Simple Steps
Does your lawn look dead and dying or filled with brown grass instead of green? Don’t give up hope quite yet. Chances are there’s still life in that “dead” lawnit’s just calling out for help. You can answer its cry and restore your lawn to lush, living beauty with all-in-one Pennington Lawn Booster and these five easy steps:
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Pump The Water From Your Yard
Electric pumps are the best solution if youre in a hurry to dry up and use your yard.
However, you need to observe caution and ensure the pump cables dont come in contact with water to avoid electrocution and property damage.
When using an electric utility pump you will want to:
- Place the pump on the low spots in your yard where the water has collected and attach one end of a hose to it.
- Put the other end of the hose in a dry well or a storm drain where you want the water to go.
- Once you turn on the pump, youll notice water flowing, and depending on the size of your yard and the amount of water in it, you should expect it to clear out in a few minutes to hours depending on how much standing water you have.
Alternatively, if youre uncomfortable using an electric pump, or dont have one one hand, you could drain water from your yard using a hose alone.
This method will only work well if there is a lot of standing water. If you simply have a soggy or muddy lawn its best to use one of the methods above.
Although it might not work as fast as the electric pump, it still gets the job done:
- Coil the hose and submerge it into the water while covering the other end of the hose tightly with your palm.
- Youll notice the bubbles forming, and when they stop, it means the pipe is filled with water and has a powerful suction.
- Head over to the dry well or a storm drain and release the other end you have been covering with your palm, and the water will start flowing.
Tips To Fix A Muddy Lawn Faster:
A muddy lawn can be an absolute nuisance for any homeowner. Its not only unsightly its also unhealthy since the soil in your yard ends up becoming compacted. Muddy lawns can be caused by several different things, such as excessive rain and over-fertilization. But one of the most common causes is mud tracked in from elsewhere on the property.
Below youll find some tips to help get rid of that muddy, brown lawn and turn it green again:
1) Vacuum off as much mud as possible. A wet/dry vacuum works best since it can pick up both dry and wet materials. If you dont have a wet/dry vacuum available, try to find any other kind of vacuum and suck up all the excess dirt.
2) Spread grass seed on your lawn and water it thoroughly. You can purchase grass seed at most home and garden stores.
3) Spread a thin layer of topsoil on your lawn to help cover up the dead grass. Topsoil can also be purchased at home and garden centers as well as some hardware stores.
4) Add fertilizer to replenish nutrients that were washed away during all those rainstorms. Again, any fertilizer will work, but you may want to talk with a professional lawn care specialist before applying it.
5) Mow your lawn regularly and water throughout the summer to keep it from drying out. This is especially important during periods of drought since grass needs plenty of water to grow back in thick and healthy again.
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How To Build Up Your Turf
Maybe the problem with your lawn isnt just a few dead patches, but instead is weak, thin grass throughout the lawn. In that case, apply a fertilizer product for thick, green grass. A single application with a spreader distributes the seed, fertilizer and soil improver that will improve your turf.
Whether you need the right planters, seeds or potting soil, The Home Depot delivers online orders when and where you need them.
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Repairing Patches And Dead Spots
Bare patches in your lawn can be caused by any number of things: from common lawn pests, lawn disease and drought to wear and tear from boisterous kids and pets.
Regardless of why they appeared, these spots offer an open invitation to weeds which will cause an even bigger problem if theyre allowed to take hold.
Early to late summer is the best time to repair bare patches because thats when the new lawn will establish quickest.
Patches in your lawn can be repaired with new turf or seed, depending on which type of grass you want to use.
Either way, youll need to prepare the patch by removing all dead lawn or weeds and gently digging into the soil to loosen it up. This will give new plants the best chance of establishment.
Water new grass regularly in hot, windy or dry weather it might need a drink several times a day to give it the best chance of survival.
Note: Most modern Buffalo grasses wont reproduce from seed. Depending on how big an area needs repairing, you might choose to buy a few rolls or slabs of Buffalo Grass from one of our myhomeTURF suppliers.
If youre trying to save money and are in no rush, you might opt for Buffalo Grass plugs or runners.
Specialist growers sell trays of plugs individual Buffalo Grass plants which can be planted into prepared soil.
Runners also need to be planted out individually in trenches. This must be done as soon as possible after theyve been removed from the original spot to prevent the roots from drying out and dying.
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Do Not Neglect Dead Patches
Hoping for the best once the rains have started may well cause you a lot more work in the future. Some dead areas may remain dead with an unsightly matt of brown grey grass which will not decay and thus prevents grass growing back in. Yet other areas where the grass is thin or bare are a target area for weeds, weed grasses and moss. Once established they create even more work so you need to repair all areas with your chosen grass seed before problem plants take over. A stitch in time saves nine is a very apt expression in this case.
How Can I Tell If My Grass Is Dormant Or Dead
One way to determine if grass is dormant or dead is by tugging on the grass plants. If the plants pull out from the ground easily, theyre probably dead. If the roots hold fast when pulled, the plants are dormant. You will also see the difference when you start to water or when rain returns as moisture will revive brown grass. However, it will not bring dead grass plants back to life.
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How To Repair A Lawn
Youve put a lot of effort into your lawn, but it doesnt look as good as it should.
Before you become disheartened, look at this checklist to see if theres something else you can do to bring it back to its full glory.
Remember that any lawn repair is best done in spring or summer depending on the climate in your area when the lawn is actively growing.
Aerate The Soil And Apply A Wetting Agent To Help The Soil Absorb Water
First, scarify your lawn to remove and excess thatch. If the soil is water repellent then scarify deeply. The removal of thatch will take away the food source of the fungi that caused the soil to become hydrophobic in the first place. It will also aid in the recovery.
Then, spike the affected areas of lawn densely and to a depth of 3-4 inches with a garden fork.
And lastly, apply a wetting agent like The Lawnsmiths Yucca Wetting Agent.
Whats a Wetting Agent?
A wetting agent essentially makes water wetter by breaking its surface tension. This means water droplets spread far more thinly and as a result, the water can more easily penetrate the soil profile.
Chances are, youll re-apply the wetting agent once a month for 3-5 months before you see a recovery.
If that doesnt work, or you want to fix the problem as quickly as possible
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Dont Just Apply More Fertilizer
Similar to watering, a lot of homeowners are inclined to throw down extra fertilizer assuming this will solve how to turn brown grass green. Actually, we find that a lot of homeowners believe the more fertilizer added to their lawn, the better.
The truth is, most summer lawn diseases are actually aggravated by too much quick release nitrogen fertilizer. If youve unknowingly hired a lawn care company that uses quick-release nitrogen fertilizer , and your lawn is struggling with turf disease, it could make it a lot worse.
The Mud Can Find Its Way Into Your House
One of the biggest problems is the muddy footprints that you might see around your house. Most people like to keep their houses as clean as possible.
If you have a dog or children who like to play outdoors, you should know that its only a matter of time before the mud makes its way into your house.
The mud is likely to get stuck on the underside of your kids shoes, and the dog is definitely going to get its paws dirty. Before you know it, you will see these muddy footprints all over your house. Within a little while, the mud will begin to cake, and then itll be really hard for you to get off.
Its a lot of hassle for a bit of negligence, anyway. You will be cleaning your house after every few hours, and even if you keep a mat outdoors to try and limit the amount of mud that finds its way inside the house, you should know that it wont take long before the entire mat gets dirty as well.
Dogs love to play in the mud, and if you give them a patch right outside your house, it wont be long before the animal is completely dirty. Its going to be an amazing time for your dog, but cleaning up and bathing the animal is certainly not going to be easy for you.
Simply put, most people do not have the energy or the time to clean their dogs after every few days, so the best solution is to resolve the problem completely.
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Aerating The Lawn To Relieve Soil Compaction
Hard, compact soil can prevent water from penetrating it. Which in turn can cause brown patches in parts of your lawn. Especially areas that are used heavily like around kids goalposts, along the washing line or areas that you walk on regularly.
Aerating your lawn via spiking will allow water to more easily penetrate the soil, as well as oxygen and other nutrients.
Hollow tine aeration removes cores of turf from the lawn. This relieves compaction by allowing the soil particles to relax and separate from each other and move into space you created by removing the cores of turf.
This separation of particles means water can work its way in the soil profile much more easily.
Read: Aerating a Lawn: Why, When and How
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.
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Determine If Your Grass Dead Or Dormant
Determining whether your grass is actually dead or just dormant is important because it dictates what your next steps should be. If it is salvageable, you can save time, money, and a lot of work by restoring it rather than starting all over. If not, no harm no foul.
Try these tests to see if you have a dead lawn or a dormant lawn.
It Might Damage The Plants
If you have any plants growing out in your yard, you should know that the excessive mud and waterlogged soil is probably going to kill them over time. Most plants do not like waterlogged soil, and it doesnt take very long for root rot to set in.
If you dont take action quickly to drain the water and resolve the problem, you are probably looking at a lot of work.
The plants will start to wither and wilt and it wont be long before they completely die off. Needless to say, the muddy yard is a serious issue, and you need to deal with it as quickly as you can.
While a muddy yard is a big problem, you should know that its not impossible to deal with. There are a bunch of different methods that you can try to fix the problem, and in the following paragraphs, we shall talk about the most common ones.
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