How to help your grass recover quickly
While you can’t bring the dead back to life, you can help your lawn recover and grow quickly. Dying or nearly dead grass can be easy to save if you can identify the problem.
You can help your lawn recover quickly by aerating, fertilizing, watering and mowing properly. Still, the best way to keep your yard lush is to take proactive steps like strategically aerating and fertilizing. This keeps your grass looking good longer and helps it grow healthier.
Why did your grass die?
To keep your grass in prime condition in the long run, you need to figure out what killed it in the first place. Common offenders include animals, bad weather and under- or overwatering.
While it isn’t vital to determine why your grass died, it helps you concentrate your efforts. For example, putting animal traps out will do no good if the brown patches in your lawn are actually caused by overwatering.
To determine why your grass died, take a closer look at it. Is it dead only in a patch? Are the tips yellow but the bases green?
Dying grass is usually a symptom of a larger problem. Once you’ve figured out the most likely explanation, you can easily take steps to fix it.
Save your grass before it dies
If your grass isn’t dead yet but it’s yellowing, you can save it before it dies. To do this, you must identify the problem.
Most often, gradual yellowing is due to drought and underwatering. In this case, simply water the grass regularly. If you aren’t sure what the problem is, consult your local extension agent or a master gardener.
If just the tips of the grass are yellow and dying, it could be a problem with your mower. Sharpen or replace the blades to get a clean cut.
How to revitalize your grass
If a patch of your grass has fully died, there are a number of steps you can take to revitalize it, namely aerating, fertilizing, watering and mowing properly.
Aerate your lawn
Aeration is often overlooked, but it helps improve growth in healthy lawns as well as recovering grass.
Aeration is the process of introducing air to the soil. This allows plant roots to breathe and access nutrients and water more easily. It also helps with moisture management.
You should aerate your lawn at least once a year, but you can do it more often. If you have a thick lawn, aerating once in spring and again in fall is ideal.
If you find yourself aerating more than twice a year, there’s likely a different problem, like thatch. Aeration is different from dethatching a yard but helps minimize thatch buildup.
Don’t aerate your lawn if it’s dormant. Spring is the best time of year to aerate lawns since it gives them time to grow and recover for peak season.
Aeration shoes are one of the most common methods for aerating lawns. While they take some time and effort, they’re very effective and easy to use.
Another common way to aerate a lawn is by using a mechanical aerator. This method is less time-consuming but can be expensive.
Fertilize strategically
Fertilizing is a proactive way to save your lawn. If it isn’t winter, you can fertilize to revitalize your yard, but by strategically fertilizing your lawn, you can help it survive damage.
If it’s already winter and your lawn is completely yellow, save your resources. Instead of trying to apply fertilizer to a dormant lawn, do so in the spring. If you apply fertilizer out of season, it could spur new growth and further damage your lawn.
Instead, apply fertilizer in spring or fall. While you can apply fertilizer in winter, it’s best for maintaining a yard, not revitalizing it.
By fertilizing in spring, you ensure your lawn will quickly bounce back from dormancy. It also helps the grass grow thicker and healthier.
Fertilizing the grass in fall helps prepare it for the upcoming winter. While feeding is not a guarantee the lawn will be green through winter, it helps. Likewise, top-dressing in fall helps keep the yard healthy and recover in spring.
Fertilizing helps your grass thrive during peak season — it’s a smart idea to fertilize your lawn even if it’s doing well.
Water properly
Underwatering is a common problem, but overwatering can be just as damaging to lawns. Proper moisture management is key.
Adjust your watering schedule according to the weather. If you’re expecting rain, turn your sprinklers off to avoid overwatering. Conversely, water more during hot, dry weather.
When possible, water your lawn in the morning. This allows for proper dissipation and maximizes absorption.
By watering properly, you minimize the potential for fungal growth. For example, brown patch is a common disease caused by Rhizoctonia fungus. It appears as a large brown patch in the lawn and is often caused by overwatering.
While not necessary, it’s helpful to know what kind of grass you’re growing. Water requirements are different depending on the variety.
Check your lawn mower
If the tips of your grass look ragged and yellow shortly after you’ve mowed, check your mower. Dull blades result in torn, unhealthy grass and can promote thatch. This is easy to fix by sharpening or replacing the mower blades.
After 25 hours of use, you should consider sharpening your blades. Bent and cracked blades can also be dangerous and should be replaced.
If you have a large yard or mow often, buy multiple replacement blades at one time to save both money and time.
For more information on lawn mowers, check out the full buying guide on BestReviews.
Jackalyn Beck is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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