Anyone with a house and a yard may come to dread the horrid spots of dead grass that happens to conveniently appear out of nowhere. Even in an attempt to maintain a beautiful lawn, these brown spots can appear due to several factors such as a lack of water, too much water, insects, over fertilization and tons of weeds. These nasty looking patches of grass can make your entire yard look bad. However, they are easy to repair and the results can be seen within a few weeks. I had a problem with an abundance of dead grass in my yard at one point, but with a few tips from professionals, neighbors, as well as my own trial and error approach, I was able to rid my yard of those horrid patches.
There are a few things that you will need in order to patch up that dead grass. You will need grass seeds – your quantity should be based on the amount of dead grass you have – and peat moss. You will also need a leaf and metal rake as well. Some people use spreaders, so that is also an option.
The fall season is the best time for reseeding your lawn because there are no weeds growing to compete for the weeds nutrients. You can also reseed in the spring as well. If you must reseed in the summer, you will need plenty of moisture and shade. Before buying your seeds, make sure you speak with a professional or associate at your local garden center to ensure that you choose the correct type of seed for your area of the country. You can buy some seeds based on whether your yard is in a sunny or shady area.
There are several reasons why grass dies. Too much water or lack of water can cause your grass wilt, leaving brown patches. A sign of lack of water is that the ground will be unleveled or sloped. You can add soil to unleveled area, but there isn’t much that can be done to an area that is sloped but to keep it moist. Just make sure that it isn’t too much.
When mowing your lawn, make sure that you have a bag on your mower to catch the grass clippings. Dead grass clippings will smother growing grass, preventing the soil the air and nutrients it needs. A mulching Lawn Mower is much safer for your lawn, because the grass clippings are much smaller and will just dissolve into your soil.
While most people will soak there grass with fertilizer hoping that there grass will grow green and in abundance, it is an immediate killer as well. If this happens, you will have to wait until it decomposes. Make sure that your spreader is set to the level that the fertilizer instructions indicate.
Most lawns are populated by weeds, weeds, and more weeds. Sometimes, too many weeds, and crabgrass in your yard and you may have to replace the entire lawn. If that is not the case, you can kill most weeds with weed killer. The best time to do this is in the spring time.
Once you solved the mystery as to why your grass was dying, it is time to prepare to remove the dead grass. Make sure that you mow all the grass surrounding the dead brown patch. This is so the seeds can reach the soil. Then with a metal rake, scrape away all of the dead grass and loosen the ground about 3″ to 4″ so the seeds can grow better. Use a leaf rake to smooth the soil. Spread the seeds with a hand held spreader with small patches. A broadcast spreader should be used for larger areas. Lightly cover the seeds up with the soil by using the leaf rake. The seeds need shade to grow. Use either straw or peat moss to cover up the area. Water the area three times a day. Once the seeds begin to sprout, you should water the area only once a day. Once the grass reaches about an inch, lightly fertilize the area. Mow the area once the grass has grown to at least three inches.
