The Winter months can wreak havoc on your lawn. The same goes for Summer, but Winter can be worse. How can you tell if your grass died? Most people just figure it’s not dead, it’s just brown because of winter. However, this is not always true.
Indicators that your grass died
It comes out of the ground too easily.
A good way to determine if your grass is dead is to reach down, grab a hand full. If it comes out easily, without a struggle, then it is dead. Another way to tell is if most of your lawn is starting to turn green but some spots not. Some grasses go dormant during different seasons, so they will appear dead when they are not. Excessive heat, or not enough water will turn your grass brown, so do the first “tug” step, then go from there.
What to do if your grass is dead
So, what do you do, when you have determined your grass is dead? This requires a decision on your part. Is it an area that always has troubles? Perhaps there is a beautiful tree that shades it too much? If so, you make want to make a shade flower garden, perhaps make it a stone garden area, or install artificial turf.
If none of those previous suggestions are viable, then it is time to get to work on new grass. You will need to aerate the dead grass area. Some people use their gold shoes for this. Pull a metal rake across to release the dead grass, and keep other live grass still in. It also helps loosen up the soil to take in the new seeds, which s the next step.
Add decomposer or hay, which is widely the choice, then water. As it starts to grown, you can gently remove the hay, and keep watering. If you are looking for a quick fix, sod is an option but can get expensive. If you don’t do the steps mentioned to start seed, you may have to start all over. You will not need hay over sod though, but you will have to water thoroughly. If all of this seems too complicated, just hire a professional, and be done!
