Help! My grass is turning brown!

[Annette]

I tried google searching about this but couldn't find anything, so I figured I ask here. Its been really hot here in TX for the last month or so and we haven't had any rain. I've been watering the grass once a week and now its got dry brown areas. Is the grass dead? Any hope of reviving it and making it green again? Will fertilizer work? How much should I increase the waterings by? Thanks!

[shopaholic]

The grass at my place is now straw...but its not my responsibility, I live in an apartment. It does look horrible though

[greenbunny]

Fertilizer on dead grass in hot weather will probably burn it. I wouldn't do that.

Cut down on the mowing, if you're still doing it. Leaving it longer helps it stay greener and not get baked by the sun so much.

I'm in PA and we're having record drought, but I'm guessing it isn't as hot as in Texas. To be honest, the amount I'd need to water to bring the grass back isn't worth the cost of the water to me. We've got about 3/4 of an acre, I'm not sure how much land you have. That's a decision you have make, assuming you pay for water like I do. If you have a public well or something, that would be different.

If you do decide to water, always do it after the sun is low, or early in the morning. Water droplets on the grass (or on any plant) during the day will magnify the sunlight and burn the plant. The easiest thing to do would be to use sprinklers overnight while you sleep.

[jennylou]

Grass will revive itself given plenty of water. That said, ours is going brown too...it's just the lack of rain here in Ohio.

[Kimberland30]

Same problem here, and we were disappointed because we tore out our old lawn and started from scratch in April. We haven't been keeping up with the watering/feeding, so we have a few brown patches.

Here's some tips that could help (this is what my DH did/is doing)...

Rake up the area where the bad grass is, reseed and cover with a thin layer of top soil.

If there is no rain, water your lawn in the evening for at least an hour...every night until the grass sprouts (approx. 10 days or so). Once you see new grass growing, add fertilizer to your lawn and water. From this point on you can water every other night or so.

We still have one area that is being stubborn, but we have a lot of new grass coming in.

When we first reseeded and were watering every morning and night, our water bill only went up by $25. We pay every other month, so it wasn't that much of a difference each month for the extra water we used. That all depends on how much your rates are too. We are in Virginia, so I'm sure it's different where you are.

Hope this helps!

[pacificbliss]

It's not as hot here as it is in Texas but it never rains and we are required by our lease to keep the lawn green. We water every day or every other day and have to aerate the soil.

[cyd_96]

Annette - how long are you watering for? You may need to water more frequently.

I'm watering about 2-3 times a week - 30 minutes in each spot. Even with that, the grass gets crunchy between waters - but perks up the day after.

We really need a raindance of some sort around here. It teased all week - and nothing!

[Annette]

We're currently watering every 3 days. The front yard looks ok. The backyard is pretty bad. The grass there got installed in April, so now I can see the sod lines again. I should call the company that installed it and ask them what I should do. I would hate for this grass to die. And now I'm seeing crabgrass sprout up and its too late for weed & feed. grrr.

[magrat]

I believe it only goes dormant when it's too dry, it doesn't actually die. ? Just be glad you don't have to mow and tell your neighbors you don't want to waste the water - almost all of it will just run off into the storm sewers anyway. That's what I'm doing :)

[vwinkel]

We are lucky and moved into a house with a sprinkler system (no need to move the sprinkers or hoses). We hired someone to fertilize our lawn in the Spring and he recommended watering the lawn once a week for 40 minutes for a deep watering. Our lawn is a deep green.

[Zelda Von Yitz]

IT'll grow again when there is rain.

Six years back when we had the bad drought, same thing here: everyone's grass turned brown. After the drought broke and we had rain, everything was fine again.:D

[Annette]

We finally had some rain today!!! The grass looks like its improving. I am still dreading the water bill.