Is My Lawn Dead? How to Tell & the Biggest Summer Mistakes

Is your lawn turning brown this summer? Before you assume it’s dead, there are a few things you need to check. Every July and August, we get questions from homeowners wondering what happened to their lawn. The grass was green and healthy a few weeks ago, and now it’s brown, dry and looking completely dead. But with cool-season grasses, brown doesn’t always mean dead. In many cases, the grass is simply responding to summer heat and drought by going dormant. In this episode of The Grass Guys Podcast, we’re breaking down how to tell the difference between dormant grass and truly dead grass, along with some of the other problems that can make a lawn look dead during the summer. We’ll talk about the simple tug test, how to check the crown of the plant, what happens when dormant grass gets water, and how to recognize patterns that could point to grubs, disease, drought stress, heat stress or soil compaction. We’ll also cover some of the biggest mistakes homeowners make when their lawn starts turning brown, including overwatering, applying fertilizer when the grass is severely stressed, mowing too short and spraying weeds when temperatures are too high. Most importantly, we’ll go over what you should actually be doing with your lawn right now and how to start preparing for fall. If you’re not happy with how your lawn handles the summer heat, now is also a good time to start thinking about what type of grass might be better suited for your lawn and your particular growing conditions. Today’s biggest takeaway is simple: brown doesn’t automatically mean dead. Before you spend money on fertilizer, fungicides or a complete lawn renovation, take some time to figure out what’s actually happening. The Grass Guys Podcast covers DIY lawn care, cool-season grass, mowing, fertilizing, watering, weed control, lawn disease, lawn renovation and everything else that goes into growing a great lawn. Big League Lawns CheckMate Striping Kit: Use code GRASSGUYS15 for 15% off your order. If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to subscribe and let us know in the comments what your lawn looks like right now. Is it brown, dormant, or do you think something else is going on? #LawnCare #SummerLawnCare #BrownLawn #CoolSeasonGrass #LawnCareTips #DIYLawnCare #LawnRenovation #GrassGuys