Here in Wisconsin we’re still suffering through the dog days of summer. And we’ve noticed plenty of dead lawns while we’ve been out and about installing fences.
Nobody wants a dead lawn, so I thought I’d take just a few minutes to talk about what you should do if you’re facing down a dry, dead, brown lawn.
Is it Really Dead?
The first thing you have to determine is whether or not your lawn is really dead. It may have just gone dormant.
You’ll have to get up close and personal with your yard at this point. Bend down and inspect the grass at the soil level. You’re looking for green at the crown and healthy white or off-white roots under the soil. If you see them, your lawn is not dead. It has just gone dormant.
If everything is brown then your lawn is dead.
Lawn is Dead
Time to re-sod. Fall is a good time to get this done anwyay.
Lawn is Dormant
Resist the urge to do a lot of watering. Your lawn is going dormant to survive the hot weather. Watering it can tax city water supplies while derailing your lawn’s ability to stay alive.
Instead, help your lawn along by doing a little basic housekeeping.
Remove excess organic matter from your lawn with a dethatching tool. Then, use an aerating tool to punch holes in your yard. Those holes will help any moisture reach the roots of the grass directly, which will in turn help you keep your lawn alive.
Finally, stay off the lawn as much as you can. This will avoid stressing your grass any further.
The dog days of summer will be over soon enough, and autumn should bring enough rain to provide some relief soon. Until then, do what you can to keep your lawn happy!
We install custom-built fences in Mequon, Fox Point, and the rest of the Milwaukee metro area. We keep building right on through the fall and into the winter, so call us for a free estimate today.
