How To Fix Dry Grass Spots

What Causes Dry Spots on Grass?

Urine Burns from Pets

Fertiliser Burns

Pests

Hot & Dry Weather

Lack of Proper Lawn Care

Steps to Fix Dry Grass Spots

Step 1: Aeration

Step 2: Wetting Agent

Step 3: Stimulation

Say Goodbye to Dry Grass Spots

Fixing Grass Dry Spots

Dry Grass spots, also known as dry patches, can affect the health and beauty of your lawn.

If you don’t take care of it, in time, your green, beautiful lawn will soon look like a Dalmatian dog. While this is lovely on Dalmations, it’s not what you want in a lawn.

There are many reasons why dry grass spots might appear on your lawn.

When you start seeing dry grass spots in your garden, the best solution is to get rid of them as soon as possible so they don’t get any worse.

However, depending on how severe the problem is, it might take weeks or even months. Are you noticing dry grass spots on your lawn? If so, let’s fix them!

What Causes Dry Spots on Grass?

Before we dig any further, it’s crucial to understand the root cause of the problem. There are many reasons why dry grass might appear on your lawn.

It could be because the soil underneath the grass is drying out and becoming compacted.

Or it could be due to pet urine, hot weather, too much lawn fertiliser, fungal attacks on grassroots, or other lawn diseases.

Urine Burns from Pets

People with pets might have noticed discolouration or dry grass in their garden. The pets’ urine generally causes dry patches as they contain a high nitrogen level.

Excessive nitrogen shortly after fertilising the lawn can burn the grass by scorching the plant tissue.

If a pet’s urine is the culprit for the dry grass, Dog Rocks might help you solve the problem.

Most lawn owners claim that when you place these rocks in the pet’s drinking water, they supposedly reduce the problem of yellow grass by removing nitrates from pets’ urine.

Fertiliser Burns

We all have heard the saying, “Too much of something is bad for you”. The same principle applies to your grass. Give your grass the amount of fertiliser it needs, and it grows. But give it too much, it’ll burn to death.

When you use too much fertiliser, the fertiliser concentrated salts can draw excess moisture from the root system causing the grass to turn yellow, wilt, or even die.

The best thing you can do to tackle fertiliser burn is to water the affected area every day for a week or two to fully flush out the salt.

Even if you don’t see dry patches make sure to give your lawn a deep watering after every fertilisation.

Pests

Pests are another cause of brown patches on your lawn. Pests and insects like Chafer Grubs or Leatherjackets and even fungal diseases like Fusarium Patch, Dollar spot, and Pink Patch can lead to your lawn having dead patches.

If pests are the culprit behind the dead spots, treating your lawn with a pesticide is a great option. Pesticides can be harmful if you can’t handle them well.

Hiring a professional could be a better option because they know how to deal and how much to use in a particular area.

Hot & Dry Weather

Hot and dry weather is another leading cause of dead spots on your lawn. During summer months, too much heat exposure can dry out your lawn.

While the grass shoots turn brown and die, the roots stay active, causing dry patches of grass on your lawn.

Make sure to water the lawn properly during dry seasons to stop the grass from drying out too much. Water is the most essential food your lawn needs in dry seasons.

By watering in the mornings, and with deeper soakings, you’re reducing evaporation and maximising water absorption.

By choosing a drought tolerant lawn variety, you minimise the risk of dry spots in your lawn due to water restrictions. You can also encourage drought tolerance in your existing lawn.

This is done by watering infrequently and thoroughly to encourage deep roots.

Lack of Proper Lawn Care

If you don’t take care of your lawn, the turf can go brown due to compact grass caused by heavy traffic. As the grass keeps getting compacted a thatch layer will be built up.

This thatch layer stops the water and other nutrients from reaching the roots. As a result, the soil starts to dry and the grass turns brown.

Make sure you mow, fertilise, top dress, dethatch and remove any unwanted weeds from the lawn.

It doesn’t matter whether you hire a professional or you do the caring yourself, you should give your lawn the care it requires.

Steps to Fix Dry Grass Spots

Follow this step-by-step process to fix your dry grass spots.

Step 1: Aeration

The first step to treating dry spots is to aerate your lawn. Aeration basically means creating small holes in your lawn to allow air, water, and other nutrition to get into the soil for the roots to absorb it properly.

When the soil is too compact, the grass can get damaged as it reduces the amount of air, water, and nutrients absorbed by the roots.

You can aerate the lawn using a garden fork, aerator sandals, or other aerating equipment. The goal is to de-compact the soil for the water, air, and nutrients to penetrate the soil.

If the soil is too hard and dry, aeration might be a little difficult, so consider watering your lawn to soften up the ground underneath.

Step 2: Wetting Agent

Now, the second step is to apply a wetting agent to the dry patches. You can either get the wetting agent in liquid or granular form.

They are basically used to assist water in getting absorbed into the soil.

Applying a wetting agent also helps the soil to hold water for longer periods. After applying the wetting agent into your soil, thoroughly irrigate the dry patches and the applied area.

Step 3: Stimulation

After aerating the soil and applying the wetting agent, you must stimulate your turf to self-repair and cover the dry patch.

You can stimulate the soil by using an NPK fertiliser or any other alternative on the entire lawn, mainly focusing on the dead grass.

Once you fertilise the soil, make sure to water the lawn to ensure the fertiliser granules penetrate the soil adequately.

Water the fertiliser in thoroughly once it has been applied.

Say Goodbye To Dry Grass Spots

A healthy lawn is a sign of pure dedication and effort. Don’t expect to get a beautiful greenish lawn without putting in any effort and investment.

If you have a lawn you would have surely seen dry patches at least once in your lifetime. You know how unattractive they look. But, starting today you know what to do when you see dry grass.

If you follow the steps to treat dry spots by aerating, applying a wetting agent, and stimulating, you will be able to fix any type of dry patch on your turf.

But remember, fixing dry patches on your turf can take a long time depending on the extent of the damages. Don’t expect it to get greener overnight.

Treating it with a wetting agent will generally take months, and sometimes, the fix isn’t guaranteed. As they say, prevention is the best medicine. Making regular lawn care the best way to avoid dry spots in the future.