Terri Ramsey Beavers We all want our lawns to look green and verdant year-round. But, in most parts of the country, that’s hard to achieve. It’s either too hot, too cold, or there are problems with the soil.
Fortunately, solving brown lawn issues is easy, once you know what to do. Here’s the low-down:
You’re Overdoing The Fertilizer
Most backyard soils have sufficient nutrients to keep lawns looking healthy, year after year. However, many owners insist on adding fertilizer in the hope that it will give them better results.
Unfortunately, the opposite can happen. Adding excess fertilizer leads to fertilizer burn which can cause brown spots to appear in as little as two days. The issue is the addition of too much salt to the grass which causes it to dry out and disrupts water balance.
To beat the burn, water the grass thoroughly to wash out the excess salt. Make sure that you saturate the soil thoroughly so that the water penetrates all the way down to the roots. Repeat the process daily for the next seven days.
You’re Failing To Weed Your Lawn Regularly
Weeds can also massively disrupt your lawn and prevent it from looking its best. Stronger plants can sometimes get a foothold, competing with grass for nutrients and water, and, in many cases, beating it.
The trick here is to use a selective herbicide that kills weeds but keeps grass unchanged. If you can’t source a product that works, buy a conventional herbicide, but only apply it to the weeds in your garden, leaving the grass undisturbed. Weeds should die down to the roots, freeing up space for grass to flourish.
Trees Are Outcompeting Your Lawn
Take a look at the grass close to trees that encircle your lawn. If you do, you’ll notice something: it often looks less vibrant than the grass in the center. In some cases, it is completely absent.
Here, you have two options. You can either improve your lawn irrigation, or you can remove the tree. Remember, as long as there are trees next to your lawn, they will compete with the grass for water and nutrients.
Your Soil’s pH Balance Is Out Of Whack
Sometimes soil can become too alkaline or acidic and develop an iron deficiency that affects the ability of grass to grow. In some cases, brown patches develop, making your lawn look less than its best.
To check if you have a pH issue, you can buy soil testing kits. These will tell you if the soil is balanced for your grass, or if you need to apply restorative chemicals to bring it back to neutral.
You Are Living Through A Drought
Summer heat combined with low rainfall dry out grass and make it look brown. If rains fail for more than a couple of weeks, grass will attempt to conserve water and energy by abandoning the above-soil part of the plant.
Fortunately, solving this problem is easy: just water more. To do it in an environmentally-friendly way, irrigate with rainwater.