Have you ever looked at your lawn and thought “how did my grass die like this?” Even though your grass might be brown, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dead. Here is how you can tell if your grass is dead or just dormant.
What is Dormancy?
Dormancy is a period of time when grass is not in an active growth phase. Warm-season grass will go into a dormant phase when extremely cold weather arrives. The grass will technically die naturally, but will grow back when warm weather and proper watering occurs. Cool-season grasses will go dormant to protect itself when it becomes too hot and it receives too little water. Dormancy is nothing to worry about as it a natural protection mechanism to prevent it from fully dying.
Dead Grass
When grass becomes dormant to protect itself from freezing temperatures, it can be hard to tell the difference between dormant and dead grass. It is extremely hard to tell if your grass has died during its dormancy during the winter and you may have to wait and see if it becomes green again in the spring. However, in the summer you can continue watering it to see if it comes out of its dormancy.
Solution for Dead Grass and Dormancy
To prevent your grass from ever dying, make sure it is properly watered, seeded, and cut throughout the year. In order to prevent your grass from becoming dormant, consider seeding your lawn with a mixture of cold and warm-season grass seeds. Doing this will allow your lawn to remain green all year round (as long as you continue to maintain it).
Seeing brown grass on your property doesn’t always mean it’s dead.
Turf Unlimited is a full service lawn care provider, offering a wide variety of lawn care, fertilization, and pest and weed control services to the Massachusetts or New Hampshire area. For more information about our services call 888-649-9919 and schedule your free, in-home estimate today.
