Dead Lawn
Some reasons why a lawn appears to be dead. You could waste an entire season trying things that don't work. Why not call in the expert, save time, money and have an instant diagnosis and solution. |
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Draught, Grubs, Weed Killer, Lawn Care, Grass Type, Fertiliser. Any one of them could be a problem Draught will very quickly ( a few days) turn a cool season lawn brown and looking
dead. And once cool season grasses go brown - they are dead. This is not the case with warm season grasses which tend to turn
colour and never actually go brown, unless in cases of severe drought.
So just because you have a brown
lawn which looks brown and dead to the naked
eye it is not necessarily a dead lawn. Warm season grasses
can go into a dormant state in the middle of summer if starved of
water. A trained eye will determine whether the lawn is dead or
dormant. In this brown dormant state, the
"dead lawn" will
survive for about 6 weeks. During this time it is essential to keep heavy traffic
off the lawn. Once watered again, the dead lawn should revive and turn green within 10 - 14
days.
If drought is not the cause then suspect lawn pests or grubs
maybe at work.
Another possibility for a dead lawn is the use of the wrong concentration weed
killer, or the wrong type of lawn weed killer.
As opposed to brown patches, it is rare to have a completely dead
lawn (unless the lawn in made up of entirely cool season grasses) and for the entire lawn to
die. So it must be assumed that there is something environmentally common that is
affecting the lawn. The wrong mowing height coupled with early
fertilizsation could be the culprit.
Also the wrong mowing height coupled with a cold spell, or
drought could also
do considerable damage. For example a warm period in the
spring coupled with scarafing and fertilizing will encourage new growth.
Then a sudden cold spell could kill off the grass and produce a dead
lawn. This scenario is
not likely near the coast in the Mediterranean, but could happen at
higher altitudes inland.
Warm season grasses can go brown in the Winter, especially after
frost or a cold period. The entire lawn may not necessarily
look dead but certainly the more exposed areas. Consider overseeding
with a cool season grass to provide a green lawn through the Winter.
Cool season grasses will, within a few weeks of high
temperatures, die off when the
weather turns in the spring and the daytime temperatures exceed 20
degrees. Consider plugging with a warm season grass to provide a green lawn through the
Summer.
The wrong fertiliser can cause serious damage to the lawn. Always read the
guidelines supplied with the product.
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