5 Reasons Why Your Grass is Dying

A sprawling lawn can be a pretty sight, but less so if it’s plagued with spots that are dry, brown, or completely non-existent. Homeowners in every climate may find that their grass is dying, since it’s a common enough occurrence and one that even the most dedicated of home gardeners may have trouble avoiding. As for why it happens, there are a number of possible reasons, and pinning down the problem could be one of the quickest ways to a solution.

If your grass is dying and you’re not sure why, take a look through the culprits below and see if any seem to fit the bill. In addition, you’ll also find some quick tips on avoiding grass problems from the outset. Here’s what to know.

It’s a total bummer to put a lot of work into your lawn only to find that the grass is dying despite your best efforts. Likewise, it can be frustrating to feel like you’re fighting an uphill—and sometimes unwinnable battle—in maintaining your yard.

While it’s certainly not great that your grass is dying in the first place, the good news is that there’s usually a pretty clear reason for why it’s happening. Once you figure out what it is, you may be able to put an effective solution into place—or at least change course and find an alternative that’s better suited to your particular climate and space.

All that said, here are five reasons why your grass might be dead, keeping in mind that it’s possible more than one of these issues are at play.

There’s a water problem

There’s a bug problem

There’s a disease problem

There’s a weed problem

There’s a pet waste problem

How to prevent grass problems from happening

With many types of lawn problems, focusing on prevention is often a lot easier than attempting a cure. One possible solution if your grass is dying is to accept the inevitable and then reseed and start anew. Just be on the lookout for pests or disease before doing this, since they’ll likely just attack any new grass if they’re already present.

As for other things you can do to prevent dead grass, these are some good places to start:

• • Choose the right kind of grass for your lawn. Did you know that there are more than 11,000 different species of grass? Of these 11,000+ species, there are about 12 that are commonly used on North American lawns, but grass that thrives in one part of the country will whither and die in another. For that reason, it’s important that you plant a type of grass that is optimized for your climate. Here are 10 types to consider.
  • Be smart about when you fertilize. Fertilization provides crucial nutrition to your grass that can help it weather the conditions. But while adding fertilizer is key, it’s just as important that you do it at the right time. This usually means fertilizing in the early spring or fall, when temperatures are more moderate and your grass isn’t stressed from heat or drought.
  • Water the right way. On top of watering at optimal times so as not to lose a bunch of moisture to evaporation, you should also be setting up your grass itself to accept as much water as it can. A great way to do this is to set your mowing height to at least three inches. Keeping the grass a touch long provides shade for the roots so that they’re able to hold on to water when they get it.

  Try to avoid chemical pesticides and herbicides, which have a habit of killing off the good stuff along with the bad. And if your grass is dying and nothing you do seems to be helping, then it may be time to change your mindset and look for grass alternatives. Artificial turf is one option, or you could do the bees and butterflies a favor and opt or a native plant lawn instead.