How to bring back a disaster lawn

January 4, 2021- Are you overwhelmed with how much of a complete mess your lawn is? Do you worry about how much time or money you’re going to have to put into it in order to bring it back? Believe it or not, there are a few different paths to take to make your lawn the best in the neighborhood—and they don’t have to be ridiculously expensive. Whether the lawn is severely damaged or outright dead, it will require time, love and care—but all of that effort will pay off in the end.

Tools Needed:

Soil Test Kit (Optional) Post-emergent Herbicide or Glyphosate

Aerator (Optional)

New Sod (Optional)

Grass Plugs, Sod Pods or Grass Seed (Optional)

Topsoil (Optional) Fertilizer

Broadcast or Drop Spreader (Optional)

Irrigation System

Lawn Mower

What to think about first

Before diving straight in to reviving the lawn, there are a few things to consider first. What caused the lawn to decline or die in the first place? Being able to identify the cause for such a problem and working to prevent it from happening again will keep it from repeating itself in the future.

Another helpful tip is to first make sure the lawn is in fact dead before completely reinstalling new sod. Installing sod can be more expensive than a few rejuvenating practices that will bring back a lawn that’s simply damaged.

Is the lawn dead or severely damaged?

A good way to determine this is to look for any green grass blades beneath a canopy of brown, or to pull out a few rhizomes around the edges of the lawn (like the driveway or sidewalks) and see if the roots are white or if soil is clinging to the tiny, hairy roots from the segment pulled. If any of this is spotted, it’s a good sign the lawn is still alive and can be brought back over time. Otherwise, it may be dead. Maybe the lawn is really damaged and it’s easier to replace it with new grass and start fresh.

If the grass is dormant and it’s hard to tell if it’s dead or not, the best thing to do is wait until the grass begins to green up and see if it wakes up or stays brown. Once the weather gets warmer, look out for new, green growth and get the old, dead material raked out.

In either scenario, if you need to completely start over with new grass, you will need to think about what you want your new lawn to look like. Some questions to ask include:

Do you want more landscaping or light fixtures?

Do you want to bring more color to your lawn with a variety of ornamentals or trees?

What sort of grass do you want to plant in your yard?

Is the grass a cool season or warm season variety and will it thrive in the climate zone you’re located in?

Do you have kids or pets who love to play outside?

Being able to answer some of these questions will help narrow down the turfgrass selection process to choose a variety that is ideal for the home’s situation and environment. It will also help with planning ahead and organizing before spending any money or time on a landscape.

Step 1: Collect and Submit a Soil Analysis (Optional)

Although this isn’t an actionable step to repair a lawn, it is an important step to take because it could indicate what caused the lawn to decline or die in the first place. There are many different soil types and each one has a certain amount of different nutrients available. A soil analysis will illustrate the exact amount of nutrients that are located in the soil. This helps with selecting amendments or fertilizer to bring soil ph to the levels it needs to be at. As a result, the lawn will receive the nutrients its craving. After all, in order for any sort of plant to successfully grow, it needs to have the proper environment to thrive in first.

In a lot of cases, homeowners find that their soil lacks micronutrients, which are essential in overall plant health. Another helpful amendment for unhealthy soils is to add topsoil to the lawn, which is further discussed below in another step. Once a soil analysis is taken and results come in, make sure to know how to read a fertilizer label and select the proper fertilizer the lawn needs.

Step 2: Remove Debris

Before “fixing” anything in the lawn or removing dead grass, work from a clean space first. Remove any toys, soccer balls, slides, rocks or stones or even garden ornaments from the lawn completely. Homeowners can easily maneuver around lawns without having to constantly dodge any objects that may get in the way.

Step 3: Get Rid Unsightly Weeds of

This step can be applied to either scenario of repairing a damaged lawn or removing a dead lawn—it will just use different methods of weed removal. If a homeowner is wanting to completely start over and remove a dead lawn, he or she will need to “nuke” everything. This is usually done with a non-selective herbicide like glyphosate. This will kill any vegetation it comes in contact with including the lawn, so don’t do this if the goal is to simply repair a damaged lawn. The idea behind applying glyphosate is to effectively kill all the problematic weeds that have taken over the lawn—especially if there’s a severe weed problem. Wait about seven more days and then begin removing whatever is left of the old grass with sod cutters.

If you don’t want to start over with a new lawn and wish to simply repair it, you will want to apply a selective post-emergent herbicide. A selective herbicide kills only the plants it is labeled to kill whereas a non-selective herbicide will kill any plant it touches. A post-emergent herbicide is designed to kill any currently existing weeds. It’s helpful if you are able to identify the type of weed your lawn has so that you can select a post-emergent herbicide that will kill it. A few post-emergent herbicide options are located below. Read all product labels thoroughly before applying.

If you have a St. Augustine or centipede lawn you are trying to revive, make sure the herbicide you apply has the active ingredient, Atrazine, in it like Spectracide Weed Stop for Lawns for St. Augustine and Centipede or Hi-yield Atrazine Weed Killer. St. Augustine and centipede are sensitive to ingredients like MSMA or 2,4-D and will be damaged if these chemicals are applied to it.

Step 4: Install New Sod, Plugs, Sod Pods or Seed

This step should only be for the homeowner who is looking to start over with a new lawn. Sod installation can seem like a daunting investment. After all, grass is a living product. Determining what happened to your dead lawn in the first place with a soil test will keep this mistake from happening again. However, this is still a moment you can celebrate because you can begin to appreciate a fresh, new, green lawn that has the potential to outshine the neighbors’ yards.

First, decide if you want to install sod, plugs or seed. Sod pods are also becoming a popular method of installation. Sod pods cover a wider surface area than grass plugs so they tend to grow in a little quicker. Sod Solutions currently offers sod pod varieties for centipede grass, Floratam St. Augustine and Palmetto® St. Augustine. Once this decision has been made, choose the right type of sod for the area your home’s in. If maintenance is an issue, do some research and find the best grass for low maintenance.

Next, follow our online installation guide for sod, grass plugs or seed. If you choose to install sod, be sure to check out our blog, Tips for Your Next Sod Job, as it consists of a few nifty tips that will make the sod installation process easier. For the next 30 days after installation for either of these three choices, follow our online establishment guide.

Step 5: Aerate (Optional)

This step only applies to the homeowners who are wanting to repair a damaged lawn. Don’t aerate newly installed sod, grass plugs, sod pods or seed as this will disrupt the establishment process. Aerating is mainly used to break up really compact or dry soils. Nutrients can’t reach grass roots because the soil is so tight. Although punching little holes throughout the lawn may seem harmful, it’s actually creating room for the new. Aerating loosens compact soils so that oxygen, water, fertilizer or other nutrients can effectively reach grass roots and have an impact on the lawn.

Step 6: Add (Optional) Topsoil

The best thing to do after aerating the lawn is to feed it nutrients. Top dressing it with organic topsoil or compost benefits the lawn in many ways. It increases the quality of the soil, increases the effectiveness of fertilizer, and increases CEC, also known as cation exchange capacity. CEC is a measure of the ability of soil to hold nutrients. Lastly, organic topsoil or compost promotes beneficial microbial populations and contains a healthy amount of carbon. This step can also be performed before installing new grass, plugs, sod pods or seed—just be sure to apply the topsoil before installation. This can help your new lawn establish successfully as it gives the grass more beneficial nutrition. Do not apply topsoil to a new lawn for at least a year after establishment.

Step 7: Repair Damaged Spots with Grass Plugs, Sod Pods or Grass Seed (Optional)

If you’re a homeowner who has a lot of bare spots or damaged brown spots throughout his or her lawn, a good tip is to plant grass plugs, sod pods or overseed those areas. This is a cheaper alternative to completely reinstalling new sod. However, if the bare or brown spots are caused by a disease, apply a systemic fungicide first and then wait a few days. Planting grass plugs, sod pods or seed into a lawn with disease will only allow the disease to damage the new grass.

Choose grass plugs, sod pods or grass seed that matches the grass that’s currently in your lawn so that it doesn’t appear differently than the original grass. The idea is to repair the lawn so that it looks like damage didn’t happen— not to give off an appearance of multiple grass types or colors. Although our grass plug and grass seed installation guides include information about completely installing a new lawn, there are instructions for repairing damaged spots as well.

Step 8: Apply Fertilizer If you’ve chosen to install new sod, plugs, sod pods or seed, you will want to select a fertilizer that promotes root growth to encourage successful establishment. Sod, in particular, goes through a stressful period when it is cut, transferred and planted in a new location. A phosphorus-heavy fertilizer will help make this transition easier. Lawnifi’s® New Lawn Starter Box is a liquid fertilizer that is designed to help new sod, plugs, sod pods or seed establish.

If you decided to repair a damaged lawn, the Lawnifi Annual Subscription is a great liquid fertilizer program than contains three seasonal boxes—each for spring, summer and fall—so that the lawn receives the nutrients it needs as temperatures and soil conditions change throughout the year. Lawnifi’s liquid fertilizers can be applied by attaching the bottles to the end of the garden hose for an even spray application. Lawnifi Foundation, a granular variety of fertilizer, is also an excellent choice with its slow-release nitrogen. Lawnifi Foundation, opposed to the liquid fertilizer program, will only need to be applied once every three months. Lawnifi Foundation is applied with a broadcast or drop spreader.

Each Lawnifi package is powered by Catalyst Technologytm, which nano-sizes nutrients so that plants can immediately absorb all the product applied. Fertilizer won’t sit for long periods of time in the soil and less product is used with this increased effectiveness.

Step 9: Follow an Irrigation Schedule

Even more important than fertilizer applications is making sure the lawn receives the appropriate amount of water it requires each season. Although each type of grass is different, generally speaking, each type of grass requires about one inch of water per week including rainfall. This can also vary if you get a lot of rainfall in the area or if your climate isn’t evaporating much water. If it rains a lot one week, you probably won’t need to water the lawn. Sometimes, it can be difficult to determine how much water different areas of your lawn are receiving depending on your irrigation system and where it’s located. An irrigation audit could really benefit you and your lawn for this reason.

Step 10: Follow Proper Mowing Heights

Another maintenance practice that will really increase the overall health and vigor of the lawn will be mowing it at a proper schedule and at a proper height. Mowing the grass gives it the opportunity to promote new, fresh growth. Keeping a tight lawn also reduces the chances of insect damage by removing excess or dead material that provides it with an ideal environment to hide and nest in. When mowing the lawn, be sure to cut it with sharp mowing blades. Dull mower blades tear the grass in place of neatly cutting it, which opens the grass up for disease.

There are a few remaining maintenance tips for your lawn. Keep weeds from taking over again with a pre-emergent herbicide. One of the toughest weeds to get rid of is crabgrass—and it can take over your lawn quickly. Sod University recommends Crabgrass Control Plus 0-0-7 with 0.37% Prodiamine to keep crabgrass out. We discussed post-emergent herbicides earlier in this article, however, a pre-emergent prevents weeds from appearing and a post-emergent kills currently existing weeds. Keep weeds from even showing up with a pre-emergent herbicide application in the spring and fall seasons.

You can also make preventive applications with a systemic insecticide and fungicide to keep insects and disease at bay—especially if this is what damaged or killed the lawn in the first place.

Want to learn more about achieving a great lawn? Check out more Sod University tips here and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

If your publication or website has any future lawn and garden content needs, reach out to us at cecilia@sodsolutions.com. Sod Solutions has helped successfully develop and release to the market over 20 different turfgrass varieties over the past 27 years including Palmetto, and Citrablue, St. Augustine, EMPIRE and Innovationtm Zoysia and Celebration, Latitude 36, and Northbridge, Bermudagrass. The company is based in the Charleston, SC area.