Bringing a Browning & Brittle Lawn Back to Life? 7 Remedies for Reviving Dead Grass

An unhealthy yard shows itself through brown and brittle grass. If your lawn has turned dust, it’ll take more than sunshine and some water to help your yard return to a healthy green shade. Recovery won’t be easy, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with brown, crunchy grass forever. 

These 7 tips will help you keep your lawn healthy

Consider reseeding

If your grass is beyond repair, it might be time to reseed. Here’s how to do it. 

Before you can reseed, you’ll need to kill all of your existing grass and any weeds in your yard. 

The next step is to choose the right grass seed so it can flourish in your yard. Choose a grass type based on your region and the amount of shade in your yard. Once you’ve selected the best grass seed, it’s time to prep the soil by leveling. Next, spread the seed and immediately fertilize it. Water the young seed each day, and continue to take care of your yard each day. 

Kissing your old lawn goodbye might be bittersweet, but you can still enjoy the sight of a verdant yard if you reseed it with the proper grass seed. Now that you know what to do at the point of no return, here are seven remedies that’ll help you bring your grass back from the brink of death.

You can try reseeding

Aerate your yard

Grass that looks salvageable will benefit from aeration. When you mow your lawn and walk on it, the soil becomes compact, and the roots have difficulty finding food and water. Aerating the compacted soil gives the roots room to breathe, drink, and eat, making your grass turn green again.

Change the length of your mowers blade

Grass shoots and roots tend to be the same length. So, if you set your mower blade at three inches or more, your roots will grow longer and help your grass stay vibrant. All too often, homeowners cut their lawn to a stringent two inches. Though this buzzcut-style lawn might pass a military inspection, it won’t help your grass survive. 

The way you mow your lawn is important

Leave your clippings

After you mow your lawn, leave the clippings. The clippings serve as a natural fertilizer that quickly decomposes and feeds the soil. 

Remove thatch and weeds

As your grass grows, thatch can develop. Thatch is dead grass and roots that build upon the top of the soil. It prevents water and nutrients from getting into the healthy grass as it grows. Eventually, thatch takes over, and the grass begins to die. Pests and disease begin to take over at this stage, so removing thatch is a critical step in bringing your grass back to health.

Remove thatch to keep the grass healthy and take care of your browning, brittle lawn

Water your yard the right way

Rather than watering your yard for a few minutes each day, consider wetting your grass and letting it have a good soaking. The roots need about an inch of water once per week. 

The roots can grow deeper into the soil and help your yard withstand heat and drought with a good soaking. You can measure your water level by leaving a few small containers around your yard, and as you water your yard, let the water runoff into the containers. Once the containers have an inch of water, you can turn off your sprinklers. 

For brittle lawn watering is extremely important

Kill weeds with boiling water

Rather than spreading weed killer and potentially damaging your yard, use boiling water to kill weeds safely. The water shocks the roots and makes it easy to remove the weeds without hurting your grass. 

Avoid brown patches and bring your brittle lawn back to life with these remedies

Wrap up

With a few simple steps and tools, you can turn your brown and brittle yard back to life. Good luck, and don’t forget to fertilize liberally.