When you look at your lawn and see brown grass that was once green and lush, you might be looking at dormant grass and not necessarily dead grass. This can be confusing and sometimes hard to tell the difference. Dormant grass is a natural defense mechanism of the grass plant as it prepares for harsh climate change or periods of heat and drought. Warm season grasses that are typical in the College Station, TX area go into their dormant state when temperatures drop below 60 degrees on a consistent basis. The grass can remain green into the late fall, even when the grass has started the dormancy phase. It does not immediately turn brown but is a slower more gradual process.

Here are a few tips to look for to determine if your brown grass is truly dead or just dormant.

1. Consider Any Rapid Temperature Changes or Periods of Drought. In the Bryan, TX area, periods of heat and drought can cause grasses to become dormant and turn brown. This is how the grass will protect itself when it is not receiving enough water, is really hot, and is unable to stay in the active growth stage. Your grass needs to focus all its resources and conserve water to maintain healthy roots.

2. Look for patterns in your lawn. Are there just certain areas that appear brown and exhibiting symptoms, or is the entire lawn a brownish-yellow color? If it's just specific areas of your lawn that are brown and the rest of the lawn appears healthy, those areas of the lawn are more than likely dead. This can be caused by many things such as disease, fungus, pests, or improper irrigation.

3. Regular watering and lawn care. Check your irrigation system to ensure that everything is working properly and your grass is receiving adequate amounts of water. Continue on your regular watering schedule for a few days. If your grass begins to turn green, your lawn was dormant.

4. Check for strong roots. Choose a section of brown grass and try pulling. Dead grass will be easy to remove with minimal resistance, while dormant grass will be difficult to remove because it still has strong healthy roots.

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Call us to determine if your lawn is dead or dormant!

If you are still unsure if your lawn is dead or just dormant, contact us at (979) 750-9545. We can send out one of our technicians to help you determine the fate of your grass. We will check for fungus, pests, lawn disease, and make sure your lawn is receiving adequate water. Once we determine what, if any problems exist, we will help you get your lawn back to a green, healthy state. Our trained professionals will establish regular lawn care maintenance that includes fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, and identify any issues.

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