Grass went brown over summer, should I bother reseeding?

[Anonymous]

I relied mostly on rainfall and only watered my garden bed. I'm ok with seasonal maintainence 4x a year, but don't want to nurse my yard every morning.

So I have following questions about reseeding:

1 - will existing grass - mostly tan now with some green tufts - re-green as summer subsides?

2- will it just die again next summer if I reseed now?

I have morning shade and intense afternoon sun. I used a mostly sunny-part shade mix formulated for NOVA from a reputable nursery. Disappointed last year's yard overhaul efforts were undone so quickly.

[Anonymous]

I have the exact same situation except I rent, so I don't control the lawn care! I think my landlord did some re-seeding this week. I guess i need to get the sprinkler out next summer even if it rains a lot...

[Anonymous]

Is it brown crab grass? If so, you have to pull it all out first.

[Anonymous]

OP - lol no! I pulled a yard of crabgrass out *by hand* last year and grew lovely new stuff from seed - fescue and bluegrass. But it has turned brown. Seems like a poor ROI for the sweat equity. Trying to judge whether nice grass normally goes tan/dormant in summer and comes back, or whether I need to either 1) water every day or 2) reseed every year.

[Anonymous]

Same her. Brown and it was fresh sod we had installed this spring, and no crabgrass. I watered it diligently the first 2 weeks, then let it go. It _is_ in a shady area. Did I just lose all the money I spent on the sod?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know if nice, established grass just goes dormant in dry weather, or dies?

[Anonymous]

Zoysia will turn brown in winter and come back in spring. Most carefree lawn ever.

[Anonymous]

It will be green in the Spring, after the snow has provided deep hydration. But this fall? Not sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I relied mostly on rainfall and only watered my garden bed. I'm ok with seasonal maintainence 4x a year, but don't want to nurse my yard every morning.

So I have following questions about reseeding:

1 - will existing grass - mostly tan now with some green tufts - re-green as summer subsides?

2- will it just die again next summer if I reseed now?

I have morning shade and intense afternoon sun. I used a mostly sunny-part shade mix formulated for NOVA from a reputable nursery. Disappointed last year's yard overhaul efforts were undone so quickly.

Without the investment in an automatic irrigation system, yes you have wasted your time, efforts and money. You can do all the aerating, de-thatching, soil conditioning, reseeding, and fertilizing you can do. It will look good for a while. Until late July-Sept in this region where the stress from the droughts and consecutive 90+ degree humid scorching days from the beating sun burns up all fescue that isn’t getting properly watered deep to the roots. Weeds and crabgrass overtake the dead spots in the lawn and in the fall your spending your money again doing the aerating, de-thatching, soil conditioning, reseeding, and fertilizing all over again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Same her. Brown and it was fresh sod we had installed this spring, and no crabgrass. I watered it diligently the first 2 weeks, then let it go. It _is_ in a shady area. Did I just lose all the money I spent on the sod?

Probably. Fescue grass goes dormant in the summer if not enough water. The fall with cooler temps will comeback if the roots got established if not then is just dead sod.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I relied mostly on rainfall and only watered my garden bed. I'm ok with seasonal maintainence 4x a year, but don't want to nurse my yard every morning.

So I have following questions about reseeding:

1 - will existing grass - mostly tan now with some green tufts - re-green as summer subsides?

2- will it just die again next summer if I reseed now?

I have morning shade and intense afternoon sun. I used a mostly sunny-part shade mix formulated for NOVA from a reputable nursery. Disappointed last year's yard overhaul efforts were undone so quickly.

Without the investment in an automatic irrigation system, yes you have wasted your time, efforts and money. You can do all the aerating, de-thatching, soil conditioning, reseeding, and fertilizing you can do. It will look good for a while. Until late July-Sept in this region where the stress from the droughts and consecutive 90+ degree humid scorching days from the beating sun burns up all fescue that isn’t getting properly watered deep to the roots. Weeds and crabgrass overtake the dead spots in the lawn and in the fall your spending your money again doing the aerating, de-thatching, soil conditioning, reseeding, and fertilizing all over again.

I’ve had great grass here for years without an irrigation system. Most years we don’t even need to water much at all. This was a particularly brutal dry spell combined with late summer heat this year.

[Anonymous]

Add clover! I am so happy with how my clover-y areas look - green. I am sorry you did all that work for it to come to naught basically. It probably needed longer/more water to get those roots established.

[Anonymous]

You need warm weather grass if you want low-maintenance summer grass.

I love my zoysia! Yes, it's brown from Nov-March, but I don't care about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if nice, established grass just goes dormant in dry weather, or dies?

I think dormancy under certain conditions would sort of be the definition of established grass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if nice, established grass just goes dormant in dry weather, or dies?

I think dormancy under certain conditions would sort of be the definition of established grass.

Thanks, that's helpful! I think the lawn did get established as I seeded last September and it was emerald green through June.