Lawn Revival: It’s Not Dead, It’s Dormant

When the weather gets dry, your lawn can start to look like it’s fried. Your grass can turn yellow/brown, but fear not, that doesn’t mean it’s dead- it’s often just dormant.

When the grass on your lawn is yellow, there is still a crown on the inner part of the plant that remains alive and simply needs to be reactivated by moisture. Once consistent moisture reaches the core of the plant, it will progressively start to regain its colour.

Most of the time, full dormancy will last approximately six weeks. That means before any significant damage is done to your lawn, you usually have six weeks of your grass turning brown before chunks of your lawn start to suffer permanent damage. However, that’s not always an exact science and many people aren’t aware of the time that their lawn first changed colour.

So, here are some tips to help tell the dormant from the dead:

1. Water your lawn – This is the easiest way to tell if your lawn is dormant or dead. Dormant grass will start to become greener in a couple of days, whereas dead grass will remain the same.
2. Tug Test – Go outside and find a yellow/brown patch on your lawn. If you reach down and grab a handful of grass and pull lightly, dead grass will pull out very easily. Dormant grass still has some strength and should offer resistance.
3. Call an Expert – After all, that’s what we’re here for. Get in touch with Hometurf Lawn Care and we can help you identify whether the grass on your lawn is dead or dormant.

If you find that your lawn is dormant, one thing to make sure is that you try to direct traffic off of your lawn. The grass that makes up your lawn is in a vulnerable state, and according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, when “the lawns receive a lot of traffic while in a dormant state, there will be irreparable damage.”

Another thing to keep in mind is that it’s not always black and white. There can be some dead spots on your lawn and some dormant. As a fallback, we recommend overseeding as well to help any dead spots grow back.

Finally, dormant lawns can be vulnerable to weed invasions, so make sure to monitor your lawn for any weeds and remove them as soon as possible.

If you have any other questions about a yellow or brown lawn, click here to get in touch Hometurf Lawn Care.