Like any plant, grass reacts to summer's high temperatures and lack of water with wilting, browning, or even death. Here's how to detect drought stress: Locate a brown patch, and pull on the grass.
If there are especially dry or hot conditions, try watering your lawn to revive brown grass. Don't worry. If your grass is dormant, it will naturally green up again in the spring.
The grass will break dormancy and begin growing again when the temperatures and/or rainfall levels become more ideal for it. Note that when dormancy ends, grass leaves that have turned brown won't revive, but new leaves will appear.
Harsh Weather. Just like any other plant, your grass needs sunlight and moisture in order to grow. The harsh temperatures of summer can wear down your lawn, drying out healthy grass, and causing it to turn brown. The hot temperatures and lack of moisture means your lawn isn't getting the nutrients it needs to thrive.
Grass can turn brown if the soil is too acidic. You can test the pH (a measure of the soil's acidity or, conversely, its alkalinity) and use soil amendments, such as lime or sulfur, which will correct the pH imbalance.
It's a common misconception that watering dead grass will bring it back to life. The truth is, when you water dead grass, it can actually make the situation worse. It can cause the roots in the ground to rot and decompose faster than they would if left alone.
If the plants pull out from the ground easily, they're probably dead. If the roots hold fast when pulled, the plants are dormant. You will also see the difference when you start to water or when rain returns as moisture will revive brown grass. However, it will not bring dead grass plants back to life.
Just because the lawn is brown does not mean it is dead. It may just be dormant, which is when a lawn goes into a hibernation-like mode in response to a lack of water, nutrients, or overbearing heat.
Bad news: If the grass is totally dead due to drought, there's no way to bring it back. However, reviving brown lawns that are simply dormant usually occurs within three to four weeks of regular irrigation.
For lawns to be effectively watered during the summer, it's best to set up a watering schedule. Depending on your geographical location and the type of grass, a lawn typically needs around ½ to an inch of water per week to keep it from drying out.
Don't mow a brown, dormant lawn on your regular schedule
When your grass has turned brown, don't mow your lawn just because it's Friday night and that's when you always do it. In fact, you should never mow your lawn if it's less than three inches tall, whether it's green or brown.
As the heat starts to put stress on your lawn you may notice full brown blades of grass or grass with brown tips. They may have begun to curl.
Grass enters a dormant stage to conserve its energy and water. It can remain safely in its dormant stage for about 3-4 weeks without dying.
Drought stress or summer lawn stress is one of the common reasons why your healthy lawn turns brown. Your grass might just be responding to hot weather. The grass may green up when cooler weather returns. Also, take care when you mow.
Your browning lawn may be the result of a disease that's appropriately named Brown Patch. It is caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia and can show up seemingly overnight. Your lawn will need to be treated with a fungicide to address this lawn disease. Fortunately, it is easy to get rid of with the proper treatment.
In spite of the plentiful pros of rainfall for lawns, excessive and frequent rain can have an adverse effect. Excessive rain can damage your lawn by causing brown patches to appear. Having the lawn too wet for a long period of time causes diseases such as the brown patches appearing.
Red-orange colored grass is a sign that the lawn is stressed and overwatered. This discoloration is caused by the rust fungus. Anthracnose and brown spots are also common in wet grasses.
While nitrogen is an essential nutrient for a healthy lawn, too much will cause browning and eventually kill the grass, much in the same way that over-fertilizing will lead to browning.
During a heat wave—a period of abnormally hot weather that lasts longer than 2 days—it's recommended that you do not mow your lawn.
Watering on a hot summer afternoon is a horrible idea. The liquid will evaporate too quickly and may not reach your grass's roots, so heat and irrigation shouldn't go together. Instead, the best time to water grass during summer is in the morning.
Check the soil: If the it looks muddy or feels soft, it's usually better to wait. Ideally, you should wait until the grass is dry enough so that you can walk through the lawn and not have wet shoes.
However, if your lawn is heat-stressed, avoid fertilizer products. Lawn fertilizer on a heat-stressed lawn can have the opposite effect and can cause further damage to an already sensitive grass area.