Start by raking dead grass spots to loosen the soil and remove the expired blades. Lightly rake the healthy areas to get rid of dying grass and aerate the soil for root stimulation. Once you have the land prepared, take a rotary seed spreader and lay down new grass seed over the dead spots.
Bare or Brown Spots
Brown or bare spots are not a good sign. While they are more obvious, when you see brown spots or bare spots, your lawn is extremely stressed and some damage has already been done. Begin watering regularly.
Often lawns are made up of several different cultivars or species of grass so a drought stressed lawn may also have a patchy appearance (Figure 1). Individual grass plants can recover and green up again, once the plants get sufficient water.
You'll often see grass looking a little bluish-purple/gray instead of bright green when it's starting to get stressed. Usually this goes hand in hand with the footprints in the lawn symptom. A golden yellow or brown lawn.
Drought Stress occurs when warm-season grasses such as Bermuda and Zoysia are actively growing but rainfall and irrigation do not meet the plant's water requirements. The grass then enters a drought-induced dormancy to protect itself. Signs of drought stress include grass thinning and losing color.
If you choose to fertilize, look for a fertilizer with a primarily slow-release nitrogen and phophorus source that will not promote rapid growth. Look for a fertilizer with a high potassium level (the third number on the bag) as this can help to enhance drought tolerance.
Lower stress levels
Cortisol levels start to drop after spending as little as 20 minutes in nature. So, when you take 20 minutes to mow your lawn, it won't only make your yard look better, but it'll help you feel less stressed as well.
After they slow down, they will begin to show signs of stress. This could be certain areas starting to brown out and look dead. That's the natural habit of our grasses, they will go dormant (not dead!) during times of heat or drought stress. This is where watering is crucial.
Lawns under stress from drought have limited ability to recover from mowing. This can actually damage your lawn more. Try mowing after you water or a rainfall.
Overfill the Depression
Buy topsoil that's screened and free of weeds so you don't introduce new problems to your lawn. Use this topsoil to overfill any depressions with a shovel. Rake the soil across the depressions, but be sure to leave a little extra soil on top, as the topsoil will sink as it settles.
Grass that is suffering from heat stress will turn yellow or brown, especially in areas that receive direct sunlight. Another sign to look out for is wilted or curled blades of grass. This occurs because the grass is losing water faster than it can absorb it from the soil.
Scotts® TurfBuilder® UltraFeed™is an excellent choice for fertilizing lawns that tend to get stressed in the summer. It holds onto nutrients until your lawn needs them, then releases them. Because of this, a single feeding can last up to 6 months.
Mowing high gives the lawn a deeper and larger root system, keeps moisture in, defends against weeds and keeps the soil cooler. Mowing too short during dry conditions can injure or wear out dormant grasses to the point where they may not come back during cooler conditions.
Skip Fertilizing
Applying excess nitrogen fertilizer during a drought can sometimes do more harm than good. Grass will often respond to nitrogen fertilization by putting on lots of new green growth, which can be of detriment to the plant. New growth is tender and less drought-resistant than mature grass blades.
Fertilizing a dormant lawn will not harm it. However, the turfgrass may not receive the full benefit of the fertilizer application. If a granular fertilizer remains on the soil surface because of a lack of rain, some of the material may actually volatilize into the air.
It's Noticeably Wilting
One of the earliest and most obvious signs of dehydration in grass is wilting, when blades begin to curl over instead of standing up straight. If you don't take action right away, you will soon see the grass start to change color (which we discuss in more detail below).
However, extended periods of hot, dry weather may kill the lawn. How to revive a dead lawn? 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.
Laying sod is the quickest way to patch a dead or damaged turf area. You can lay it any time during the season. Prepare the soil the same way you would for patching with seed. Keep the area an inch or so below grade so the new grass will be level with the lawn.