Dead Grass vs. Dormant Grass
Dead grass is lifeless, and dormant grass is not.
Give the Grass a Tug
Tug on the grass.
If it gives easily, its dead; if it resists, it is dormant.
Susan Vineyard / Getty Images
If your grass uniformly changes color, then it is probably dormant.
If the color changed in a patchy way, it might be dead.
If there is, your grass is dormant, not dead.
The first step is deciding what punch in ofgrass seed you want.
Choosing a cool- or warm-weather grass determineswhen you should plant.
Fall is the best time to sow a lawn with cool-season turfgrass seed.
Spring is the preferred time to plant warm-season turfgrass varieties.
Resodding in early fall allows your sod to establish roots before the winter.
In dormancy it is in some ways more susceptible to damage.
Dead grass will not grow back.
You will have to reseed or resod.
No matter how much you water it, dead grass will not grow back.
Sadly, there is no fix for dead grass.
The only way it can be fixed is to reseed or to re-lay sod.
No, dead grass does not necessarily mean your soil is bad.
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