Not much freaks out a lawn-loving homeowner more than the sight of their beloved green grass turning tragically brown.
“Noooooooooo! Why is my grass turning brown?!!!”
It’s sort of like the apocalypse, but not really.
So, why is your grass turning brown? It could be any of a few reasons.
Let’s take a look. And, what the heck, we’ll even tell you how to fix it.
Your Grass Might Be Dormant
Just because your grass is brown doesn’t mean it’s dead. It might just be dormant, which means growth naturally slows down, and it becomes less green.
How to tell?
- Give it a tug. If the plants pull out from the ground easily, they're probably dead. If the roots hold fast when pulled, the plants are dormant.
- Your lawn is all the same color brown.
- You have cool-season grass, and there have been prolonged heat periods. If your grass is turning brown in summer, that could be it.
How to Fix It: Wait until your grass is in season to see if it starts growing back.
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.
Maybe Your Grass Has a Disease
There are plenty of turf diseases in Idaho, and they can strike pretty fast.
Look closely. Is your lawn turning brown in patches? Lawn damaged by fungus will often have a brown dead spot where the grass has died, but a lighter yellow-ish-brown ring around that where the fungus is spreading.
How to Fix It: The type of disease will determine the course of treatment.
Applying fungicides can help treat many diseases and revive brown grass. A professional lawn care technician can help with diagnosis and proper treatment.
Pro tip: clean all of your lawn tools and equipment after using them on your lawn to avoid spreading the disease to other parts of your yard.
Your Lawn Might Be Thirsty
Your grass is turning brown? It might be really thirsty.
How to Fix It: Make sure your lawn gets an inch to 1.5 inches of water a week. Also, is water reaching every area of your lawn? Sprinklers sometimes miss edges and corners, making these spots dry out faster than the rest of your lawn.
It Might Be Bugs (Ick)
Your lawn is like a big green bug buffet. Lots of Idaho insects love to feast on it, and grubs are often the gross little culprits.
The squishy little villains feast on your lawn’s roots, causing whole sections of it to turn brown, wilt, and die.
How rude, right? Do they at least leave a tip? Nope — just brown spots of dead and dying grass.
How to Fix It: Lawn care pros can help you figure out what bug or bugs are damaging your lawn, and will likely suggest an insecticide or other treatment to get rid of them.
When it comes to grubs, prevention is key. Lawn Buddies includes grub control in our six-step lawn care program.
Maybe Your Lawn Is Hungry
If your grass is turning brown, it might be hungry. When it doesn’t get all the nutrients it needs, it can’t exactly head to the fridge at midnight for a snack. It depends on you to feed it enough.
How to Fix It: fertilize regularly, in spring, summer, and fall. 
Also, get your soil pH tested. Important nutrients for grass are available in soil when the pH is balanced. If your pH is off, your grass won’t get the nutrients it needs, no matter how much you fertilize.
Your Grass Might Be Dead
We know, nobody wants to hear this. (Cue the sad organ music.)
But if your grass has been stressed by too much heat and not enough water, it might be dead.
How to fix it: Unfortunately, there’s no way to revive dead grass. So if your grass is dead, you’ll need to remove the dead grass and then seed or sod your lawn to create new growth.
Is Your Lawn Ready for a New Best Friend?
If your lawn is turning brown, it definitely IS ready for a new best friend!
If you want simple, hassle-free lawn care that offers quality core lawn care services for a healthy green lawn, it doesn’t get easier than Lawn Buddies.
No stressing about which complicated combination of lawn care services will get your lawn back to its beautiful green again.
You don’t have time to fuss with all that. Give yourself a break.
Welcome to one premium, six-visit lawn care program that includes everything your lawn needs to grow healthy and green.
Fertilizer, weed treatments, and grub control, all wrapped up in six visits, each perfectly timed throughout the season, so your grass is green and strong and resists weeds.
Choose a professional lawn care service in the Idaho Falls or Boise, ID area that bundles your yard’s most-needed treatments into one convenient, no-fuss plan that tells you the cost up front.
We’ve got your back.
Got a few minutes? That’s all you need to get started.
- Fill out the form on this page.
- Call us at (208) 656-913.
- Or read more about our services.
Then kick back and relax in your healthy, thriving yard.
Image Source: Brown Patch
