Bald or dead spots in your lawn can arise from numerous sources; here are a few of the more common in our Mooresville region:
- Bugs: Grubs, insects and a variety of creepy crawly things can cause dead spots
- Dog Urine: Fido can “Burn” spots in your lawn with his urine
- Football: Kids playing backyard games can easily chew up patches in your lawn
- Fungus: There are a variety of mold and fungi in our area that may create a bald spot
- Thatch: Layers of dead grass can build up to thwart grass from surviving in your lawn
Regardless of how or why your lawn has a dead spot or patch, the first step is to eliminate the cause of the dead grass in your lawn. Let’s break these down one by one:
- Bugs can arise from a variety of sources and for numerous reasons, some may be problematic this year and not the next, remember the stink bugs from 2013? Identify the insects and either obtain professional advice on a solution or seek guidance at the big box hardware store for a pesticide purchase.
- Fido has to do his business, so how do you combat the damage? There are numerous suggestions on Google, but the 2 I recommend are simply, dilute the urine with water after he is thru and improve the soil to survive the damage.
- Kids will be kids and outdoor play is great exercise, so don’t overreact here. First, are there other alternative yards, lots, playgrounds or areas they can play? Artificial turf is a solution, albeit an expensive one.
- Mold and other living organisms invade your lawn for a reason, the conditions to live and grow are ideal. Change the environment and the fungus can’t survive. Just like the bugs, seek professional advice here.
- This is the easiest on of the 5, get a lawn or leaf rake and remove the thatch from your lawn. If you have numerous areas, there are attachments for power equipment that will do this as well.
Here are my top 5 reasons your lawn has dead spots and what to do about it. My next post will address step 2, which is getting the grass back in these areas.
Adam Taylor
704-213-9974
Taylor Lawn Care, Inc.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
