Bringing grass takes some work. Dormant grass just needs some TLC. But if it’s truly dead, you’ll need to address the cause before repairing it.
Reviving dead grass involves soil testing, removing weeds, dethatching, aerating, and then overseeding or laying down sod.
Step 1: Determine if your lawn is dormant or dead
Let’s get one thing out of the way right now: dead grass cannot be brought back to life. If it’s dormant, however, there’s still hope. So, it’s crucial to first determine whether your lawn is dead or just dormant.
First, take a look at your lawn. Is the whole lawn brown, or is it just spots in your lawn? If there are patches of brown grass in an otherwise green lawn, the spots are probably dead or dying.
Now, let’s look at your climate:
- Do you live somewhere with a warm climate? Is it winter? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you probably have warm-season grass that has gone dormant.
- Do you live in an area with a cold climate? Is it summer? If the answer to both questions is yes, then you might have cool-season grass that has gone dormant.
Next, you can do a simple test to determine if the grass is actually dead:
- Grab a handful of grass.
- Try to pull the grass out of the ground.
- If the grass comes off easily, then it’s likely dead.
- If there is resistance, then the grass is likely just dormant.
- Take a look at the base of the grass blade. If the base of the grass blade (called a crown) is still green and its roots are white, then it’s just dormant.
So, what do you do if your grass is dormant? Luckily for you, it’s quite simple. Dormant grass can be brought back to life with ample water or more favorable weather conditions.
If water is not bringing your grass back to life, then the temperature is likely the culprit.
“Recognize that when heat and drought reach a certain level, there is no amount of water that is going to coax the grass out of dormancy,” says Dr. Kelly Kopp of Utah State University. “However, as temperatures drop and moisture increases, the grass will recover naturally.”
If your grass is truly dead, the first step to reviving your dead lawn is addressing the cause. Dead grass can be caused by:
- Lawn pests such as white grubs
- Fungal disease
- Dog pee
- Nutrient imbalances
- Soil pH issues
- Drought stress
- Soil compaction
Step 2: Test the soil
After addressing the cause of your lawn’s death, you should conduct a soil test. A soil test report will rule out nutrient deficiencies and soil pH issues (such as acidic soil).
Nutrient deficiencies can be remedied with fertilizer, while soil pH can be changed with soil amendments.
A soil test will also tell you more information about your soil, such as its type and salinity level. The type of soil you have can also hinder the growth of new grass, so it’s important to amend it to change its texture if needed.
Read more:
Step 3: Remove weeds
It’s important to remove weeds while preparing to revive your lawn because they compete for nutrients, water, and even sunlight. While strong grass can outcompete pesky weeds, the grass seedlings or sod you’ll be adding to your dead lawn can’t.
You can remove weeds through mechanical and chemical methods. If you only have a few weeds, you can hand-pull them. If the weeds have infested your lawn, we recommend using a post-emergent herbicide.
Note: You will need to wait in between herbicide use and overseeding, as the weed killer can damage seedlings or prevent them from germinating. The exact time will depend on the type of herbicide, but some may need up to a four-month wait before overseeding.
I don’t recommend using a pre-emergent herbicide before repairing your lawn unless it’s mesotrione (like Tenacity), which is safe for turfgrass.
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Step 4: Dethatch your lawn
Excess thatch can kill grass and make it difficult for new grass to grow. Thatch is the layer of dead and living organic matter wedged between the grass and the soil. A thatch layer less than ½-inch thick won’t cause issues, but anything thicker than that can prevent precious nutrients and water from reaching the grass seed and sod roots.
To prepare your lawn for new grass, you should dethatch it. Dethatching your lawn removes excess thatch using a dethatcher, such as a power rake.
Read more:
- “How to Dethatch Your Lawn”
- “When to Dethatch Your Lawn”
- “Benefits of Dethatching Your Lawn”
- “How Much Does Lawn Dethatching Cost in 2025?”
Step 5: Aerate your lawn
Another issue that could have killed your lawn and will prevent new grass from growing is compacted soil. Compacted soil is packed tightly together, preventing nutrients, water, and air from penetrating deep and reaching the roots of plants. Compacted soil is also difficult for young roots to push through.
Alleviating compacted soil involves poking holes in the soil. This process is called lawn aeration.
Read more:
- “How to Aerate a Lawn by Hand”
- “How to Aerate Your Lawn”
- “Benefits of Aerating Your Lawn”
- “Core Aeration vs. Spike Aeration”
- “When to Aerate Your Lawn”
Step 6: Overseed or lay sod
Before overseeding or laying down sod, make sure you pick the right grass for where you live. Consider your climate, the type of soil, salinity, and similar environmental factors. The most basic thing to think about is whether your area can support cool-season or warm-season grass.
Cool-season grasses include:
Warm-season grasses include:
Then, you can choose to either overseed your lawn or lay down sod. Both have their pros and cons, with the main argument for grass seed vs. sod being savings vs. time.
You can read more about overseeding in these articles:
- “What is Overseeding?”
- “10 Benefits of Overseeding”
- “Should You Overseed Your Lawn?”
- “How Often Should You Overseed Your Lawn?”
Step 7: Water well
One of the most important factors for the survival of your new grass is water. The enemy of germination is drying out; drying out means dying out. Your new grass or sod won’t have the strong root systems of established lawns, so they can’t reach the water deeper in the soil.
New grass will need short but frequent watering sessions. Too much water can wash away the grass seeds. New grass may need to be watered as frequently as three times a day in the first few weeks.
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Step 8: Fertilize the new grass
If you didn’t apply starter fertilizer before overseeding or laying down sod, you should fertilize the new grass six to eight weeks after planting.
The Iowa State University Extension recommends applying 1 pound of nitrogen – not just fertilizer – per 1,000 square feet of lawn. You can learn how to calculate how much actual fertilizer you need in our article, “Fertilizer 101: How to Fertilize Your Lawn”.
Read more:
- “A Complete Guide to Fertilizing New Grass”
- “When is the Best Time to Fertilize Your Lawn?”
- “How to Avoid Over-Fertilizing Your Lawn”
FAQs
As long as it is not truly dead, grass can grow back naturally. It may take a few weeks before it becomes thick again, though. You may want to overseed your lawn to help it thicken up.
To care for new grass, you need to do the following:
● Keep it watered
● Mow when it’s tall enough
● Fertilize appropriately
● Control weeds
Installing sod would be the fastest way to fix dead grass. Sod gives you an “instant” lawn, although you can’t really walk on it immediately.
Hire a pro to revive your lawn
Bringing a completely dead lawn back to life can be a daunting task. You’ll need to remove the dead grass and then prep your lawn for overseeding or laying sod.
If that’s too much for you, why not hire a lawn care pro to do it instead? Aside from mowing, Lawn Love’s pros can aerate your lawn, and do the actual overseeding for you. They can also get rid of pests, handle weeds, and fertilize your lawn for you.
Main Photo Credit: Lindsey Turner | Flickr | CC BY 2.0
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