There comes a time when every homeowner sees a downturn in their lawn. Fortunately, most lawn troubles are super easy to resolve. Let’s explore some common lawn problems and how to fix them, along with useful prevention tips for the future.
1. White grubs
Grubs are tiny chafer and Japanese beetle larvae that live in the soil and devour lawn roots. These worm-like, milky-white creatures are curled into a C-shape and have three pairs of legs near their brown heads. A large population of these grubs will cause your lush green lawn to wilt and die.
Symptoms:
- Irregularly shaped lawn sections dying or wilting
- Dull, brown, and sparse-looking lawn in the fall
- The regular appearance of skunks, gophers, and armadillos in your yard as they feed on these grubs
How to Check for Grubs: If you suspect grubs in your lawn, conduct this test. Check for grubs by cutting the sod near the edge of a brown, affected area and lifting the sod. If it rolls or comes up easily, like a carpet, you likely have grubs. Their white bodies are fairly easy to spot against the dark soil.
Solution:
- Pesticides: Pesticides and insecticides aren’t always necessary (or effective) to treat and control white grubs. If you pull up a piece of the brown area and see less than 10 grubs per square foot, your lawn needs no treatment and will recover on its own
- Beneficial nematodes: One of the safest biological controls for grubs is beneficial nematodes. Apply a combination of Heterorhabditis nematodes and water to the soil in fall or spring. Wait for a few days after the application and reseed or replant to spruce up the damaged areas
See Related:
— How to Get Rid of Grubs in Your Lawn
2. Crabgrass
Crabgrass is an opportunistic annual grass that thrives in lawns that are mowed too low and unfertilized. It’s a fast-growing, vigorous, and highly adaptable grassy weed that will push other grasses out of your lawn over time. It loves clay soil and compacted lawns.
This weed can only be controlled if treated at the right time. Many homeowners apply pre-emergent herbicide late in the spring or summer, but that’s too late!
Symptoms:
- Easily noticeable thick patches sprouting above your turf
- A lawn that appears unpleasant and full of weeds
Solution:
- Corn gluten meal: A non-chemical solution for crabgrass is corn gluten meal. Apply it in early spring, but to be sure you should contact your local cooperative extension to know the best time for application. The timing is crucial as the window is only 10 days
- Organic mulch: Using organic mulch is also helpful as it will block sunlight from reaching the weed seeds.
See Related:
— How to Get Rid of Crabgrass
3. Compacted soil
Compacted soil is a real problem for lawns. The soil beneath every lawn tends to become hard and compacted even if you did the work and prepped it correctly before planting. High foot traffic is one of the main reasons soil compacts faster.
Once your lawn is compacted, it only has 10% open space available to hold air and water. No fertilizer, water, or air can reach the roots, leaving them severely stressed. This eventually weakens the lawn and allows weeds to grow.
Symptoms:
- Slow root growth
- Thinning turf
- Off-color or yellowing lawn
- The appearance of weeds such as goosegrass, knotweed, and annual bluegrass
- Water puddling or pooling in low areas or running right off high areas
- Shallow rooting in trees
Solution:
- Aeration: Lawn aeration is the best way to relieve soil compaction. A professional will use a core aerator with tines that effectively move up and down. Some lawn care pros offer liquid aeration instead of core aeration. There is a difference.
- Overseed: Overseed after aeration to fill any bare or dull spots in the yard and promote healthier growth.
See Related:
— How, When, and Why to Aerate Your Lawn
— Core Aeration vs. Liquid Aeration: What’s the Difference?
— How to Overseed a Lawn
4. Yellow nutsedge
A “sedge” is a tricky weed. It’s not grass or a broadleaf weed. It features a triangle-shaped stem, unlike round grass-like stems, that you can feel if you pull the base up with your fingers. It is shiny, bright and greenish-yellow with erect stems that grow fast. Yellow nutsedge reproduces by underground tubers and produces golden seedheads.
It greatly disturbs healthy lawns by competing for nutrients and light, and might even completely wipe out vegetable crops.
Symptoms:
- Noticeable thicker, and taller blades above your normal turf
- Yellow flowers
Solution:
- Hand-weeding: A natural approach to treating yellow nutsedge is to pull them out when they’re young, around spring
- Herbicides: Apply selective herbicides. Traditional herbicides used on crabgrass and dandelions are ineffective on nutsedge
See Related:
— How to Identify and Get Rid of Nutsedge in Your Lawn
5. Moles
Moles are rodent-like critters that love wet, soft ground and munch on earthworms, ants, and grubs. They’ll dig and tunnel through your lawn in search of food and tend to leave a zigzag trail of raised soil when they come closer to the surface in spring.
Burrowing moles will damage plant roots, and you’ll eventually end up with an eaten-up lawn.
Symptoms:
- Unsightly patches and holes in the lawn
- Raised ridges across the yard
- Areas of squishy or loose soil
Solution:
- Trap them: The only humane way of dealing with moles is by trapping them. Depress the ridge of soil and set a mole trap in an active tunnel and the trap will go off when a mole moves through that tunnel.
- Barriers: Install a barrier of chicken wire extending one foot deep around your lawn to keep them from coming in. Not that this might not be too effective because moles can dig deeper to make their way.
- Noisemakers: Placing noisemakers or ultrasonic devices near the runs may help.
See Related:
— How to Get Rid of Moles in Your Yard
6. Brown patches
Irregularly shaped or circular areas of dead or brown grass are mostly caused by brown patch disease caused by fungal organisms. These organisms are called Rhizoctonia Solani. This fungus can attack a large variety of grass types, but the most common targets are tall fescue and perennial ryegrass.
The affected patches have irregular tan lesions and dark brown borders on their grass blades and typically remain upright.
Symptoms:
- Brown, irregular patches or circles ranging from 6-inches to several feet in diameter
- Lawn thinning
- Rotting at the base of grass blades
Solution:
- Aeration: Improve soil circulation by aerating to let air, water, and nutrients travel freely.
- Dethatching: Dethatch your lawn.
- Water your lawn: Water your lawn regularly, early in the morning, so the grass dries out completely before nightfall.
See Related:
— How to Get Rid of Brown Patch
7. Dog urine
Pets are lovely, but they can damage your lawn a great deal. If your lawn has developed small brown spots surrounded by dark green grass, know that it’s courtesy of your furry friend. Nitrogen in urine kills the grass where it is concentrated, i.e. the center of the spot.
You’re more likely to spot these brown areas in the grass during hot, dry weather when your lawn is already under stress. Animal repellents aren’t effective. The best way to handle this problem is to discourage your pet from urinating on the lawn.
Symptoms:
- Overly dry, brown or yellow spots in the grass
- A weak and stressed lawn
Solution:
- Watering: Thoroughly water the spot where your dog pees immediately after they’re done.
- Dog training: Train your dog to urinate in a designated spot where there’s mulch or gravel instead of grass.
- Mowing height: Raise your mowing height so the grass is less sensitive.
See Related:
— How to Repair Dog Pee Spots in Your Lawn
— How to Prevent Dog Pee Damage on Your Grass
8. Moss
Moss thrives in lawns that are under-fertilized, shady, wet, and compacted. It will take over such lawns quickly. It will sprout and spread all over a damp lawn in just a few short weeks. You’re more likely to encounter lawn moss in spring and autumn and often in lawns with poor drainage.
Moss spreads by spores and won’t leave your lawn unless you change the environmental conditions that encourage it. Acidic and compacted soil also result in moss development at times.
Symptoms:
- Loose, coarse, yellowish-green or green tufts between grass blades
- Dense mat and uneven color
Solution:
- Watering: If moss is present only in moist or low-lying areas, water only when these areas show signs of low moisture.
- Aeration: If the soil is compacted, hire a professional to aerate your lawn.
- Test your soil: Test your soil’s acidity or pH levels and then treat the soil accordingly. Lower the pH if the soil is too alkaline with the help of sulfur, and raise the pH of acidic soil with lime.
See Related:
— How to Get Rid of Moss in Your Lawn
— Benefits of Lime for Your Lawn
9. Bald or bare spots
There are many reasons for bare spots in an otherwise healthy, green lawn. High foot traffic or several types of diseases can cause bare spots on a lawn. It could be because of poor soil conditions, chemical spills, fungus, buried rocks, etc.
Bald or scalped patches could also be a result of mowing your lawn too short. It can also lead to moss and weed invasion. It’s important to address the real cause to get rid of bare spots on your lawn.
Symptoms:
- Irregular and dry patches where no grass is growing
- Areas of dead grass
- Exposed dirt
Solution:
- Reseed: Dig up these bare or bald spots, including a few inches of healthy grass around them, and lightly till the area. Layer in loose topsoil, then reseed, and finally, irrigate the lawn.
See Related:
— How to Fix Patchy Grass
10. Dandelions
Dandelions are an attractive flowering weed dearly loved by bees. This perennial weed thrives in thin lawns that are under-fertilized. They form thick, long taproots that may seem easy to pull out and get rid of.
But getting one flower out isn’t enough, you need to kill the entire root to eliminate the plant and prevent resprouting. Timing is crucial with dandelions. The right time to pull them out of your yard is before the flowers mature and start to spread seeds.
Symptoms:
- Distinctive yellow flowers
- Rosette pattern of budding saw-tooth leaves
- Windswept seeds forming snowballs
Solution:
- Hand-weeding: Pull plants and taproots out by hand with the help of a specialized fork-like tool called the “dandelion digger” and clear your yard.
- Herbicide: If you want to use a herbicide, go for a post-emergent herbicide that is designed to control broadleaf plants without causing damage to established grass. Apply it in the fall to target winter annuals too (because they begin to grow in autumn).
See Related:
— How to Get Rid of Dandelions
Lawn care is a continuous process that requires constant monitoring and proactive approaches to maintenance. And if you need help at any point, our local Lawn Love lawn care pros are here to help!
Main photo credit: Engin Akyurt | Pexels
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