How do I revive my dull back yard?

Liz15601199
by Liz15601199
My back yard has so much dry & brown matted grass that it doesn't grow nice green grass anymore. What can i do to it in the Spring to have a nice Summer lawn?

  8 answers
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Nov 27, 2017

    In the spring thatch the lawn,remove the debris,apply pelletized lime and fertilizer.Every six -eight weeks you should be feeding your lawn based on your grass type and location.

  • Shoshana Shoshana on Nov 27, 2017

    Use a rake to remove dead grass and roughen the soil, then apply new seed with a drop or rotary spreader. Be sure to press the seed into the dirt with either a lawn roller or gentle, evenly spaced footsteps. Also, try to keep the area moist, and fertilize it with a high-phosphorus seed-starting fertilizer.

    • Liz15601199 Liz15601199 on Nov 30, 2017

      Okay Thanks

      Unfortunately, it's so matted that ordinary raking is labor-intensive.

  • Robyn Garner Robyn Garner on Nov 27, 2017

    I agree that dethatching the grass is KEY!esI agree that dethatching the grass is KEY!

    " For small lawns or thatch less than 1 inch thick, consider removing thatch with a rake. Manuallydethatching causes the least amount of stress to alawn. A rake with hard tines may or may not work effectively to pull thatch to the soil surface."


    It may be best to hire a lawn company to dethatch and aerate for you as in your case you likely need special equipment:

    https://www.thespruce.com/dethatching-lawns-the-what-why-how-and-when-2131038


    If you have a riding mower, you can buy an attachment.


  • Amanda Amanda on Nov 27, 2017

    Hi Liza. I would fertilize it. I first start in spring with a crab grass preventer, and then in early summer with weed and feed, and last in fall with a winterizer. In spring I also put grass seed and milorganite in a spreader and go over the yard. Milorganite is all organic and can't burn the grass out and is safe for kids and pets.

  • Amanda Amanda on Nov 27, 2017

    I forgot one more thing. Aerate the lawn in spring and then again in fall. It does help tons!

  • Liz15601199 Liz15601199 on Nov 30, 2017

    Great! We do have a riding mower, we'll try it. Thx!

  • Gale Allen Jenness Gale Allen Jenness on Nov 30, 2017

    as the gentleman above suggested, aerating can make a huge difference! To stay with that subject your dirt and drainage can also be a huge issue to keeping a nice yard. Especially if you happen to live in a rainy area of the country? Standing water on a yard won’t take long to destroy a nice yard! If you have clay dirt it often won’t drain well and water just sits on it for long periods of time. Which can get mucky over time of staying wet. Yet in dry summers it’s like concrete to try and do anything with it! In some cases I have dug our whole back yards 2’-3’ deep and then put in a drainage system and added all new good dirt that will absorb water and drain more efficiently! This will also give your yard a lot better chance at remaining healthy for many years in the future and resolve the problems of standing water in your lawn! It’s work intensiv, especially if you have to dig it out all by hand? Also can be very expensive if you need to hire the work to be done? But if you got enough time on your hands and don’t mind the back breaking work? The cost isn’t too terrible and the rewards after your done are more then worth the effort having a nice maintain yard for decades into the future! Best of luck!