# Dying grass needs help



## greentrees (Apr 28, 2012)

I purchased some sod from Lowes about 3 months ago. It was growing well, nice and green. About a month ago is started to brown. I watered it at sunset, and recently switched to the morning about 2 weeks ago. 

The weather has been warm the last month around 90 degrees with a several days in the 100s. 

Not sure what is wrong with the grass. 


https://picasaweb.google.com/MaiPen...=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNTH-ODImrg_&feat=directlink


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## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

In extreme heat grass will go dormant and turn brown. Try pulling up on the grass. If the piece of sod comes up, the roots didn't take and it probably won't come back. If it stays put, then keep it watered and it should turn green again once the weather cools.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

If the sod was more than 24-48 hours old from harvesting from the sod farm (not uncommon for box stores to still try and pawn it off on the unsuspecting when much older) you were tempting fate to get it established. It had but a marginal chance of sending down roots if it had been sitting longer. I am guessing if you pull a section up you will see it was just trying to grow in the sod layer alone as long as it could and it never had a fighting chance of rooting into the soil. 

You did prep the soil right? You didn't just lay sod on top of compacted soil? And you watered the sod as you laid it down and didn't wait until finished right?

Watering later in the day then turf can dry can invite fungus and insect problems so if you need to replace it, try and water early as you did toward the end. Decrease your watering frequency but increase the length of the cycle to encourage the sod to root. 

Doesn't Blowe's have a money back or replacement guarantee on plant materials?


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## greentrees (Apr 28, 2012)

There doesn't seem much I can do at this time, just kept the watering schedule and see if it turns green when the weather cools. Lowes does have a return policy of up to one year on plants. I believe it will apply to the sod. I planted the sod around April, so I have until next year to see if it can survive. 

I did prep the soil prior to putting the sod down and did water it as I put it down. It was very lush and green the first month or two and than started to turn brown. The heat definitely seem to change things. 

Is it best to lay sod in the spring or in the fall? The spring has the issue with summer heat, whereas fall has the issue with the winter cold. It gets over 100 in the summer about 10 days a year here, and just as many days in the low to mid 30s.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I specified, planted and managed turf mainly in Northern California and around the San Francisco Bay Area---and surrounds. Fall was my favorite time of year for planting because, as you point out there is less danger from heat stress and even in the mild climate, the grass goes semi-dormant and shifts energy into its root systems rather than to top growth. 

While there were winter nights and early morning when the temps dropped into the 30s the temp seldom stayed there for long and there never was an issue with ground freezing like we experience here. If air temps dropped to 32F or below, frost could be hard on fresh, new grass shoots in newly seeded or sodded lawns but turning the sprinklers on early in the morning to rinse it off alleviated that problem. 

I was not always a big fan of sod in California clay soils and found that long term, seeded---or better yet hydroseeded---turf established faster and stronger. Sod does provide a nice instant green look though. That said, you have such small areas that sod is not overly expensive and may be a good alternative for you.

Just remember it is a transplant product and making contact between FRESH sod and the soil is key. As you know, if you saturate the clay soil too much it turns hard and if you cannot get a shovel in it, sod roots (or seedling roots for that matter) are not going to penetrate either. So ammending the soil is important and tweaking watering so as not to oversaturate either the soil or the thin sod layers is key. Guess wrong and you can end up growing a sod layer that never roots for years---assuming you are not water rationed. 

Good luck. Let us know how it works out. You have such a small area you might try a hose end aerator to see if that helps your situation. If turf continues to be problematic, and given water rationing will continue to effect at least Northern California (so Southern California can have its water for washing celebrity cars and filling swimming pools) you might think about planting a nice, textured, heat resistant ground cover or two instead. You can water it in gallons per hour with drip instead of in gallons per minute like turf.


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## greentrees (Apr 28, 2012)

It's almost a year later. The grass looks about the same...turning brown. It was very green and long a few months ago. But now it looks like it will turn brown like last year. I think the ground is too hard for the roots to establish. 

Should I just pull out the lawn and stick with some ground cover? I have some nice ground cover that doesn't need as much water, and can grow in clay soil.

Or should I try to amend the soil with something so the grass grows better.


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## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

Dig up a plug and see if the roots took. If it's going dormant the same time each year, it's likely "normal". What part of CA are you in?


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## greentrees (Apr 28, 2012)

I took out a clump and took a photo. The ground is really hard. I had trouble just to dig a hole just to get underneath the root. It seems to have taken, but I don't think water gets deep enough. 

What is the best way to get water down low? Should I just dig some holes (maybe I need a hammer). 

Not sure how to soften the soil. I have some top soil and compost that I can put on top, but I don't think it will soften the soil.


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## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

Try an aerator to poke holes. Then spread the compost over the lawn in a thin layer so it gets into the holes.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

All that grass needs is water. Modify your watering technique. With that type of soil it needs a drip irrigation for at least 12 hours once / week in hot dry weather.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Your soil is the problem. I would bring in a real Sod company and have them give you a plan on what needs to be done to correct this. You can also contact the University of California Ag extension office in your area. http://ucanr.edu/County_Offices/ They can tell you exactly what needs to be done to correct.


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## greentrees (Apr 28, 2012)

I have an aerator and tried to use it several times. It puts a hole about 3 inches deep. The grass grew nicely when it rained, so a drip would be nice but a bit of work for a small patch of grass. I'll probably try to dig some small holes with a shovel and fill it with compost and see if that helps. Or would it just wash away. Maybe sand would help?


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Talk to the ag office before you do anything. They will take a soil sample, then tell you what needs to be done.

With Compost you have to be careful. Depending on where you get it from. Depends on what was added.


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## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

It would help to know the variety of grass. 

Where I live, my lawn will go dormant in the summer when it gets hot. The whole thing turns brown but greens up again when it cools off and it rains. 

Sounds like you have a similar situation. Did a small hole and fill it with water. If it doesn't drain, sand and compost will help. If water drains right out, then just compost. 

Start with the grass variety first.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

A drip too much work?

Rather than spraying a couple of gallons of water once per day to water the surface, try laying the garden hose down with a stream of water about the size of pencil lead and leaving it for the day. Your choice, either soak it or look at it like it is. Sand? , I live in it and it has 0 value in this application.


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## Indepspirit (Apr 30, 2014)

If I were you I would take up the grass and take it back to Lowes then amend your soil and replant the sod. The hard soil here in CA must be properly amended to become loose soil. CA soil is usually low in silt and sand, sticky and slippery in winter, and hard and dry in summer. Even though the clay soil is high in nutrients, it doesn't allow roots to breathe and water to properly drain. Additionally, the compacted soil makes root penetration difficult. Incorrectly amending hard soil can worsen it and make it hard as cement. 

Water the soil to help soften the hard surface. Avoid drenching and over-watering the soil, but use enough water to moisten it. Allow the moisture to penetrate into the soil over two days. Cultivate the soil to a depth of 8 inches. Dig up the soil and loosen it, using a spading fork. Remove any rocks, and pulverize lumps and clods. Wait two days so the dug up soil dries. Spray water over the soil to moisten it and rake the soil surface to further remove clumps. Spread a 2-inch layer of organic material, such as compost or leaf mold, over the soil surface. Use a shovel to incorporate the material into the soil at the full depth of 8 inches. Repeat this step until you've created a bed that consists of 50 percent native soil to 50 percent organic material. Spread gypsum over the soil surface at a rate of 1 pound per 5 square feet. Work it into the soil at a depth of 8 inches. Gypsum helps take apart clay particles and promotes soil porosity. Get a test kit and test the soil to see what else you need to add or remove from the soil. 

Now you should be ready to put the sod down. Bermuda, St. Augustine and Zoysia are the grasses I have found that grow best here in CA. Theses grasses grow strongly when the soil temps are between 70 and 90 F and the air reaches a balmy 80 to 95 F. The go dormant when the weather gets cooler (not when the weather is hot like cool weather grasses do). During hot summers, when temperatures rise above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, grass usually needs 2 inches of water per week. If you water deeply twice per week, the moisture should be able to penetrate deeply into the roots. During high temperatures, it is best to water in the morning, as when the sun is scorching overhead, the water has less chance of getting to the roots before evaporating.


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## greentrees (Apr 28, 2012)

gregzoll said:


> Talk to the ag office before you do anything. They will take a soil sample, then tell you what needs to be done.
> 
> With Compost you have to be careful. Depending on where you get it from. Depends on what was added.


Nice website. Has a section on Gardening with limited water. Clay soil is very common here, so I will call them during the week when they are open. Can I just buy the compost at Home Depot and spread it lightly over the grass? Over time it will soak into the ground?




djlandkpl said:


> It would help to know the variety of grass.
> 
> Where I live, my lawn will go dormant in the summer when it gets hot. The whole thing turns brown but greens up again when it cools off and it rains.
> 
> ...


Not much rain in California, so most of the time the grass is brown. When it did rain, the grass was really green but might have been due to the weather being so cool every day. I may must dig several holes, but compost in them and see what happens? Bought the lawn from Home Depot, so no idea what kind of variety it is.



Fairview said:


> A drip too much work?
> 
> Rather than spraying a couple of gallons of water once per day to water the surface, try laying the garden hose down with a stream of water about the size of pencil lead and leaving it for the day. Your choice, either soak it or look at it like it is. Sand? , I live in it and it has 0 value in this application.


I was trying to use less water since California is in a drought, but finding that the grass takes much more water than ground cover. I don't want to leave the water on, since I will probably forget about it. I have cement between my spout and the garden, so I would have to dig under the cement to get a drip system installed.

I might just convert the area to ground cover. I have some nice ground cover in another part of the backyard that takes little water, and stays green all year. I posted some pics. Not sure what kind of ground cover it is, but one of the best I have ever seen. Can't even find it at the local nurseries.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Be careful with watering. This is the Drought map for California. http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-california-drought-monitor-map.php http://ca.gov/drought/


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## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

Switching to a non water intensive plant is a great idea. You could transplant some of the ground cover you like and see if it spreads.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

The garden hose drip was just a suggestion as a temporary to determine if drought was the problem, and I strongly believe it is. If it is then you have more information on corrective measures, grass, ground cover, stone garden, or other. 

To prevent forgetting here is a tip so you can multi-task without forgetting unless you forget what you set the timer for. :laughing:

If you have a cell phone, set the duck quacker on the timer. If it starts quacking turn it off quickly if you are in a super market or department store. If you need to accomplish 3 things simultaneously, then use the alarm function too. Life can really get complicated.


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