Lawn Discoloration and Overgrown Grass Leave Homeowners Guessing
Several users are experiencing issues with their lawns, ranging from unusual discoloration and growth patterns to difficulty managing overgrown grass. Concerns include identifying the cause of problems (sun reflection, unknown diseases) and finding effective solutions for cutting long grass or installing artificial turf.
SOURCES (60)
“Looks like contractor-grade tall fescue. It's very drought resistant, but not very pretty”
“Alabama here. Should I cut this down to 1.5" today? I know it will be brown. Just scares me a bit. submitted by /u/Sunday-Money [link] [comments]”
“I'd recommend Zeon Zoysia if you're looking for the best all-around option. It has a fine texture, dense growth, and tolerates a bit more shade than some other varieties. If you expect heavier foot traffic, Palisades Zoysia is another great choice since it's a little tougher while still being low maintenance. You really can't go wrong with either.”
“I got some kind of grass in a “patch repair” shaker bottle once and whatever was in there grew like crazy. I want to say it was fescue. I had to put glyphosate on all those parts and re seed. That was like ten years ago.”
“Bent grass is the grass on putting greens. It looks nice when cut short but looks ragged when it gets taller.”
“Bermuda as well. I don’t think anyone has Zoysia. I’m pretty sure everyone is using Bermuda hybrids or kbg hybrids like you already mentioned. Or….artificial”
“Hello all! we need to seed our backyard, but don’t know what kind of grass seed to get any ideas? We are in the PNW. submitted by /u/Silly-Appearance-571 [link] [comments]”
“My grass (centipede) keeps growing despite the heat like nothing happened. For me as long as it gets water the heat isn’t an issue for it. I do keep it longer later in the summer so it keeps water at the roots better”
“All, I posted here a few months ago hoping to get some help with my lawn. I have Bermuda grass and am located in Georgia. I just moved into the house in December and started with a pretty rough yard. This spring/summer I aerated, leveled with a sand and compost mix, fertilized and cut 1-2x a week. I got over taken by nutsedge in the process. Two rounds of sledgehammer and it didn’t make much of a difference. Finally used an ortho nutsedge that attaches to the hose and it killed it all. Now I’m j”
“Pretty much just every weekend, although by late August and September I can often let it go 2 weeks.”
“Hey all! I have been mowing and weed eating all my life, but am just now gaining a deeper interest in my own lawn care. I moved in to a new build property 4 years back. When I first moved in, my yard was nothing but red clay. While I am very happy to have grown some amount of turf and much prefer that to the muddy red clay, I am aware that it is mostly all weeds and needs a good amount of work. I’m looking for some direction and advice from some of you with more experience dealing with these typ”
“In Michigan. How do i get my lawn lush and green next spring/summer? I believe it’s ky blue grass. submitted by /u/Glittering_Kiwi814 [link] [comments]”
“Hi, friends, I live in Central Florida. I struggle with mental health issues, and have never been able to successfully maintain my half acre lawn (due to financial limitations, repetitively breaking equipment, limited capacity, etc). It got to the point where it had been at least a year since it had been cut, and was obviously only getting worse. And I’m concerned about it damaging my property (mostly with vines growing up my buildings, and getting overgrown around my AC/well), so I’m trying to”
“Is this Bermuda or maybe seashore paspalum? I can’t quite tell. Foot for scale. submitted by /u/swion [link] [comments]”
“Fine fescue, it’s the most shade tolerant cool season grass. I use united seeds vanguard under my silver maple and white pines.”
“I noticed a lot of my neighbors have this lush carpet like grass i was wondering what type it was. Thanks. West Tennessee area btw. submitted by /u/XYZFlare1 [link] [comments]”
“Hey everyone, I just moved into a new place in Northern California (Central Valley area) and I’m looking for some advice on how to properly maintain the lawn. I’ve got a single-story house with a standard front and backyard setup, but this is my first time managing a lawn in this climate. The summers out here get incredibly hot and dry, and I know water conservation is a big deal in CA, so I want to be smart about it. A few things I could use help with: Identification: I'm not entirely s”
“really appreciate the detailed breakdown. the point about buying from a place that services mowers is something i hadn't fully considered. i've been looking at a few dealers and one of them carries a brand that seems to have a good reputation for homeowner reliability. the fuel tip is also helpful, i'll make sure to use ethanol free. definitely leaning toward zero turn after reading this.”
“robot mowers are definitely interesting but i'm not sure i'm ready to go that route yet. the technology seems cool but i worry about it handling the mild slope and trees without getting stuck. i've been looking at some more traditional options and one brand seems to have a good reputation for durability that keeps coming up in my research. still exploring though.”
“Damn... my lawn is toast because of the water restriction (n van). I should take a leaf out of my neighbour and get my kids to run around the front lawn and spray them with the hose. "See that brown patch over there, run over there...." Spray...”
“Fighting Bermuda grass in a dog park. Can't really use any herbicides despite some of them claiming to be okay around pets. Solarization sounds great, and natural, but not sure about leaving plastic in place for weeks on end. Is there anything that would mimic the chemical aspect of plastic on plants? Like a quick spray of artwork protection or something similar? submitted by /u/Popular-Broccoli9058 [link] [comments]”
He only suppressed temporarily, it will be back next summer.
“Didn't know one could simply kill bermuda... But in all seriousness at you'd probably make it a little yellow, top growth a bit crispy/stunted at most with that combo. Most major retail weed killers are made with a bit fudge factor and one generally has try to kill 'muda in the south during summer.”
“Last house and current house both about an acre - I went from a Sears special Craftsman garden tractor type to a Scag zero turn. Both about the same deck size. Zero turns are significantly faster, but on just an acre...that doesn't translate into much time saved. 10 minutes less, depending on obstacles. ZTR is faster and can maneuver better, but if you zip in a circle around a tree, it'll wreck your grass, so you don't really use that "zero" part of it much lol If your yard”
“Hi everyone, First post here. I live in Roswell, GA (20 minutes north of Atlanta), and just redid my backyard and used emerald zoysia sod. The sod was installed 2 weeks ago. Several pieces are completely covered in crabgrass. Is it ok to use a post-emergent or should I just leave it this season? If it is ok to use which one is recommended? I read several articles, but when they got into tillage, temp range, etc. I got very overwhelmed. Thanks for any help! submitted by /u/holymackrel”
“Get some 2-4-D. It's broadleaf discriminate so you can broadcast your entire lawn without affecting the grass. It won't kill other invasive grasses though.”
“The key is longer grass equals longer roots, and more shade for the soil. When those three things combine, you have a much more drought tolerant green color lawn. If its kept that long from spring to september, you can lower the height a half inch to 1 inch in october-november so leaf clean up is easier on shorter grass. But It looks like somebody cut it way too short, and when it was very hot outside, and it just never recovered. Also, if the lawn is much taller, it will kill the weeds because”
“this is a picture of my lawn Via drone. its an older picture but its all i have to work with. the tree is gone now... how would you cut this lawn? i have a cub cadet ltx1046 and i just do circles blowing everything outwards and when im fishined i find my yard looking disappointing... does anybody have any ideas or patterns i can cut to help look better? submitted by /u/Green-Activity597 [link] [comments]”
“Disclaimer - I'm NOT an expert. I killed off a big chunk of my back yard grass just to give it all a fresh start. I planted centipede about 7 weeks ago in the back 1/4 of my back yard and then planted another section of it about 4 weeks ago. I've honestly been just pulling up most weeds by hand (usually sometime after it's been water since they'll pull up even easier). I suppose it depends on what size area you're dealing with to determine if you want to do that or not. It ki”
“Recently purchased a home in Texas. What type of grass is this and what are the maintenance recommendations? submitted by /u/Revooh17 [link] [comments]”
“Magical non growing dry grass because we aren’t watering it grass. It’s really common in a lot of places. Idk where you are that brown grass is still growing actively.”
“Located in Idaho. I’m looking for the best and or recommended method for applying Chelated Iron to my cool season lawn. Hose end sprayer or pump sprayer? submitted by /u/drewbinator [link] [comments]”
“My $20 Facebook Marketplace mower wouldn't go above 3 inches, so I improvised. Maybe now my fescue won't fry every time it gets hot here in GA, USA. submitted by /u/GeoMoth [link] [comments]”
“It’s just fine fescue. It looks less terrible unmowed than other turfgrass, but regular mowing also helps keep weeds in check. Look up a 100% fine fescue shade mix for a cheaper alternative.”
“Cool season vs. warm season grass if I were to guess. The world is also quite big—lot of different weather even if you do have cool season grass.”
“I mow during heatwaves so that the time I’m doing my last few swipes, the sun is below the horizon. Mild browning but for the most part it’s green”
“Pavement is 100 of degrees in summer and the wheels just cook the grass when driven on it”
“Got these tall lighter coloured blades popping up all over my lawn right now. Each stem seem to produce two blades at a time. I think this is quackgrass? What's the best way to get rid of it? submitted by /u/soup_mode [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice on my mom’s backyard. My dad passed away five years ago, and since then the yard has become overwhelming for her to manage. I’m trying to help her get it back into shape, but we’re not sure where to start. One of the biggest issues is a tree that started growing in the shrubs along the fence (see photos). It should have been removed years ago, but life got in the way. Now it has grown through the fence, and we’re worried it will be expensive if the fence”
“TTTF is the most drought tolerant cool season grass. Thrives in full sun and tolerates shade well too.”
“I’m in Tulsa, OK. I just bought this house, but I’m not sure what kind of grass this is. I thought it was Bermuda, but it looks like crabgrass. submitted by /u/Ok_Effect670 [link] [comments]”
“I am located in GA, and trying to make my grass better. I am mowing around every 2-3 days. The year gets decent sun throughout the day, and as I am downhill from my neighbor, I think the water tends to drain into the soil on my side of the road(if that makes sense). It grows extremely quickly. I can’t figure out what kind of grass I have based on googling and AI, so I don’t know how to go about treating it selectively for the non-dominant grasses. Any hep would be appreciated. First 3 photos are”
“I am located in GA, and trying to make my grass better. I am mowing around every 2-3 days. The year gets decent sun throughout the day, and as I am downhill from my neighbor, I think the water tends to drain into the soil on my side of the road(if that makes sense). It grows extremely quickly. I can’t figure out what kind of grass I have based on googling and AI, so I don’t know how to go about treating it selectively for the non-dominant grasses. Any hep would be appreciated. First 3 photos are”
“Not a perfect lawn, but it still stripes up well. Northern Nova Scotia! submitted by /u/Saturated8 [link] [comments]”
“So as a fellow once professional. I think it’s very much regional. In the prairies I don’t encounter too many issues. In the mountains there are just more rocks and uneven surfaces to brush against. So it’s possible your experiences are both valid while both being good at your work. Just locational differences.”
“Hey all, my lawn (front and back) is just dead grass and weeds. We’re in Eugene Oregon. I want to prepare for a complete overhaul. My plan is to rent a sod cutter and get rid of everything front and back. Add topsoil and seed around September. Just want to see if I should be doing anything different/beforehand? Thanks. (I know it looks terrible. Bought the house then had a baby. Not much time until now.) submitted by /u/Hatronach [link] [comments]”