Does your lawn have ‘dry spots’?

Here are some reasons why dry spots occur…

Dry spots in your lawn are definitely unsightly but they can also be confusing. There’s many reasons they can occur and determining the reason will help to fix it and/or stop it happening again.

Diseases that can cause dry spots in your lawn include Spring Dead Spot, Dollar Spot and Brown Patch. These diseases are mostly characterised by circles of dying, browning, yellowing, dry patches in the lawn from the size of dollar coins to the size of dinner plates, and they are most prevalent in the warmer weather.

If the dry patch is exactly that – a patch of dry soil patch then it could be the result of a lack of water – take stock of your watering regime, any sprinkler system, your drainage and consider applying a wetting agent to help stop it from continuing. Sprinkler systems can become blocked or the heads can move (or be moved) so that over time certain parts of your lawn are missing out on their watering. Turn on the system and check to ensure they are all working correctly and covering the entire lawn.

• A lack of sunlight
• A lack of adequate drainage
• Compacted soil
• Lawn scalping
• Excess thatch 

All of these issues can cause dry looking spots in your lawn but are easily sorted with some fairly simple lawn care tasks such as trimming back overhanging branches that block sunlight, aerating the soil, vertimowing, and following a good lawn care regime.

Lawn can also dry out due to fertiliser burn or dog urine. To minimise the risk of fertiliser burn, always water in your application of fertiliser or apply it right before it rains.

So, if you have some bald spots in your lawn caused by a four-legged friend, we have the tips to help you to fix them.

• Use the back of a metal rake to remove any dead grass – it should come away quite easily;
• Add some lime to the bald spots to help realign the pH level of the soil below. Lime will not burn your lawn or your skin but ensure that you wear gloves, a mask and eye protection just for added safety;
• Cover with new soil to the level or slightly above the level of the other parts of the lawn;
• Apply fertiliser to the entire area to give the surrounding grass a boost and to stimulate growth. Ensure the bald spots receive their share to ensure the soil has the nutrients to encourage new growth;
• Water in the fertiliser thoroughly;
• Fence off the area containing the bald spots to stop any traffic (two and four leg) while the new grass is growing.

This method will only help if the dry spots are fairly small and surrounded by healthy grass plants. If your dog has caused damage to large section of your lawn, relaying of sections of turf may be required.

For the future health of your lawn it might be worth considering either a designated ‘toilet area’ or a product such as Dog Rocks to avoid this happening again throughout your lawn.

Once you know the reason for the dry spots you can take the right steps towards fixing the current issue and avoiding it in the future. For added guidance, tips and tricks just search the Daleys Turf lawn care articles.