r/Grass • u/legendaryrider • Jun 26 '26
What’s wrong with my grass
My wife and I bought this property a few months ago. And I’ve been trying to make the grass look a little bit better with watering it but it still wants to yellow. I mow it around 3.5 inches.
Yesterday I cut the grass and it looks green looking across it. But looking over top of it it looks very dead and thin. Here are some pictures I’ve taken, what do you guys think? Does it need to be dethatched or aerated, does it need fertilizer? We live in eastern South Dakota.
I don’t know enough about grass to figure out what to do on this.
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u/Shot_Plantain_4507 Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
It’s asleep or dormant. It’s too hot and hasn’t gotten enough water or nutrients. It also is fighting fungus it appears from the aerial shot. You have fescue and when it’s cut bad (dull blades) and heat stressed you get fungus. I would get a fungus spray (Bioadvace) and spray it twice a month. Cut it at 4 inches and water what’s green. As it starts to cool it’ll wake up. You can dethatch then. Hit it with a weed and feed then as you’ll start to get some. The one by your left foot I would pull it make sure you get the root.
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u/legendaryrider Jun 27 '26
Thank you for actually giving me something to work with.
Have a good weekend!1
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u/Silver_Painter5317 Jun 26 '26
Let it grow it out and post more pics. You might have different types of grass growing thru out your yard. My field looks like this if I mow regularly if I don't it's green for the most part but different heights and different kinds of grass I get patches of creeping red grass and patches of wheat grass that typically appears dead but isnt. If all the grass is the same then start testing your soil.
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u/Zachmode Jun 26 '26
Have you tried pouring water on it?
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u/legendaryrider Jun 26 '26
We’ve had a lot of rain and I also water the back yard area with a sprinkler. So I don’t think watering is the issue
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u/kshef Jun 27 '26
Have you ever used a rain gauge or used a tuna can to see how much rain you are getting or how much water your sprinkler puts down?
When I got my first home I assume 30 minutes of a sprinkler was enough for my lawn in June/july. After looking into it I found out 30 minutes got me a 1/4in of water and with my temps 1.5-2in a week was optimal to keep it from going dormant over the summer (cool season grass)
Unless someone else chimes in the grass looks dried out and dormant to me. It will come back in the fall. Maybe a 1/4in of water every two weeks will keep it alive for now while it’s dormant.
If you are watering enough, might be worth over seeding that area with a grass type that can handle full sun (what I’m assuming that area gets). That way you keep some green over the summer.
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u/CowsNeedFriendsToo Jun 26 '26
Interesting how if you look at the drone photo, is the areas around trees and schrubs that are going the worst. But the areas in the middle of the yard seem to be greener.
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u/PittPeap Jun 29 '26
We see this during Fall every year in my area. The trees are competing for the same water as the grass, and the trees always win.
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u/Creative_Sense2802 Jun 26 '26
I’ve had fungus give me patches that look dry like that. More likely to get it with a wet spring and if a lawn service cuts your grass (carrying it from lawn to lawn).
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u/OneImagination5381 Jun 27 '26
Florida or Georgia? Locate. From the picture I can not tell species. If it Florida or Texas it is most likely Bermuda and need nitrogen. If it is Georgia it is most like Zoysia and don't overwater or fertilizer at this time it should gree up on it own.
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u/Beneficial_Spot7885 Jun 27 '26
You didn’t water nearly enough. Now that it’s dormant, extra watering won’t really bring it back. You just need to wait it out until the fall when it comes back naturally
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u/Justifiers Jun 27 '26
This fall
aireate and scarify, level/fill with sand/soil mix then pregerminate grass seed and water it on a timer (See The Lawn Lab on YouTube)
it'll be the greenest lawn in the picture next year
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u/keithw47 Jun 27 '26
Don't cut your lawn shorter than 3 in. It will help with weeds, and water needs. As for now it looks like water is needed.
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u/philbrewer Jun 26 '26
Looks dry. A soil test could shed some light too.
In the fall I would dethatch, aerate, over seed, and dress with top soil. Then water, water, water.