What workarounds did people try for "Why does my lawn pull up like a mat?"?

Community members documented 143 workarounds: 1. Wait to re-seed in the spring 2. cutting the grass at a higher level 3. watering and fertilizing regularly 4. spraying with a herbicide and praying for rain 5. Raking out dead grass and covering bare patches with topsoil and seed 6. Pre-germinating seeds in a plastic bin before dispersing 7. Dethatching followed by overseeding 8. Mowing low, raking and bagging dead grass, loosening soil, adding seed, and top-dressing with topsoil or peat moss. 9. Waiting it out and starting to water once possible to let resilient grass types recover naturally without overseeding. 10. Watering heavily to dilute or wash the soil 11. Shoveling off the top inch of dirt and adding fresh topsoil 12. Using a soil test kit to check nutrient levels 13. Dethatching and aerating the soil 14. watering heavily every few days 15. checking for chinch bugs along the perimeter 16. applying fungicides like ohp6672 17. using bifenthrin for worms and chinch bugs 18. Using plug aerators, liquid sprayers, and topsoil spreaders 19. watering manually 20. checking for chinch bugs 21. increasing watering duration 22. using in-ground sprinklers 23. raising the mower height 24. firing the lawn treatment company and mowing service 25. doing own fertilizing and pre emergent 26. hiring a new mower 27. Putting down half the fertilizer walking in one direction and the second half in a perpendicular direction 28. Waiting for mapping services to eventually update their imagery over the years 29. core aerating the lawn and bare spots 30. putting new soil or compost down in bare areas 31. seeding bare areas and overseeding the rest of the lawn 32. Filling low spots later with some topsoil 33. Laying out a thin layer of topdressing and smoothing it with a tool once the grass has come up 34. Installing an under-deck ceiling system to catch dripping water 35. Putting down a layer of river rock to prevent splashback and cover the dirt 36. Wait until the grass is established after a couple of mows and add a thin layer of top-dress at a time. 37. Applying grub killer and fertilizer 38. Adjusting watering frequency from daily to every other day 39. Gently raking and removing matted, dead grass 40. Letting the area dry up completely and reseeding 41. Delaying mowing or mowing on the highest setting 42. Resodding the area repeatedly 43. Guessing at potential underlying causes such as irrigation, drainage, soil compaction, fungus, or pests 44. Changing watering schedule from twice a day to once a day for a longer duration 45. Planning to aerate and overseed the lawn in October 46. Applying a light dose or spot treatment of liquid nitrogen 47. Fertilizing based on a regular schedule 48. Watering 2 to 3 times daily 49. Waiting until week 2 or 3 for further germination before taking action 50. Throwing down more seed on persistent bare patches after the first mow 51. laying down disease treatment 52. cutting out the dead areas and resodding them 53. putting down a new lawn with sod 54. using proper seed, fertilizer, and elbow grease 55. investigating underlying conditions like soil compaction and shade 56. Painting the lawn with grass paint 57. Prepping to overseed despite the warm temperature 58. Dethatching with a rake 59. Using lawn patch products made mostly of mulch 60. Putting down seed and covering with straw 61. Using topsoil or compost before seeding and covering lightly with more soil 62. paying violation fees 63. using green spray paint or green sand 64. putting down gravel as a yard feature 65. requesting an extension from the HOA 66. applying fertilizer, compost, or starting over with sod 67. overseeding 68. nuking and replacing the lawn 69. adjusting sprinkler coverage to hit missing gaps 70. applying fertilizer with nitrogen 71. using compost tea 72. booking a company to tear out the lawn and 6 inches of dirt, get new top soil and sod 73. Watering the area a lot 74. Digging up the spot and throwing down a couple pieces of sod 75. Rototilling the bad sections 76. Raking out stones and sticks 77. Overseeding with a store-bought seed mix 78. Aerating the compacted soil 79. Applying 1.5 inches of water per week and nitrogen 80. Checking local water restrictions and embracing the brown grass 81. Removing the top 6-8 inches of soil mixed with wood shavings and replacing it with fresh topsoil or lawn soil 82. Letting nature take its course over a few years for the decomposition process to finish 83. Rake dead spots heavily in the spring and put down seed with peat moss 84. Extending garden beds over the root areas and covering them with mulch instead of trying to maintain a lawn over them 85. Mowing the established grass and applying more seed, top dressing, and starter fertilizer to the thin areas 86. Buying large bulk bags of solid fertilizer for small turf areas 87. Using water-soluble hose-end sprayers for localized spot treatments 88. Core aerating, adding top soil, and regrading 89. Aerating, seeding, and watering 90. Waiting until late summer or fall to overseed and renovate 91. Overseeding immediately in the spring 92. Researching grass types and planning a lawn care routine for the future 93. Mowing low, scarifying, core aerating, and spreading seed and fertilizer 94. trying another round of seeding 95. Aerate, seed, and lots of water 96. Checking soil depth with a screwdriver to test for rocks or gravel backfill 97. Letting the grass grow very tall 98. Raking up dead spots, adding topsoil, and overseeding 99. Checking for grub damage 100. Throwing down more seed and hoping for the best 101. Waiting to do dormant seeding or waiting until spring 102. Moving hoses and area sprinklers manually every day 103. Spraying weeds with tenacity and dethatching 104. Waiting for the contractor to return and finish the unfinished areas 105. Watering the lawn manually 106. Upping the watering frequency 107. Adding top dressing or top soil to the gaps to keep edges from crisping up 108. Hand watering dry areas 109. Putting down more seed (PRG) 110. Overseeding with different grass varieties like KBG 111. Adjusting height of cut 112. tilling the area and haphazardly adding top soil and grass seed 113. covering seeded areas with sphagnum moss 114. consistently reseeding in both the spring and the fall 115. mowing with a bagger to pick up debris and leaves 116. pulling weeds out by hand 117. hiring a company to do aeration and overseed 118. mixing in topsoil to fill holes and flatten the yard 119. adding a very light layer of peat moss on top of the seed 120. Raking up the cores and throwing them away 121. Leaving the cores on the lawn to break down naturally 122. Top dressing the lawn with compost or topsoil 123. reducing watering frequency to 1-1.5 inches per week over 2-3 days 124. mowing more frequently 125. treating or checking for lawn fungus like pythium 126. Leaving the bare soil as-is through the winter and waiting until spring to plant permanent grass 127. Planting annual ryegrass as a temporary cover crop for the winter and killing it off before planting permanent grass 128. reseeding the patches 129. putting down railroad ballast and capping it with 57s stone 130. adding material against the house to prevent a negative slope 131. regrading the area away from the foundation 132. Watering daily to keep the soil damp 133. Waiting until early spring to loosen the soil and reseed 134. Raking out the dead grass to clear the area. 135. Applying fungicide to treat active fungus. 136. Waiting for temperatures to cool down before reseeding the bare spots. 137. Digging up the yard by hand, shaking off the soil, and manually sifting out weeds. 138. Using a core aerator to pull deep plugs and topdressing with compost to slowly mix the layers. 139. Covering the area with cardboard and relying on worms to naturally break down and mix the soil. 140. Keeping dogs restricted to a certain section of the yard 141. Fertilising as a first pass 142. Checking for and fixing compacted soil 143. Keeping the lawn watered during the summer

Why does my lawn pull up like a mat?

Grass that pulls away from the dirt with shallow roots indicates a severe thatch buildup or root rot that prevents grass from anchoring into the soil. This stops the lawn from absorbing water and nutrients properly, creating expanding dead spots when mown low or during seasonal stress.

Overview

Last updated Oct 31, 2026

People affected72 accounts across 2 forums

Workarounds found143 items attempted

Community agreement628 total upvotes

What the numbers show

Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count

The most recent one is from October 2026.
This comes up 27.1× more often in r/lawncare than across the site as a whole.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

143 items+ Contribute

Found another way around this?

Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.

1
Wait to re-seed in the spring
3 people mentioned
Did this help you?
2
cutting the grass at a higher level
Did this help you?
3
watering and fertilizing regularly
Did this help you?
4
spraying with a herbicide and praying for rain
Did this help you?
5
Raking out dead grass and covering bare patches with topsoil and seed
Did this help you?
6
Pre-germinating seeds in a plastic bin before dispersing
Did this help you?
7
Dethatching followed by overseeding
Did this help you?
8
Mowing low, raking and bagging dead grass, loosening soil, adding seed, and top-dressing with topsoil or peat moss.
Did this help you?
9
Waiting it out and starting to water once possible to let resilient grass types recover naturally without overseeding.
Did this help you?
10
Watering heavily to dilute or wash the soil
Did this help you?
11
Shoveling off the top inch of dirt and adding fresh topsoil
Did this help you?
12
Using a soil test kit to check nutrient levels
Did this help you?
13
Dethatching and aerating the soil
Did this help you?
14
watering heavily every few days
Did this help you?
15
checking for chinch bugs along the perimeter
Did this help you?
16
applying fungicides like ohp6672
Did this help you?
17
using bifenthrin for worms and chinch bugs
Did this help you?
18
Using plug aerators, liquid sprayers, and topsoil spreaders
Did this help you?
19
watering manually
Did this help you?
20
checking for chinch bugs
Did this help you?
21
increasing watering duration
Did this help you?
22
using in-ground sprinklers
Did this help you?
23
raising the mower height
Did this help you?
24
firing the lawn treatment company and mowing service
Did this help you?
25
doing own fertilizing and pre emergent
Did this help you?
26
hiring a new mower
Did this help you?
27
Putting down half the fertilizer walking in one direction and the second half in a perpendicular direction
Did this help you?
28
Waiting for mapping services to eventually update their imagery over the years
Did this help you?
29
core aerating the lawn and bare spots
Did this help you?
30
putting new soil or compost down in bare areas
Did this help you?
31
seeding bare areas and overseeding the rest of the lawn
Did this help you?
32
Filling low spots later with some topsoil
Did this help you?
33
Laying out a thin layer of topdressing and smoothing it with a tool once the grass has come up
Did this help you?
34
Installing an under-deck ceiling system to catch dripping water
Did this help you?
35
Putting down a layer of river rock to prevent splashback and cover the dirt
Did this help you?
36
Wait until the grass is established after a couple of mows and add a thin layer of top-dress at a time.
Did this help you?
37
Applying grub killer and fertilizer
Did this help you?
38
Adjusting watering frequency from daily to every other day
Did this help you?
39
Gently raking and removing matted, dead grass
Did this help you?
40
Letting the area dry up completely and reseeding
Did this help you?
41
Delaying mowing or mowing on the highest setting
Did this help you?
42
Resodding the area repeatedly
Did this help you?
43
Guessing at potential underlying causes such as irrigation, drainage, soil compaction, fungus, or pests
Did this help you?
44
Changing watering schedule from twice a day to once a day for a longer duration
Did this help you?
45
Planning to aerate and overseed the lawn in October
Did this help you?
46
Applying a light dose or spot treatment of liquid nitrogen
Did this help you?
47
Fertilizing based on a regular schedule
Did this help you?
48
Watering 2 to 3 times daily
Did this help you?
49
Waiting until week 2 or 3 for further germination before taking action
Did this help you?
50
Throwing down more seed on persistent bare patches after the first mow
Did this help you?
51
laying down disease treatment
Did this help you?
52
cutting out the dead areas and resodding them
Did this help you?
53
putting down a new lawn with sod
Did this help you?
54
using proper seed, fertilizer, and elbow grease
Did this help you?
55
investigating underlying conditions like soil compaction and shade
Did this help you?
56
Painting the lawn with grass paint
Did this help you?
57
Prepping to overseed despite the warm temperature
Did this help you?
58
Dethatching with a rake
Did this help you?
59
Using lawn patch products made mostly of mulch
Did this help you?
60
Putting down seed and covering with straw
Did this help you?
61
Using topsoil or compost before seeding and covering lightly with more soil
Did this help you?
62
paying violation fees
Did this help you?
63
using green spray paint or green sand
Did this help you?
64
putting down gravel as a yard feature
Did this help you?
65
requesting an extension from the HOA
Did this help you?
66
applying fertilizer, compost, or starting over with sod
Did this help you?
67
overseeding
Did this help you?
68
nuking and replacing the lawn
Did this help you?
69
adjusting sprinkler coverage to hit missing gaps
Did this help you?
70
applying fertilizer with nitrogen
Did this help you?
71
using compost tea
Did this help you?
72
booking a company to tear out the lawn and 6 inches of dirt, get new top soil and sod
Did this help you?
73
Watering the area a lot
Did this help you?
74
Digging up the spot and throwing down a couple pieces of sod
Did this help you?
75
Rototilling the bad sections
Did this help you?
76
Raking out stones and sticks
Did this help you?
77
Overseeding with a store-bought seed mix
Did this help you?
78
Aerating the compacted soil
Did this help you?
79
Applying 1.5 inches of water per week and nitrogen
Did this help you?
80
Checking local water restrictions and embracing the brown grass
Did this help you?
81
Removing the top 6-8 inches of soil mixed with wood shavings and replacing it with fresh topsoil or lawn soil
Did this help you?
82
Letting nature take its course over a few years for the decomposition process to finish
Did this help you?
83
Rake dead spots heavily in the spring and put down seed with peat moss
Did this help you?
84
Extending garden beds over the root areas and covering them with mulch instead of trying to maintain a lawn over them
Did this help you?
85
Mowing the established grass and applying more seed, top dressing, and starter fertilizer to the thin areas
Did this help you?
86
Buying large bulk bags of solid fertilizer for small turf areas
Did this help you?
87
Using water-soluble hose-end sprayers for localized spot treatments
Did this help you?
88
Core aerating, adding top soil, and regrading
Did this help you?
89
Aerating, seeding, and watering
Did this help you?
90
Waiting until late summer or fall to overseed and renovate
Did this help you?
91
Overseeding immediately in the spring
Did this help you?
92
Researching grass types and planning a lawn care routine for the future
Did this help you?
93
Mowing low, scarifying, core aerating, and spreading seed and fertilizer
Did this help you?
94
trying another round of seeding
Did this help you?
95
Aerate, seed, and lots of water
Did this help you?
96
Checking soil depth with a screwdriver to test for rocks or gravel backfill
Did this help you?
97
Letting the grass grow very tall
Did this help you?
98
Raking up dead spots, adding topsoil, and overseeding
Did this help you?
99
Checking for grub damage
Did this help you?
100
Throwing down more seed and hoping for the best
Did this help you?
101
Waiting to do dormant seeding or waiting until spring
Did this help you?
102
Moving hoses and area sprinklers manually every day
Did this help you?
103
Spraying weeds with tenacity and dethatching
Did this help you?
104
Waiting for the contractor to return and finish the unfinished areas
Did this help you?
105
Watering the lawn manually
Did this help you?
106
Upping the watering frequency
Did this help you?
107
Adding top dressing or top soil to the gaps to keep edges from crisping up
Did this help you?
108
Hand watering dry areas
Did this help you?
109
Putting down more seed (PRG)
Did this help you?
110
Overseeding with different grass varieties like KBG
Did this help you?
111
Adjusting height of cut
Did this help you?
112
tilling the area and haphazardly adding top soil and grass seed
Did this help you?
113
covering seeded areas with sphagnum moss
Did this help you?
114
consistently reseeding in both the spring and the fall
Did this help you?
115
mowing with a bagger to pick up debris and leaves
Did this help you?
116
pulling weeds out by hand
Did this help you?
117
hiring a company to do aeration and overseed
Did this help you?
118
mixing in topsoil to fill holes and flatten the yard
Did this help you?
119
adding a very light layer of peat moss on top of the seed
Did this help you?
120
Raking up the cores and throwing them away
Did this help you?
121
Leaving the cores on the lawn to break down naturally
Did this help you?
122
Top dressing the lawn with compost or topsoil
Did this help you?
123
reducing watering frequency to 1-1.5 inches per week over 2-3 days
Did this help you?
124
mowing more frequently
Did this help you?
125
treating or checking for lawn fungus like pythium
Did this help you?
126
Leaving the bare soil as-is through the winter and waiting until spring to plant permanent grass
Did this help you?
127
Planting annual ryegrass as a temporary cover crop for the winter and killing it off before planting permanent grass
Did this help you?
128
reseeding the patches
Did this help you?
129
putting down railroad ballast and capping it with 57s stone
Did this help you?
130
adding material against the house to prevent a negative slope
Did this help you?
131
regrading the area away from the foundation
Did this help you?
132
Watering daily to keep the soil damp
Did this help you?
133
Waiting until early spring to loosen the soil and reseed
Did this help you?
134
Raking out the dead grass to clear the area.
Did this help you?
135
Applying fungicide to treat active fungus.
Did this help you?
136
Waiting for temperatures to cool down before reseeding the bare spots.
Did this help you?
137
Digging up the yard by hand, shaking off the soil, and manually sifting out weeds.
Did this help you?
138
Using a core aerator to pull deep plugs and topdressing with compost to slowly mix the layers.
Did this help you?
139
Covering the area with cardboard and relying on worms to naturally break down and mix the soil.
Did this help you?
140
Keeping dogs restricted to a certain section of the yard
Did this help you?
141
Fertilising as a first pass
Did this help you?
142
Checking for and fixing compacted soil
Did this help you?
143
Keeping the lawn watered during the summer
Did this help you?

Tried another approach not listed above?+ Share your workaround ↑

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/lawncare66 people · September 2026 – October 2026

“My lawn was absolute trash when we bought the house - full of an ungodly amount of rocks, old pine cones, and even old construction debris. This area in particular was bare bones and dusty, to the point I wondered if the nearby pine trees were preventing grass from growing.”source ↗

lets_yyy · r/lawncare · 197 upvotes

“I just moved to NW Florida and I’m not sure what type of grass I have, other than that it mostly looks like weeds. Also any recommendations on how to fix the bald spots? The grass is very sandy, and a few of the bald spots are under an oak tree so I’m not sure what to do other than sod.”source ↗

Kfizzle10 · r/lawncare · 93 upvotes

“Grass had lots of patches, mainly one AWFUL patch by the street”source ↗

“Some areas still did not take very well, and that’s likely because the seed to soil contact could’ve been better”source ↗

BigTurboAbarth · r/lawncare · 65 upvotes

“It initially grew in great, thick and tall, but as of late it’s been dying out in patches.”source ↗

“I water once, maybe twice a day.”source ↗

“I’ve noticed some random holes from squirrels burying nuts, but I’m not sure why the grass is dying out in large patches.”source ↗

Brave_Bat_2123 · r/lawncare · 52 upvotes

“3 different sections have trouble, and they all seem like different issues. Any help would be appreciated!!”source ↗

fantasyfootballer31 · r/lawncare · 34 upvotes

“Lawn currently looks pretty healthy from 15 feet (1st photo).”source ↗

“From above, it has alot of bare spots (more than picture shows).”source ↗

Common-Coyote9375 · r/lawncare · 30 upvotes

“This new lawn is about 7 weeks old now. It was looking amazing up to about a month, now its starting to get spots that are thinning out.”source ↗

“Help me save my hard work !”source ↗

DoubleA41991 · r/lawncare · 26 upvotes

“Buffalo sod laid 4 weeks ago.”source ↗

“Roots feel deep in 80% of the areas I tugged on. But as you can see the gaps haven't fully filled in and there are many dry areas despite the watering.”source ↗

“How do I fix this? Roast me, but also provide a solution please ahaha.”source ↗

big-teacher · r/lawncare · 12 upvotes

“I’m seeing a bit of growth but overall it doesn’t look better and even rough after the low mow. I’m really curious what is going on with the light color here?”source ↗

Ok-Rutabaga2138 · r/lawncare · 6 upvotes

“I set my sprinklers to water my grass daily during the super hot stretch we had this late summer, and a ton of my fescue looks like this.”source ↗

“I’m a yard noob that works too much so really not sure what happened or where to start with getting some kind of grass back.”source ↗

CasualAtEverything · r/lawncare · 6 upvotes

“We have had issues with patches of the lawn dying, but it's always bounced back. However, this summer things have taken a major turn and we aren't sure what could be causing it.”source ↗

“Things began to take a major shift in June, when it started dying in one specific area and then spreading.”source ↗

pubo4929 · r/lawncare · 5 upvotes

“In SE Wisconsin my yard has a bunch of dead areas that I want to fix this fall.”source ↗

“Should I then just put down seed and cover with straw?”source ↗

Sigma--6 · r/lawncare · 5 upvotes

“I put new seed down on this area from bare dirt 2 weeks ago now.”source ↗

“My question is how patchy is too patchy? And should i be concerned it is not more filled in than this?”source ↗

mlim18 · r/lawncare · 4 upvotes

“Tried making my grass greener with some generic fertilizer I bought at home depot and completely killed my lawn.”source ↗

“It’s been 2 months now and it’s all dead with no hope of it coming back.”source ↗

Late_Ad_6293 · r/lawncare · 3 upvotes

“I’m wondering how much we should be concerned about these slightly uneven spots. Once the grass grows, could these areas end up with lower or thinner patches of grass because of the water pooling there?”source ↗

SpecialCamp · r/lawncare · 3 upvotes

“As I started watering it (and with the rain) the soil has understandably started sinking a bit and isn't as level as it was originally.”source ↗

“Do you think there would be any issue with doing a light additoonal re-level with more top soil after the seeds start to come up maybe after a mow or two? I don't want to pack the seeds too deep”source ↗

Prepare_Your_Angus · r/lawncare · 3 upvotes

“How do I get my lawn back to what it used to be?”source ↗

“About two springs ago my husband scalded it to help grow and it’s completely stuffed it up.”source ↗

“There’s a lot of dead spots.”source ↗

Kobesmama · r/lawncare · 3 upvotes

“We've had a very hot month with not a lot of rain, then some flash flooding. Have a decent amount of dead grass completely matted down and I'm not sure if I should rake it, leave it and give up on these spots over the winter, or if there's anything I should be doing to avoid this.”source ↗

Hefty_Engineering193 · r/lawncare · 2 upvotes

“This is my first time overseeding and I seem to be getting some bare patches still.”source ↗

atrain1988 · r/lawncare · 2 upvotes

“I'm a new homeowner, and the previous owner left me a very patchy lawn.”source ↗

“I want to get rid of the lumps and have a luscious, full lawn.”source ↗

“Am I hooped in the sense where it needs to be ripped up and start fresh with sod, or is this a relatively simple fix with some elbow grease and proper seed/fertilizer?”source ↗

UnKown_Pickle · r/lawncare · 2 upvotes

“The first few inches are brown/dead and cutting really brings that out.”source ↗

“I'm trying to bring it down to 1" over the next week so I can overseed.”source ↗

ShouldveFundedTesla · r/lawncare · 2 upvotes

“I mowed at about six weeks and that’s when I started to notice how patchy it is. Also, tons of rocks.”source ↗

“For the last few weeks I have been slaving away trying to fix it but I’m growing more and more frustrated.”source ↗

“This is a lot of work for one person. Help.”source ↗

velvetdeer89 · r/lawncare · 2 upvotes

“I put down 50lb of Blue Resilience on 6500 sq ft from a total reno almost bare dirt 19 days ago and it’s filling in nicely but I have some bare spots and areas of poor germination.”source ↗

EngineerDad13 · r/lawncare · 2 upvotes

“A lot of it got washed so I added more maybe 17 days ago and again had a heavy rain. Grass is coming in now but very sparse in most areas.”source ↗

“Should I add some ryegrass, work it in with a disk cultivator, top it with some straw and pray. Or wait and do dormant seeding or wait until spring?”source ↗

OneTea · r/lawncare · 2 upvotes

“Our lawn is 60% of weeds: crabgrass and some others I don’t even know. We pulled them out by hand. Of course, the soil comes with it too.”source ↗

“Should we put down a layer of topsoil where the weeds were pulled out to even the lawn out before the company comes?”source ↗

Legitimate-Owl6473 · r/lawncare · 2 upvotes

“My yard has these dead spot that show when I cut it at a lower level.”source ↗

“The green grass is like a mat laying on top of the dirt. I can pick it up easy and the roots are on top of the dirt.”source ↗

lucidwalker365 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“The grass in my backyard used to be green and thick. It looked like this in early spring, but not as big at all. I thought it would grow in as the season passed. What can I do this fall (MA). I don't have an irrigation system, but I do fertilize.”source ↗

philosai · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“Dude same exact thing happened to mine. ... But after I added fertilizer from Home Depot it looks the exact same as yours.”source ↗

Good_Conversation213 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“It’s my first year doing lawn work and I’m incredibly sad this happened over the summer.”source ↗

Late_Ad_6293 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“It was 90-100 degrees when I did it so I believe you’re right”source ↗

Late_Ad_6293 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“Located in Houston and these big brown patches have emerged since last week.”source ↗

“returned home today and found quite a lot of browning.”source ↗

GobsTX · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“Currently have a considerable amount of Japanese stilt grass, mint and quite a few small bare patches. Also several incursions of broad leaf weeds.”source ↗

kilrein · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I pay for lawn treatments 6x year program and mowing. My lawn looks worse than it ever had it used to be lush and green.”source ↗

“The lawn treatment company started in Feb this year and it’s progressively gotten worse but they say it’s the mower scalping it.”source ↗

looknaround1 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I came back from a trip to it 10x worse and they mowed Thurs”source ↗

looknaround1 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“The “scalping” excuse is their get-out-of-jail-free card when the program is frying your lawn, and that right side pic looks like straight heat stress, not just a low mow”source ↗

Feeling-Baseball6396 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“Years ago when I was still learning, I fertilizer burned a large section of my backyard. Of course that was when Google Maps took the shot of our neighborhood and I was stuck with that image for a few years before they finally replaced it”source ↗

Powerful_Wombat · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“The lot is a lot of shale and he only put down a thin layer of soil before seeding, which is why I’m sure certain areas died off in summer as roots couldn’t establish deep enough due to rocky soil.”source ↗

“Question is how much new soil should I put down after aerating the old thin/rocky soil in the bare areas?”source ↗

TarheelfanGP · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“Located in Houston and it is super hot right now. Usually water it 2-3 times a week, but the brown spot is continuing to grow. Another type of grass is coming in that looks really bad. Don’t know what to do.”source ↗

azulados69 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I should have added a photo of 1 month of age. It looked AMAZING. Now its going backwards”source ↗

DoubleA41991 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“Resodded 4–5 months ago and grass is dying again — 3rd time in 8 years. What am I missing?”source ↗

“The grass was initially green, lush, and looked great, but over the last several weeks it has started thinning out and dying again.”source ↗

“This is actually the third time I’ve resodded this same area in about 8 years, and I keep ending up with the same problem.”source ↗

s2000gtx · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“Any suggestions on how to thicken up the grass? I have been fertilizing it and watering it. Located in central FL. It was nice and lush and then over the last month it started getting patchy, yellowing, and browning.”source ↗

Cosmo457 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I just had the sod out in a few months ago”source ↗

Cosmo457 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I wish, I don’t really want to pay the $100 a day violation fee after my due by date”source ↗

Kfizzle10 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“unfortunately I can’t tell if it’s st Augustine or centipede grass”source ↗

Kfizzle10 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“My wife and I moved into this house earlier this year and something about the type of grass here has just rubbed me the wrong way.”source ↗

“Am I just being too particular here or is this something that you might also consider nuking to have something more uniform?”source ↗

ticanthunder · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I think my main issue with it is that it just doesn't look as dense as I'd like it to.”source ↗

ticanthunder · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I need help figuring out how to get my lawn to green up, I’ve been watering consistently for 3 weeks now and parts are starting to get green but only patches.”source ↗

No-Figure-4301 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“he was devastated when the front lawn went, now the back lawn is going and we can't understand it.”source ↗

“Would dog urine suddenly cause this after years? Disease or infection? Looking for any help to identify the problem and ways to prevent it in the future.”source ↗

surefootedmonkey · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“could you gurus please enlighten me in what to do to this area of the lawn (front of home close to street curb)?”source ↗

“except the area shown in this image.”source ↗

Working-Medicine-1 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“From my online reading the roots are still sucking up the nutrients in the soil. The soil that’s in this area seems to be mixed with the shavings from the stump grinding.”source ↗

“Do I need to(I think I know the answer), remove the 6-8” of soil that’s was placed over the stump after being ground out, remove the roots and then put new soil in?”source ↗

FST_Silverado · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“My question is, if I start addressing my weeds now, won’t I have huge dead spots in my yard going into winter? It’ll probably be too late to seed after I wait the recommended 4 weeks before seeding these areas.”source ↗

Illustrious-Ad5259 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I just didn’t know if spraying it now and leaving large brown patches in my yard ahead of winter is the best course of action”source ↗

Illustrious-Ad5259 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“For small patches it makes sense, not everyone needs to drop a whole bag on 10k.”source ↗

Economy_Hamster2227 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“It’s not cost effective, but I use it on the areas where my dog likes to go because she only needs to stay off it for 1-2 hours, unlike a bag which is supposed to be 48 hours”source ↗

IncidentOk853 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“Had a fully green lawn for 2 seasons after buying the house but heavy rains are washing it away like in the picture.”source ↗

might_as_well_make_1 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I don't have a good solution outside of expensive shit like core aerate, top soil and regrading. The clay sucks here.”source ↗

QueefFart · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I’ve had success simply aerating, seeding, watering. Looked like hair plugs for a bit but eventually filled in.”source ↗

bspecific · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“How do I find out which grass this even is?”source ↗

Chefbigandtall · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“My biggest mistake was cutting too short for my grass type. It would start out good every spring and I would mow it and by the time the heat came it would stress the very short grass out until it looked like this.”source ↗

dragonthreemoons · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I need help with this area of lawn.. should i just be throwing on some lawn seeds?”source ↗

bbradley88 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“Most of the grass, as you can see in the background is super green, weed free, and looks great. But then there are these other spots where the grass just doesn’t grow, with a very clear line of demarcation between green grass and shit grass.”source ↗

Born-Researcher-8588 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“Mine looks like this and today I pulled some of the fry bits and they just came off with no effort. So hopefully the comments can help us both 😭”source ↗

Jesssssssssssieeee · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“There are some areas of my yard where I've just accepted the fact I'm going to have to seed in the spring and the fall if I want to consistently have grass there.”source ↗

Berndherbert · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I just found out all of my grass seeds have been eaten by a damn teenage squirrel.”source ↗

Avatar-Tee · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“If the weed holes are bad you could add a little soil, but might not be a big deal.”source ↗

MrNoodleIncident · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“If you already have decent soil then I would keep them there and let them break down. In your case you don’t have good soil so I would rake them all up and get rid of them.”source ↗

bselite · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“If the cores are pure clay I would rake them up and top soil lightly”source ↗

Powerful_Wombat · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“Watering too much now that the grass is established and the spots in your lawn are dying from drowning.”source ↗

evandemication · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“Is there anything I can do this time of year to not have mostly dirt lawns or im I better off dealing with it until spring?”source ↗

RevolutionaryOne7611 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“You could just leave it until it’s time to plant Bermuda which would be next Spring. This opens you up to some erosion possibly through the winter.”source ↗

“You could also through down something like an ANNUAL rye grass that should germinate and grow before winter and help keep your soil intact.”source ↗

Storm_Surge_919 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I have burnt spots, and then a bunch of spots from random chemicals getting dropped, and I'm trying to grow these little patches back before I move out of this house.”source ↗

Amazing_Money_6815 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I learned this the hard way too, killed half my backyard thinking I was helping it survive the summer”source ↗

Feisty-Landscape8028 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“My lawn (grass and weeds) sucks because the root system won't grow past the ash layer. There is an extremely dense thatch (~4-5"), then nothing.”source ↗

“The obvious solution would be to till and start over, but I have a massive sycamore tree (~5' diameter), with a very shallow root system, right in the middle of the yard.”source ↗

“My current approach is just digging it up, shaking off as much soil as I can, sifting through the dirt to try and pull any dandelions”source ↗

BananaPrimary8767 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“it appears it is just so devoid of nutrients (basically just glass) that roots hit it and just say nope and grow sideways instead of down.”source ↗

BananaPrimary8767 · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“There’s some soil that’s compacted and a “dead zone” what do you do for those areas?”source ↗

Kobesmama · r/lawncare · 1 upvotes

“I'm tired of seeing the dry yellow spots from the glysophate.”source ↗

“Can I buy grass paint in the meantime until it cools down?”source ↗

KillerPinata · r/lawncare

“Our backyard is our new home and pretty big but there’s some patches that need to be fixed. Any recommendations?”source ↗

captain-keg · r/lawncare

“It looks like mostly hard compacted clay, but i’ve seen where people say to leave them in the yard so they can break down and and to the soil.”source ↗

Glum_Tumbleweed_3423 · r/lawncare

r/Landscaping6 people · September 2026 – October 2026

“About 2 months ago it started as a small patch of grass turning red and dying. Now it has spread to the entire front area of my lawn and in some spots the ground has sunk 6”.”source ↗

HistoricalAgent1919 · r/Landscaping · 7 upvotes

“Bought this house last summer and didn’t do much as far as landscaping but did notice we had shallow tree roots in the front yard.”source ↗

“My question is how do these shallow roots come about? Is there a specific way to bury them/remove them (without damaging the tree)”source ↗

“We have a flower bed with the landscape stones and the roots go right under pushing up about 4 of the stones.”source ↗

phelpsy6234 · r/Landscaping · 4 upvotes

“My lawn was recently hydroseeded (for the first time, after new construction)”source ↗

“The contractor ran out of seed (where depicted on the left in red) and is coming back soon to finish.”source ↗

“the lawn elsewhere is thick in some spots and thin in others, with areas of dirt, gaps, etc.”source ↗

“The builder of course says that enough seed was applied and that it's my fault for not watering the lawn.”source ↗

shwivel · r/Landscaping · 2 upvotes

“Directly under my deck, the rain has dripped to the point where it has worn away the grass that just dirt. What’s the best way to make this look better?”source ↗

Honest_Profile_3320 · r/Landscaping · 1 upvotes

“yea how to grade against the asphalt”source ↗

foxapotamus · r/Landscaping · 1 upvotes

“recommendations for best type of fill in a low spot. (Arizona , so alot of water one season a year)”source ↗

foxapotamus · r/Landscaping

“Is there anything I could do to get the spot to fill in faster or is this as good as i will probably get for this season?”source ↗

sgrey9996 · r/Landscaping