# Question About Dead Grass



## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

I'm just wondering how the straw colored grass in the ground goes away and why it isn't happening in my yard. This is the first year cutting reel low and it's bothering me seeing all this dead looking grass. Past years mowing it high it was always a dark green by now.









I'm starting to get concerned that I'm hurting my grass somehow.


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

@gatormac2112 Did you ever scalp your lawn? If you did, did you raise your height some after the scalp? What height are you maintaining?


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

SGrabs33 said:


> Gatormac2112 Did you ever scalp your lawn? If you did, did you raise your height some after the scalp? What height are you maintaining?


I "scalped" at 1/2 inch, I cut it today at 3/4 inch, it only filled the grass catcher about 3/4 full for the entire 8000 square feet.

I might have made a mistake in applying PGR too soon, but it's been mid 90's for a week and I want the lawn to spread and fill in.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@gatormac2112 that looks like it needs a good scarification or dethatching at a minimum. Getting rid of the old dormant growth will free up the canopy and allow more sunlight to reach and heat the soil. I know how you feel, as I was there to once. The first time going low it took until mid-June to come back, but came back way more dense and now greens up far quicker than it used to.


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## Ecks from Tex (Apr 26, 2018)

Dethatch and if that doesn't work scarification. It's going to ugly it up but you'll be glad you did when the results start coming in


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

Spammage said:


> that looks like it needs a good scarification or dethatching at a minimum. Getting rid of the old dormant growth will free up the canopy and allow more sunlight to reach and heat the soil. I know how you feel, as I was there to once. The first time going low it took until mid-June to come back, but came back way more dense and now greens up far quicker than it used to.


I actually verticut and scarified with the Swardman already, got a TON of stuff out. How many times do you have to do it? I'll do it a hundred times if it will help.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

gatormac2112 said:


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This is the pic that I'm looking at. There is a lot of horizontal growth that appears to be elevated above the soil.

For reference, I have 6000sf of reel maintained zoysia and 4000sf of common bermuda kept at 1.5" with a rider (non-irrigated and unlevel as hell) and pulled over forty 39-gallon trash bags full of material when I scalped.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

Spammage said:


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How many times did you go over it? I verticut 3 times and scarified twice


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

gatormac2112 said:


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I didn't keep count. I just kept going until I couldn't get any more material off @ 3/8". Dethatcher, bag, reel, bag, etc, etc. My fixed blade dethatcher is set to graze the soil. 
I don't want it digging, but I do want contact with the soil. Honestly I wanted to try to get lower, but the back was giving out, and my new bedknife was to thick. Any lower would have to have been done with the landscape blade, and that wasn't going to happen.

At this point with the heat, yours should be ready to take off. I would verticut twice more in perpendicular passes, apply fertilizer if you haven't already (or if you are close to a second app) and keep it well watered until it fills in.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

Spammage said:


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Thanks! I'll get to it


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## Sbcgenii (May 13, 2018)

Not to bad Gatormac. You are better off than me. Good luck and I'm sure it will come around in no time.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

@Spammage @Ware @Mightyquinn

I'm going to verticut and scarify today, but I have a bigger issue that is contributing to my problems I believe. Walking around the yard to the thin areas I can't pass the screwdriver test. In some cases I can't go down 1 inch. Apparently the wonderful people that laid the sod down didn't care that they were laying it on rocks and concrete. This is literally all over my yard. I can't dig up my entire yard.

What can I do?


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

gatormac2112 said:


> @Spammage @Ware @Mightyquinn
> 
> I'm going to verticut and scarify today, but I have a bigger issue that is contributing to my problems I believe. Walking around the yard to the thin areas I can't pass the screwdriver test. In some cases I can't go down 1 inch. Apparently the wonderful people that laid the sod down didn't care that they were laying it on rocks and concrete. This is literally all over my yard. I can't dig up my entire yard.
> 
> What can I do?


I think a good 1/4 inch top dress would help both your problems.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

gatormac2112 said:


> @Spammage @Ware @Mightyquinn
> 
> I'm going to verticut and scarify today, but I have a bigger issue that is contributing to my problems I believe. Walking around the yard to the thin areas I can't pass the screwdriver test. In some cases I can't go down 1 inch. Apparently the wonderful people that laid the sod down didn't care that they were laying it on rocks and concrete. This is literally all over my yard. I can't dig up my entire yard.
> 
> What can I do?


Are you sure there are obstacles under the soil? How much rain have you had in the last week? Have you tried soaking one of the areas with water and then seeing how far you can get a screwdriver down in the soil? As for the brown spots in your lawn, how much have you fertilized so far this year? I know Zoysia is a little slower to recover from scalping then bermuda is so you might just have to be patient.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

Tellycoleman said:


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That's on the to do list :thumbup:


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

Mightyquinn said:


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Yes, there have been thin areas since just after the sod settled in a couple years ago. I wish I had found this forum before having sod put down, things would be done differently now.

It's rained here a few times this past week and I've got the Rachio on auto pilot. My water bill this month was $140 

As for fertilizer, I've done one app of milo and one app of a Scott's 32-0-5 I think it was. I normally wouldn't have done anything other than milo to my zoysia, but I felt it needed a kick in the pants this spring.

I'm trying to be patient. One other thing, I'm finding earth worms dying on top of the grass. Not sure what that is all about.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

Ok, apparently there is an old Alabama home builder method of getting rid of building debris called, "throw it out in the yard, cover it up with dirt and throw seed down." In my back yard I have found old pieces of concrete, bricks, wood planks, you name it and I'm pretty sure that's under my zoysia in the front yard too. I'm pretty sure builders doing this should be executed. There's no excuse for that kind of laziness.

With that being said, is topdressing going to work or is a full yard dig up necessary? Do I just top dress with sand or would some soil/compost method be better?

My initial plan was to aerate and topdress with sand in June.


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## raldridge2315 (Jul 1, 2017)

I suggest that you pick a spot and dig it up to confirm that it is construction debris. Topdressing with sand may help, but I would think that it would take way more than a quarter of an inch. As distasteful as it is, the long term fix is to get rid of the debris.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

raldridge2315 said:


> I suggest that you pick a spot and dig it up to confirm that it is construction debris. Topdressing with sand may help, but I would think that it would take way more than a quarter of an inch. As distasteful as it is, the long term fix is to get rid of the debris.


Ugh. It is literally all over the yard. I will do a section and see


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