Grass Grows Well then Dies

Question: Hello,

I have several areas of new grass that seemed to be growing well, but after a week or two seem to be dying. The grass was growing nice and green, but now seems very thin, brownish, and when it gets stepped on, it seems like it doesn't want to pop back up. Any ideas why?

Could the grass have been growing to densely and crowded itself out because I put too much seed down?

Or is it more likely the soil is just different in that area which lead to poor growth and ultimately other problems?

Thanks!
Eddie

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied October 08, 2024, 4:42 PM EDT
response: If the young grass was germinating or maturing during the rainy week (~10 days of cloudy and damp conditions) we experienced recently, then there might have been some outbreaks of an infection like Pythium root/crown rot. There isn't anything that can be done about such a disease after the fact, so just wait to see if any affected grass is able to regrow, or you may need to seed those particular areas one more time. Organisms like Pythium are common and naturally-occurring in the soil, and take advantage of plant stress and opportunistic environmental conditions to infect plants; the rest of the time, they can be present without causing problems.  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied October 08, 2024, 6:53 PM EDT
response: Interesting, I would not have thought of that. Thanks for the info!  Two questions regarding re-seeding the areas 1) What is the best way to oversee those areas since not all the grass is dead (yet at least haha)? 2) Is it not too late in the year to plant new grass? Thanks Miri!!! Eddie

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied October 09, 2024, 9:39 AM EDT
response: Either wait to see if the grass dies fully (and then lightly rake it out of the way, if possible, so seed lands on the soil surface) or rake it off deliberately to clear space for new seed. This should be done soon, as the window of time for starting grass seed will be closing in a couple weeks. The alternative to seed is laying sod, though that requires a larger area (typically 10 square feet unless you cut up a roll into smaller pieces) cleared and ready for the new grass to root into. Laying sod might get you another week or so of "planting" time before shortening days and cooling temps. greatly slow or pause the establishment of the grass. For starting seed, you can give the seedlings a few degrees of temperature insulation by covering the patches with tacked-down floating row cover (normally used for vegetable gardens to protect them from frost). It's a little breathable, but will help hold a little bit of warmth radiating out of the ground from a sunny day so overnight temps. don't dip as low, helping the grass seedlings to get caught up in the pace of germination and establishment a bit. Once they get a couple inches high or so, take the cover off.  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied October 09, 2024, 9:11 PM EDT
response: Good Evening Miri! That all sounds like great advice! And never knew things like that floating cover existed! Looks like that will be a good top cover for the new grass seed. As always, thank you so much for the advice!! V/r, Eddie

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied October 10, 2024, 9:52 AM EDT
response: You're welcome.