When to repair your damaged lawn?
- Jonathan Buckingham
- Aug 11
- 4 min read
As September approaches now is the time to repair your lawn from summer damage. This is an informative blog on why your lawn might look a little "rough or cra**y." And ways we can help improve it for you.
We service Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, and Rye . J&J Lawn Care LLC offers full aeration and over-seeding services. Including top-dressing, complete yard renovations, and sod.
Why is my lawn seeing brown patches this summer ?
Heat Stress
Most lawns in Greenwich are made up of cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and fine fescues. These thrive in spring and fall, but when daytime temps rise above ~85°F for long periods, growth slows or stops. The grass shifts into survival mode, diverting energy from green growth to root preservation, which makes blades look brown or faded.
Drought or Insufficient Watering
If summer brings long stretches without rain and the lawn isn’t irrigated deeply, soil moisture drops. Cool-season grasses go dormant to conserve resources—turning brown but not necessarily dead. However, if drought is severe and prolonged, roots can die, leading to bare patches.
What do a lot of people not know about watering?
You should never water your lawn at night in the summer. Doing so doesn't allow the water enough time to get absorbed into the lawn. This causes the water to pool leading to fungal diseases and mosquitos! Nobody like mosquitos so do not water at night !
Anytime past 8:30pm through 4am
You should water for 3 days a week in the morning around 5-9am. Deep watering for each section of lawn/less frequently... instead of frequent/short waterings.
Newly installed seed or sod will need water in the mornings and early evening around 4-7pm daily . Do this for 2 weeks.
Shallow Roots from Spring Overwatering or Frequent Mowing
If grass was watered lightly and often in spring, roots may have developed near the surface. In summer heat, the upper soil layer dries out quickly, and shallow roots can’t access deeper moisture. This leads to rapid browning during hot spells.
Heavy foot traffic on the lawn in heat-stressed conditions compacts soil and crushes grass blades. This weakens turf that’s already struggling from heat and drought.
Dog Urine Spots
Urine is high in nitrogen, which in small amounts can act like fertilizer, but in concentrated spots it burns grass, leaving brown patches with a green ring around them.
Disease Pressure
High summer humidity in coastal Connecticut can trigger fungal diseases like brown patch, dollar spot, or summer patch. These attack the blades or roots, causing brown spots or irregular patches that spread quickly when nights are warm and the grass stays damp.
Different Diseases
Pythium blight often appears as greasy or water-soaked patches that quickly spread, potentially showing white cottony growth in wet conditions. It thrives in warm, humid, and wet environments.
Brown patch results in circular or irregular brown areas of poorly growing grass. Individual blades may show purple-brown lesions. This disease is favored by hot, humid weather and warm nights.Â
Red thread can give lawns a reddish-pink appearance due to pinkish or red thread-like growth. It frequently affects perennial ryegrasses and fine-leaf fescues, appearing in mild, damp spring and fall conditions.Â
Dollar spot presents as small brown spots on leaf blades that can merge into larger patches. It is common in conditions of high humidity, warm days, and cool nights, particularly on lawns lacking nitrogen.Â
How to Repair a Summer-Damaged Lawn in Greenwich, Stamford & Darien, CT
If your grass has turned brown, thinned out, or developed bare patches this summer, the good news is that most lawns in our area can bounce back with the right repair plan. Since Fairfield County lawns are mostly cool-season grasses, late summer into early fall is the perfect time to restore them. Here’s how we do it at J&J Lawn Care LLC
Step One:
Remove Dead Material & Prepare the Soil
We start by mowing the lawn shorter than usual (about 2.5-3 inches) and bag clippings to remove dead grass and thatch.This allows new seed to reach the soil. In compacted areas, we use a core aerator to open the soil so water, air, and nutrients can reach the roots.
Sometimes more extensive lawn damage will require us to thoroughly
rake out the dead patches by hand. This takes time to do properly (especially depending on the size of your lawn/condition), but allows the new grass seed to thrive.
Step 2 :
Soil Replacment
In many lawns around Greenwich and Stamford, the soil is clay-heavy and doesn’t drain well. To help new grass thrive, we spread a fresh layer of screened topsoil blended with garden mix. This improves nutrient content, boosts drainage, and creates the perfect seed bed for healthy growth.
Step 3:
Aeration and Over-seeding
Aerate your lawn to allow nutrients and oxygen to get into the ground. Aeration helps to break up hard soil, allowing new grass seed to germinate properly.
Aeration is recommend yearly, even if your lawn seems fine. There is no harm in aeration since it only provides positive benefits. (Water to get into the ground properly, nutrients , and oxygen.
Aerating and seeding helps thicken your lawn each year. Lawns are a process and take time to get perfection. Be patient and consistent with fall lawn repairs. But most importantly .... ENJOY YOUR LAWN !
Reach out to us today to schedule with us. Wether you are an existing client or potential one here is our contact information.
Text or Call: (203) 695-7790
Free Consultations in Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, and Rye.
Blog Link: https://www.jnjlawncarellc.com/blog