Possibly over 90 percent of lawns may now show damage from the severe drought that we have been experiencing over the past three months. Since the lawns have been stressed from the drought, homeowners may now or later see other problems such as chinch bugs, mole crickets or disease damage. Many lawns will probably be more susceptible to brown patch fungus in the fall as a result of the stress the lawns are now enduring.

It may take some extra work in the lawns to help revive them and get them to return to their in proper shape and condition. When lawn grasses are killed by drought or fungus disease the bare spots in the lawns usually become infested and covered with weeds.

The first step in reviving your lawn may be to kill the weeds that have now taken over the bare spots and possibly much of your lawn. The broadleaf weeds can be killed by using products such as Ortho Weed-B-Gon or Ferti-lome or a similar product that contains a chemical that will kill the weeds. It is important that you read the label on the product before you apply it to make sure that it will not kill your grass. Some weed killers may not be used above certain temperatures, and some may say on the front of the container that they will kill broadleaf weeds and not your grass, but you need to read the label carefully. The label on the back of the container may tell you not to use the product on certain types of grass lawns, so you need to read the label very carefully and thoroughly! Two applications may be necessary to obtain the desired control. You may even use a glyphosate product such as Roundup or similar product to kill the broadleaf weeds in some areas of the lawn, but you need to remember that this is a systemic chemical which is absorbed into the plant system, so do not spray it on the leaves of any plant you do not want to kill.

After you have taken care of the weeds in the damaged area of your lawn, you may want to replant some of the grass depending on the amount of damage you have and how much, if any, good grass you still have growing. If you need to replant the grass, you can go to one of the home centers and purchase some grass to sod the damaged area, or you may be able to reseed the grass depending on the type of grass you have in your yard. When purchasing grass as sod you may cut the rectangular pieces in smaller pieces and spread these pieces throughout the damaged area to fill in the bare spots. You may also purchase the sod in small round plugs to replant the damaged areas. If laying sod side by side, always place the sod so one edge of the sod does not form a straight line. Also remember the sod needs to be placed deep enough so the top of the soil line will be even with the old grass.

Never fertilize sod that has just been put down on your lawn; you need to give the roots time to grow before you fertilize it. Hopefully your lawn is not too damaged, and you can simply fertilize the damaged area with some 8-8-8 or 13-13-13 to get the grass growing and to help it spread and cover the damaged area. You should apply 12.5 pounds of 8-8-8 or 8 pounds of 13-13-13 per 1,000 square feet of lawn to get the required amount of nitrogen to your lawn. The fertilizer can be applied with a drop or broadcast spreader.

It is always best to have a soil analysis run on your soil to determine the proper amount of fertilizer to apply. A soil analysis can be run by the LSU Soil Lab for $10 plus the cost of postage. Bring in to the LSU Ag Center County Agent’s Office a sample of about one pint of soil from the top 6 inches of your soil. Remove any organic matter and grass parts from the sample. You can take three to five samples from various areas of the lawn and mix them in a bucket and take one pint of soil from the mix. It usually takes about one to two weeks to get the results.

After you have re-worked or replanted your lawn, you will need to remember the lawn must still be watered to assure the new grass will continue growing and the roots will become firmly established. When receiving no rain and with temperatures in the high 90 degrees it may be necessary to water your lawn twice a week – every three to four days. If you do not receive about one-fourth an inch of rain during the week, then you will need to water your lawn. A sprinkler will need to run about one hour on each section of lawn to assure it receives enough water. If you are unsure if you have watered your lawn long enough, turn off the sprinkler and dig down in the soil to see how deep the water has penetrated. The water needs to have penetrated about 2 to 3 inches deep to supply enough water to the grass. Not watering enough will cause the roots of the grass to grow shallow and will allow the grass to suffer damage in the future. You want to water long enough to encourage deep root development.

No matter how much damage your lawn has suffered, you can get it back to looking good with a little time and effort! To learn more about the best management practices for your lawn, go to the LSU Ag center’s website at lsuagcenter.com, and order the Louisiana Lawns Best Management Practices bulletin – Publication No. 2940. The cost is $5. You may also call your local LSU Ag Center office if you have questions.

David Pichon is a County Agent with the LSU Ag Center. He assists homeowners in St. Charles and St. John Parishes with their Home Gardens and Home Grounds. You can contact him by phone at 985-785-4473 or by e-mail at: dpichon@agcenter.lsu.edu.