Hi Peter. Last summer my lawn, which for years has been quite well shaded and in clay soil (Rexford), seemed to dry out and turn almost white – looked like hay. This occurred during very hot weather and while we had some trees removed from the yard – which now gives the lawn more sun. We tested the soil and applied lime to raise the pH – but it didn’t seem to help. Now that the snow is melted, there’s been no improvement. Most of the front lawn looks like matted down dead hay! Any ideas what this may be or how I can find out what it is?
The types of turf grass types that grow in shade will have a hard time in full sun. I’d suggest overseeding right away with something more suited for full sun…something like our Sandy Grass seed blend. It is the best for sand or clay…difficult soils. You’ll need to keep the area moist constantly by watering lightly once or twice a day (when it doesn’t rain.for the next month while the new grass gets established and, when it sprouts, feed it with a good starter lawn food like our Winterizer/Seed Starter Food.