Cool- and Warm-Season Grasses

• Grass is broken up into two main categories or groups: cool- and warm-season grass. Cool-season grass is typically planted in the fall in the Northern United States. If you live in an area with temperate summers, you can plant cool-season grass in March through September. Grass types include fescues, ryegrasses and bluegrasses. Warm-season grass is generally grown in the Southern United States. Gardeners seed warm-season grass in the spring as soon as soil temperatures have started to rise after winter.
  
  

Fungal Diseases

• Fungal disease like leaf spot, melting out, necrotic ring spot and rhizoctonia yellow patch can cause grass to die in irregular patches or thin out. Gardeners should treat their diseased grass with a fungicide before reseeding their lawn. Reapply the fungicide until the signs of fungal disease such as leaf spots, blade discoloration, wilting and dying have stopped. Dig up the dead turf in the yard and burn or throw away. Avoid placing it in the compost or you can spread the fungal spores to the rest of the yard.
  
  

Grubs

• Grubs are the larvae of beetles like June beetles, May beetles and Japanese beetles. These beetles lay their eggs on moist grass or soil. When the eggs hatch, grubs begin eating grass roots and blades. In fact, grub problems that have gotten out of control can allow the gardener to roll up the lawn is if it were a rug. Treat the grub problem before reseeding. You can either allow the grass to dry out, which would dry out the eggs, or apply a pesticide.
  
  

Thatch

• Thatch is the layer of dead and living organic matter that lies between the grass and the soil. A thatch buildup of more than 1 1/2 inches calls for a complete renovation of the lawn, according to Kansas State University Extension. You can tell that you have thick thatch accumulation when you walk across the lawn and it feels bouncy. Also, cutting a triangular piece of turf will allow you to measure the brown material between the grass and the soil. Dethatch the lawn to remove the grass and thatch. Seed over the bare areas to keep weeds from taking over the lawn space.