Is Your Brown Lawn Dead or Dormant? Summer Care for Maryland Grass

Dormancy vs. Death

After heavy June rains, watering stopped. Since then, little rain and no irrigation led to brown grass. In Maryland's transition zone, cool-season grasses (bluegrass, fescue, ryegrass) often go dormant in summer heat—turning brown but staying alive at the crown. Warm-season grasses (zoysia, bermuda) thrive in heat.

How to Tell

• Tug test: Dead grass pulls out easily; dormant grass resists.
• Crown inspection: Green tissue at base = alive.
• Water test: Irrigate deeply for a week; green-up indicates dormancy.

Best Time to Repair

Early September is ideal for overseeding cool-season lawns. If grass is truly dead, this is the perfect window to renovate. If dormant, it will recover as nights cool.

Immediate Steps

1. Identify grass type (look at blade shape, growth habit).
2. If dormant, do nothing but wait for fall.
3. If dead, prepare soil now: aerate, compost, seed in September.
4. Never fertilize dormant grass.

Fear not—brown grass in July is often just summer's pause button.