Why Isn't My Lawn Turning Green?

Share this post:

One of the common questions we receive is why one person’s lawn not as green as some of the neighbors’ lawns. Not all lawns will turn green at the same time. Different cultivars within the same species of turfgrass have different green-up rates. Sodded lawns almost always green-up slower than seeded lawns. It is still early, so don’t panic if your lawn is not turning green as quickly as your neighbor’s lawn. In cool-season turfgrass zones, it may take some time for the new grass to show through. This is especially true if snow cover was minimal and lawns were exposed to very cold temperatures without the protection of snow. If your lawn is showing a lot of brown grass, you may want to mow short the first time to remove the old growth. This will allow the new grass to show through much faster and turn green sooner. After that, raise your mower to the highest or second highest setting for the remainder of the year. Warm season turf should be mostly green by now. Fortunately, there was not a late cold snap this year that prevented lawns from greening up. Proper mowing is also critical for warm-season turf as well. Here are the recommended mowing heights for warm-season grasses: Bermuda .75” to 2” Centipede 1” to 1.5” St. Augustine 2.5” to 4” Zoysia .75” to 2” Tall Fescue 3” to 5”