Lawns with shallow roots are easy to fix if you can identify the problem and implement the right system. This is a common problem and one many new homeowners face, especially after a move into an older neighborhood. It can also come up as a problem for a newly seeded lawn. Everyone, myself included, that has a healthy lawn now has had to learn how to develop a better root system. This article can hopefully help guide you in the right direction.
How to Fix Shallow Grass Roots – The Basics
Shallow roots can always be fixed. Often the root cause of this problem is easy to determine, whether something is damaging or crowding your grass (weeds and pests) or something about the timing of your lawn care routine is off (the wrong fertilizer, or frequent and shallow watering.) In either case, shallow grass roots are easy to fix if you take the right steps.
The causes and solutions for how to fix shallow roots for an established or newly seeded lawn are a little easier than those for a sod lawn. If your sod isn’t taking root, there are more things you’ll need to consider. If this is the case, we’ve put together a more specific guide about sod not taking root and how to fix it.
How to Spot Grass with Shallow Roots (Telltale Signs)
Grass with shallow roots can be spotted in a few different ways, with or without pulling the grass up. Below are several signs that you may have a lawn with shallow roots.
The Lawn Dries Out Easily
Lawns with shallow roots don’t hold onto water well and don’t make good use of water that has been absorbed into the soil. This leads to it looking dry just about all of the time, even if you just watered it.
Edges of The Lawn are Brown
Another symptom of poor moisture retention is brown edges around the lawn or anywhere that there is a break in the grass. This happens because of poor moisture retention and lack of support from surrounding patches of grass.
Brown Patches Develop Frequently and In “Random” Areas
Similar to the dry edges and feel of the lawn, brown patches are a sign that the root system under the grass is unhealthy. This could be due to grubs, root rot, or several other ailments but if these patches develop just about anywhere in the lawn, with no noticeable pattern, you are likely seeing pest-related root damage.
Grass Pulls Up Easily
The easiest way to determine if your grass has shallow roots is to tug on it. Grass with a good root system should take a lot of force to rip up. Grass with shallow roots will come up with little to no real effort. If your grass pulls up easily, it’s never a good sign.
Grass Moves Around in the Rain
The last thing you want to see after a heavy rain is grass that has washed away from a hillside. This is a sure sign of shallow roots. In a flat yard, walking on the grass after a heavy rain shouldn’t mean slipping and sliding around as the grass shifts underfoot. There should be some firm traction under the grassy sections with rainfall less than 8 inches.
Why Your Grass Has a Shallow Root System
There are 4 primary causes of a shallow root system. Each of these causes is outlined below.
Your Lawn Could Have Shallow Roots Because of Weeds…
Weeds can crowd out your grass and rob it of the nutrients it needs.
Your Lawn Could Have Shallow Roots Because of Pests Like Grubs…
Grubs and other pests can eat the roots of your grass and, like weeds, prevent the grass from obtaining the nutrients it needs.
Your Lawn Could Have Shallow Roots Because of Too Much Water…
Watering your lawn frequently seems like a good strategy. All plants need water to survive. However, watering your lawn lightly and frequently discourages the plant from developing deep roots as it has all the water it needs right up by the surface.
Your Lawn Could Have Shallow Roots Because of Frequent Fertilizer Treatments…
Like watering your lawn too often, shallow roots can be caused by fertilizing your lawn too much with quick-acting or foliar feeds. While these are great options for emergencies or when you’re trying to rehab your lawn, they’re not the best long-term strategy.
How to Fix Grass with Shallow Roots
Grass with shallow roots is far from resilient. Weeds are more likely to take it over. A sudden freeze could wipe out large sections of the lawn, and more frequent watering is needed to care for it. The good news is that there are several standard steps you can take to resolve this issue.
1) Check for and Eliminate Weeds
The first step to improving the root system of your lawn is to remove the competition. Commercial weed killers or simply identifying and removing the weeds by hand can create more space for your grass to occupy. Fewer weeds also mean more resources for your lawn. Make sure you mow regularly too, as one of the biggest benefits of mowing your lawn is that it promotes stronger grass that outcompetes weeds.
2) Check for Grubs
Grubs eat the roots of your lawn and other plants. A heavy grub infestation can result in small, circular dead patches of lawn all over your yard. If this is your situation, carefully dig up this sod and look for the grubs. If you spot more than 10 or 12 per foot, you have a heavy infestation and should treat the area. Commercial grub killers exist and many are effective.
However, simply “flooding” your lawn or watering it for 45 minutes to an hour can cause the grubs to either go deeper underground or come up to the surface, making them easy prey for birds. Doing this regularly can create unfavorable conditions for the grubs.
3) Aerate Your Lawn for Better Health
It may seem counterintuitive to “rip out” small sections of your lawn when you’re worried about root growth. However, one of the most overlooked causes of shallow roots is compaction coupled with a lack of air. An aeration method that removes plugs or cores from your lawn is ideal for solving this issue.
4) Change Up Your Watering Schedule
Time and amount are the critical metrics when it comes to a lawn watering schedule. The best time to water your lawn is in the morning. Personally, I like to set a timer for 4 to 5 am, depending on the time of year or when the sun will come up.
When it comes to depth, it’s ideal to work your way into a deep watering schedule rather than a light, daily watering schedule. The process to do this is as follows:
- Start by watering your lawn for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day for 7 to 10 days.
- Second, water your lawn for 15 to 20 minutes once a day for 1 week.
- Third, water your lawn twice a week for 30 minutes each session for 1 week.
- Last, water your lawn for 45 minutes just once a week, with a small 5-minute watering allowed later in the week during the hottest parts of summer if there is no rain that week. This is the deep watering stage you should stay at.
5) Use the Right Fertilizer
To encourage better root growth, quick-release and foliar or liquid feeds should be avoided. While these are not bad fertilizers, they are better used in different situations. Strong root growth requires slow-release fertilizer. This includes commercial, pelleted slow-release varieties as well as compost that has been sifted to produce a small particle size.
6) Mow Higher
There are quite a few benefits of cutting your grass high. As a general rule of thumb, the shorter you mow your grass, the shorter the roots of your grass will be. This applies to nearly all grass types but is an especially important rule to keep in mind in warmer climates or the heat of summer.
The length of your grass roots should be about the same as the height of the blades. For most lawns, that means a root depth of 3 to 4 inches. At this height, your grass also has a better chance of crowding out weeds and can store more nutrients before winter or drought.
7) Don’t Underestimate Winter
If you live in any area where temperatures sit at or below freezing during winter, you should think about “winterizing” your lawn. Often, this process includes nothing more than an even sprinkle of slow-release fertilizer. This can be combined with any late-fall lawn care chores, such as aeration, overseeding, or dethatching as long as temperatures are sitting at or between 45F and 60F.
This slow-release fertilizer can do several things. First, even though most grasses go dormant in cold weather to protect themselves, they still use up a small number of resources. It can be tough to provide more resources during the winter, especially if it snows or the ground freezes.
More importantly, slow-release fertilizer added in late fall or early winter will help support your grass in the case of a false spring. A false spring occurs when temperatures warm up rapidly in late winter for a week or so and then drop back down to below freezing. This warming up can cause plants to come out of dormancy early and, when temperatures inevitably drop again, these plants can be damaged by the sudden frost.
Having a slow-release fertilizer in the ground can help support your lawn during this time and minimize the damage. Without support, the roots of your lawn may “shrink” or deteriorate without the nutrients needed to repair the damage and support the entire plant.
My grass looks beautiful in the early summer and spring. In June, we develop brown spots and thinning grass. I’ve had our ground tested and determined it needed more nitrogen. Still have the same problem. We have a shallow root situation – I can pull patches of grass up with no problem. Even when we have plenty of rain or I water nothing changes…We have had this problem for years, trying different approaches but nothing seems to work. Can you offer a solution?
Hi Gary,
Beyond the suggestions listed in this article, I can only suggest that you may want to find a grass type that does better with the heat. Without knowing the grass type you have now or what climate you live in there is little else I can say at this point.
For a better answer, you may want to contact your local agricultural extension office. The employees of these offices are the best people to ask about local lawn and garden issues, and they may even offer free testing services beyond nutrient level testing.
Cheers, Tom.