Knowledgebase
Green growth on hard MD yard's soil #845458
Asked August 13, 2023, 12:19 PM EDT
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
A good first step, if you have not done so in the past few years, is to get a laboratory soil test performed. This will let you determine what kind of fertilization is needed (with or without phosphorus, mainly) and if any acidity level (pH) adjustments via lime would benefit the turf long-term. The linked pages go into more detail, and we can help interpret soil test results if desired, especially since the lab auto-suggested fertilization recommendations for lawns don't necessarily comply with Maryland's fertilizer law since these out-of-state labs don't customize their information on a state-by-state basis. You can refer to our lawn fertilization schedule web page for guidance about how much to apply and when, based on lawn type.
Core-aeration is a good step to combat compaction, though it may be required yearly (at least for a while) for sites with regular foot traffic or years of built-up compaction. This can be done just prior to seeding since the soil it exposes improves seed-to-soil contact for improved germination rates.
Look for recommended turfgrass varieties where possible when buying seed (you might only find one of them in a mixture of varieties, which is typical and satisfactory), since they are locally tested and proven to withstand our challenging growing conditions well while being resistant to disease. (None are immune to problems, but fortunately most lawn diseases in our area tend to be cosmetic and not turf-killing.) A link to the publication for variety types is included in the page above; it refers to the summer 2022 version at present but will be updated as soon as the 2023 trial results have been compiled.
For any areas where the growing conditions are too challenging to support healthy turf and the lawn keeps dying-out, we recommend converting to lawn alternatives if possible since other plants might be more well-suited to the site and able to thrive.
Miri
The residue is hard to ID from the photo but could be algae, another common growth on soil that supports moss (though we don't see moss here in the photo): compacted conditions where drainage is poor and the soil stays damp for long periods. By itself, when not very extensive (and therefore not a slip hazard), the algae does not need treatment as improvements in soil conditions that benefit the turf will allow the grass to out-compete it and shade it out so it won't return.
A good first step, if you have not done so in the past few years, is to get a laboratory soil test performed. This will let you determine what kind of fertilization is needed (with or without phosphorus, mainly) and if any acidity level (pH) adjustments via lime would benefit the turf long-term. The linked pages go into more detail, and we can help interpret soil test results if desired, especially since the lab auto-suggested fertilization recommendations for lawns don't necessarily comply with Maryland's fertilizer law since these out-of-state labs don't customize their information on a state-by-state basis. You can refer to our lawn fertilization schedule web page for guidance about how much to apply and when, based on lawn type.
Core-aeration is a good step to combat compaction, though it may be required yearly (at least for a while) for sites with regular foot traffic or years of built-up compaction. This can be done just prior to seeding since the soil it exposes improves seed-to-soil contact for improved germination rates.
Look for recommended turfgrass varieties where possible when buying seed (you might only find one of them in a mixture of varieties, which is typical and satisfactory), since they are locally tested and proven to withstand our challenging growing conditions well while being resistant to disease. (None are immune to problems, but fortunately most lawn diseases in our area tend to be cosmetic and not turf-killing.) A link to the publication for variety types is included in the page above; it refers to the summer 2022 version at present but will be updated as soon as the 2023 trial results have been compiled.
For any areas where the growing conditions are too challenging to support healthy turf and the lawn keeps dying-out, we recommend converting to lawn alternatives if possible since other plants might be more well-suited to the site and able to thrive.
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Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
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