Noticing Dead Grass in Your Yard? That Dead Stump Might Be to Blame.

Noticing Dead Grass in Your Yard? That Dead Stump Might Be to Blame.

Unless it’s summertime and there’s a drought, dead grass is your yard’s way of telling you something is wrong. But the question is, what’s causing it? If you have a dead tree stump in your yard, there’s a good chance that’s the source. Here’s how that dead stump could be causing your dead grass and how you can remove it.

Decomposition is Causing Lack of Nitrogen

When a tree stump dies, microorganisms and fungi start decomposing the stump. As they do this, they use nitrogen in the soil. When the stump is fully decomposed the nitrogen will be returned to the soil, but until then you might notice spots of dead grass that have been deprived of nitrogen. The lack of nitrogen results in dead grass. To fix the patches in your yard, you can add more nitrogen to the areas of dead grass or attack it at the source and remove the dead stump.

Your Dead Tree Stump is Attracting Pests

As a tree stump decomposes it becomes the perfect home for pests. Insects, snakes, rodents, and other common critters prefer damp, dark, and cool places to build their nests. They can find that and more within a dead tree stump. A yard that is infested with pests is more likely to have dead grass.

If you notice patches, trails, or strips of dead grass around your property it’s likely the pests are tunneling underneath and feeding on the grass. One way to combat this is to attack the source and remove the stump. You can also apply pesticides around the area or burn citronella candles to deter pests. For a more natural approach, you can also add plants to your yard that repel insects. These plants include citronella, chrysanthemums, lavender plants, and more.

Dead Grass is Caused By Disease

When a tree dies, fungi move into the wood and start decomposing the remains. Most fungi are a beneficial and vital part of the decomposition process, but some can cause more harm than good to surrounding plants. Pathogenic fungi might carry disease and spread it from the dead stump to other plants and grass, causing it to die. If you notice any new or strange mushrooms or other fungi on your dead tree stump along with dead grass, you should try removing the stump.

What to Do About It

Now that you know the root cause of your dead grass, it’s time to remove it. There are several methods for tree stump disposal. One way is to wait for the stump to decay or haste the decomposition process, but that might increase the amount of dead grass. Instead, we recommend removing the stump entirely with one of these two methods:
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Manually Uprooting the Stump:

If you have a smaller stump, or the tree was sick, then you might be able to remove the stump manually. With this method, you’ll want to dig around the stump, exposing the roots. Then you’ll take an axe and cut through any exposed roots. You’ll want to continue pushing and pulling the stump to expose and cut all the roots until it is completely free.
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Stump Grinding:

For the most effective removal, you can grind away the stump. To do it yourself, you can rent a stump grinder. This can be the most cost-effective choice if you have multiple stumps to remove. However, if you don’t know what you’re doing, it can be dangerous. For the safest option, we recommend hiring a professional stump grinding service.
Once you remove the stump, you can fill the remaining hole with soil and plant new grass on top.

Restore Your Lawn

We all take pride in a healthy lawn, but dead grass can ruin its appearance. With our stump grinding service, we can help eliminate the source of your yard’s brown patches. Contact us at Progressive Lawn and Landscaping for a quote on our stump grinding service. After our visit, your lawn will be restored to its former glory.

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Your dream lawn is around the corner. Reach out to us to tell us what you’re looking for and rest assured that we’ll make it happen.