Dead Grass vs Dormant Grass

You’ve taken all the steps you can to help your grass grow thick and healthy.

You reseed patchy spots, water regularly, and watch for disease and pests, so why isn’t it thriving?

Your grass might be dormant, or it may be dead. Learn how you can tell the difference between dead grass and dormant grass to help you determine the next steps to take.

Dormant Grass versus Dead Grass

Dormant Grass

What it is:
Dormant grass is a natural survival response to stress. When temperatures drop or moisture is scarce, grass goes into a resting phase to preserve energy. For example:

• Cool-season grasses may go dormant in the heat of summer.
• Warm-season grasses often go dormant during winter.

During this time, your lawn may look brown and lifeless—but it’s very much alive below the surface.

Signs of dormancy:
You can test it easily using the tug test:

• Gently pull on a few blades of grass.
• If they stay rooted and don’t come out easily, the grass is likely dormant.
• If they pull up without resistance, the grass is dead.

Another method is to examine the crown—the base of the grass where the blades meet the roots.

• A white or creamy crown = alive and dormant.
• A brown or yellow crown = dead.

What you can do:

• Keep watering regularly—consistent moisture can encourage dormant grass to bounce back.
• Hold off on mowing until growth resumes.
• Be patient! Dormant grass typically recovers once favorable temperatures and moisture return.

Dead Grass

What it is:
Dead grass is grass that has lost the ability to recover. Its root system has failed, and the blades are no longer connected to a living crown.

How to tell:

• If the grass easily pulls out with no resistance during the tug test, it's dead.
• If the crown is brown or brittle, the plant is no longer viable.

What causes grass to die?

• Grubs: These white, C-shaped larvae of Japanese beetles feed on roots, causing patches of grass to die. Check by lifting a small section of sod—finding multiple grubs is a red flag.
• Drought and heat: Without proper irrigation, grass can die off quickly in extreme heat.
• Disease: Lawn diseases like brown patch or dollar spot can kill grass fast if left untreated.

What you can do:

• Determine the cause (grubs, weather, disease) and address it.
• Reseed or lay new sod in the affected areas.
• Consider a lawn care program to prevent recurrence.

Give Your Lawn the Care It Needs to Thrive with Green Lawn Fertilizing.

The lawn care experts at Green Lawn Fertilizing know just how to take care of your yard so it’s the greenest on the block. Serving our neighbors in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, we understand the climate conditions, seasonal stressors, and pests that impact your lawn.

We also know that aerating and seeding at the right time of year — and being able to tell the difference between dead and dormant — can make all the difference.

📞 Call us today at 855-469-0692 to get a free quote for our comprehensive Green Lawn Program, and let’s get your lawn back to thriving.