Question
QUESTION: I live in western WA.  My grass is intermingled with dirt patches, moss, and yellowish-brown patches.  Some of the grass are small perfectly round clusters.  Should I start over or is there anything I can do to save my lawn.

ANSWER: Hi Nicole,

Right now, the yellowish brown patches should be expected, since the grass is dormant from the winter cold. I'm guessing by your description of the grass though, that you have a lot of shade. If that's the case, most of your efforts will likely be futile, and you should probably talk to a tree person about thinning out or removing trees to allow more sunlight in before you put too much effort into the lawn.

If I'm mistaken in the shade diagnosis, please let me know. I'll be happy to reconsider.

Good luck!

-C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,

The areas where the moss grows has no trees or shrubs around. Those spots get plenty of sun, when there is any. It's cloudy and rainy here in WA a lot of the time. The drainage is good by the way.
I also heard that the PH could be the problem. How would I determine that?  
I also heard that overseeding is best done in the fall for best results. Would overseeded in late winter early spring to fix bare and thin patches be a good idea, or should I just wait?

Thanks!


Answer
pH could definitely be the problem, but you'd need to get a soil test to determine that. Other than that, the symptoms you describe don't sound like anything typical. Without getting a specific look at it, I'd be hard pressed to provide a concrete plan of attack.

I'd just recommend getting the soil tested, then taking the next steps based on the results.

Definitely plan on getting some good grass seed, and getting the lawn on a fertilizer program for the season as well. It may just need a good feeding with a better variety of seed mixed in.

Let me know how things go.

-C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com