Question
Last year, the grass on my father's grave
was re-sodded. We added water everyday, and by
August, his little area and surrounding
few feet looked like a golf course. Dark green.
Lush. --The surrounding area was brownish.
This year, the entire section is a brown-green,
which looks rather sickly...even after all the
rain we've had here. --But my father's plot
is even worse. It's a pale green, yellowish sort
of look. Even paler than the surrounding area.
Wahat happened from last year? How can we
perk up the light brown to even somewhat resemble
last year's 6x4-foot lawnscaping victory? Has
the sod somehow been killed? Thanks --Max

Answer
Hi Max;
Pale green, yellowish grass signals a need for iron. Put some chelated iron on it, in just a short time, it will be dark green.
The other problem sounds like the grass is not getting enough water.
Watering every day is bad. Shallow watering makes the roots  come close to the surface to get water. A shallow root system is more suseptible to heat and cold damage.
To encourage a deep root system, water to a depth of at least 6 inches, and water again when the top 2 inches of soil are dry.
Water until the water begins to run off,then turn off the water and let it soak in, then turn it back on again.Keep doing this until the ground is soaked to at least 6 inches deep. when you have a good, deep root system, your grass will weather a freeze or drought much better.
I use sugar on my lawn. I was advised to use dry molasses, but the nurseries here didn't carry it then, so I was told plain table sugar would work.I put down sugar in the spring and fall, at the rate of 1 pound to each 250 to 300 sq.ft. of lawn. When dry molasses became available, I used it a couple of years, and I think the sugar does better.
I have the darkest, thickest, weed free lawn in the neighborhood, except for the neighbors that have jumped on my sugar bandwagon. Our lawns look better all summer, and stay green longer in the fall, and it greens up earlier in the spring. We put down sugar, water, mow and edge, and that is our lawn care program.
Fertilizers kill beneficial microbes that enrich soil, sugar or dry molasses keeps them alive.
Work on making rich soil, the weeds will fade away after a couple of mowings, and after a couple of years of using sugar, they won't even try to come up.
About every 4 to 6 years, I have to put a little chelated iron on it.I haven't used fertilizer in about 10 years.
Fertilizer feeds the vegetation (weeds too), it does not enrich the soil.
Every couple of years, I top dress with a little compost.
I put all the raw vegetable scraps, lettuce leaves, fruit peels etc, in a compost bin. We mow and leave the cuttings to feed the lawn. If you cut when the grass is not too high, it does not create thatch. The top dressing with compost takes care of any that may be trying to build up.
Any seeds that go into the compost pile are cooked. The heat builds up in there to compost the vegetation put in there, and seeds are killed out.
I put about 6 to 8 inches of vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells etc, and then put 4 inches of dirt on top of that, and water it thoroughly. Your compost should be kept moist, not soggy.I ask for all the neighbors leaves in the fall, and put them in the compost bin. By spring I have 3 or 4 compost bins full. I make my own compost bins. I use natural repellants for all insects inside and outside.
Inside my house, you never see a roach, silverfish, spider, housefly etc.Outside I don't have to worry about aphids, ermites, grubworms etc.
If you would like to know more about my natural insect repellants, just write me. I am happy to share what I have learned.
I hope I answered what you wanted to know.
I would just put some chelated iron, sugar and water it in well, then water to the depth of 6 inches, and re-water when the top 2 inches are dry, and I think it will start to recover soon. I Don't think it is dead, because it has some color. If it were completely brown, I would advise to re-sod.
If I can help furthur, please feel free to write anytime.
Charlotte