What’s Wrong With My Lawn?
Find Your Symptom, Then Find Out Why
Around nine out of ten lawns in DeSoto County and the Memphis area are bermuda, and bermuda has its own particular problems. A brown patch in bermuda means something different than the same patch in fescue, and a lot of what gets sold for lawn problems is aimed at the wrong grass entirely.
Work down the list below and pick whichever description sounds most like your yard. Each one opens up into what it actually is, what it gets confused with, and when it can be treated. With most of these the timing matters more than the product.
Still not sure? Send us a photo or call. The inspection is free, and a wrong diagnosis costs a lot more than a phone call.
Start With What You Can See
Twelve things we get called out for. Pick whichever one sounds like your yard.
Bare Circles That Won’t Green Up
The lawn comes out of dormancy in spring but round patches stay flat and brown. Pull a runner and it is black at the root.
The Lawn Browned Out in Days
Green on Monday, chewed to stubble by Wednesday, with a ragged line moving across the yard and birds working the area.
A Weed That’s Back After Every Mow
Glossy yellow-green, stands taller than the lawn two days after cutting, and ordinary weed killer does nothing to it.
Coarse Clumps Spreading in Rings
Thick flat blades and seed heads that look dusted with pepper, in the same spots every single year.
Bright Green Patches in Winter
Fine tufted grass growing happily while the bermuda around it is dormant and brown.
Brown Patches in Summer Heat
Spots and rings appearing in hot humid weather, often after watering in the evening. Usually fungus, and it spreads.
Thin Grass and the Weeds Are Winning
Bare ground is what lets weeds in. Feeding the lawn properly is usually a bigger fix than spraying harder.
Water Sits on Top and the Ground Is Hard
Compacted soil and thatch stop water and air reaching the roots, and nothing else you do works until that is fixed.
Fire Ant Mounds Across the Yard
Mounds appearing after rain, and more of them every season. Treating individual mounds rarely gets ahead of it.
You Can’t Sit Outside for Mosquitoes
They rest in shaded shrub lines through the day, which is where treatment has to go rather than over the patio.
Trees and Shrubs Chewed or Dropping
Japanese beetles, webworms, scale and fungus. Trees need feeding and protecting on their own schedule.
The Lawn Grows Too Fast Between Cuts
A growth regulator slows the upward growth without slowing the plant, so it holds its look longer between visits.
Questions We Get Asked Every Week
Why Is My Bermuda Turning Brown?
Dormancy, drought, scalping, disease or grubs. How to tell which.
When Should Pre-Emergent Go Down?
Soil temperature decides it, not the calendar.
Why Do Weeds Come Back After Spraying?
Six reasons the cycle repeats no matter how well you spray.
Dallisgrass or Crabgrass?
One dies every frost. The other lives for years.
How Do I Kill Nutsedge?
Regular weed killer does nothing, and pulling makes it spread.
Why Does My Lawn Have Dollar Spot?
Bleached spots and cobwebs in the morning dew.
When Should I Fertilize Bermuda?
Feed it while it grows, stop before it hardens off.
Is Lawn Treatment Safe for Dogs?
What to do with your dog on treatment day.
When Can Kids Go Back Outside?
Once the lawn is dry. How to tell when that is.
How Do I Fix Dog Urine Spots?
Yellow in the middle, dark green ring around it.
Why Is My Grass Turning Yellow?
Yellow means alive but missing something. Six causes.
How Do I Get Rid of Dandelions?
Digging mostly fails. Fall is the time to spray.
How Often Should I Aerate?
Most yards here want it once a year. Two quick tests.
Aeration or Dethatching?
They do different jobs. Most lawns need one, not both.
Why Choose Lawn Jox?
Free Service Calls
Our job is to make sure your lawn is beautiful all season long. If you think there is something wrong with your lawn, call us. The inspection is free.
Right Size Equipment
Lawn Jox started with push mowers and we still have them. We use the right sized equipment for the right job, optimizing our time and lowering your cost.
Professional, Uniformed Crews
Just like your lawn, we have standards with our appearance as well. All of our lawn care technicians are uniformed and professional.
Fully Licensed & Insured
As a fully licensed & insured lawn care company in the state of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas, we make sure your assets are protected while on your property.
Electronic Quotes & Invoicing
We save on paper and make it easy to pay. With our electronic system, you’ll receive quotes and invoices on your devices so you can accept bids and pay invoices all online.
No Contracts
Nothing to sign and no minimum term. Your program carries over each year so the spring pre-emergent is never missed, and you can stop any time by calling or texting the office.
Get Your Quote Today!
Have zoysia rather than bermuda? It is cared for differently, and most of the trouble people have with it comes from treating it like bermuda. Read the zoysia guide.