Watering too frequently
Hand-watering the lawn with a hose
Mowing too little
Mowing too short or too high
Mowing with a dull blade
Weed-eating against tree trunks
Killing Bermuda runners and seed heads
Leaving objects on the lawn
Seeding fescue in the spring
Seeding Bermuda
Pulling weeds
Skipping fertilizer during a drought
Using Roundup in your lawn when it’s green
Expecting grass to grow where the dogs run
Scalping or dethatching at the wrong time
And here’s the long story:
Watering too little, too frequently, or hand-watering the lawn.
Your lawn needs 1 1/2″ to 2″ of water per week, year-round. Watering deeply twice per week is MUCH more beneficial than sprinkling it daily. Hand-watering your grass is useless unless you stand out there all day. Read all about proper watering.
You should mow frequently enough that you mow off only 1/3 of the grass blade each time, and you don’t have to bag the clippings. Mowing off more of the grass blade at once will result in a brown lawn after mowing. Fescue must be mowed much higher than Bermuda, or it will not survive in the summer. Mowing with a dull blade will tear the grass, not cut it, and result in a brown lawn. Read all about proper mowing.
Scalping or dethatching too early or too late.