I have a plot of land that was badly damaged by last summer's drought. Now there are entire areas where the grass is brown and dry, but in other spots it's starting to grow back. What's the best method to remove all that dead grass without pulling up the roots of the grass that's still alive?
The safest approach is to use a rake with fine tines or a dethatcher (that machine that looks like a mower but lifts the thatch without pulling up the roots). Run it slowly over the dead patches, preferably when the grass is a bit damp but not soaking wet. If you have areas that are badly damaged, the best thing is not to rush it: the living grass will gradually cover those bare spots, especially now that it's growing back. Apply some fertilizer or mulch to the bare patches after cleaning up, but don't walk on it too much so you don't compact the soil.
I've gone through this in my garden after a brutal summer and honestly, a fine-toothed rake works well, but what people forget is that you have to do it when the soil is moist - if you do it with completely dry dirt it becomes a mess because the dead grass breaks into a thousand pieces instead of coming out cleanly! another detail: don't press too hard, the goal is just to lift that layer of dead grass without scratching the roots of the living one. if you have large areas that are really affected, you can also consider a scarifier (that motorized machine people mention) but really, for small or medium-sized patches a good rake does the job without complications and you can see better what you're doing.
A dethatcher (that machine you see in the answers above) is probably your best option, but watch the depth - if you set it too low, you'll accidentally rip out the roots of the living grass. What most people forget is that the ground needs to be neither too wet nor too dry - if it's soaked, it compacts; if it's hard as rock, the machine won't penetrate well and you're just wasting your time. Make several passes with slow movements instead of one strong pass, so the grass that's coming back doesn't suffer as much.
Log into answer.
