On Sep 9, 7:48*pm, Brooklyn1 Gravesend1 wrote:
On Sun, 9 Sep 2012 13:54:22 -0700 (PDT), "

wrote:
As a result of the midwest drought (that may be almost over), my yard
has many areas where the grass is dead and the surface is a brown/tan
dead thatch. *In those areas less than a foot in diameter I expect the
rhizomes from the surrounding grass will fill in by next Spring, and I
plan on leaving the thatch alone so as to not disturb the new
rhizomes. But, I don't know whether larger thatch areas will fill in
or not, and whether or not I should remove the thatch if do not reseed
those areas.

Anyone have first-hand experience?

Turf grasses go dormant during droughts same as they do in New England
in winter. *It's still plenty early enough in the midwest to irrigate
before a hard freeze sets in. *Water your entire lawn generously every
afternoon and in two weeks it'll be all green and growing. *Don't mow
too short, especially just prior to winter... don't mow shorter than
three inches prior to winter or during dry spells. *If you're lucky
you'll get some good rain this time of year. *Midwest is a vrey broad
definition encompassing many biomes, and there are many types of
grasses, but in general every turf grass needs adequate irrigation to
green up. *I mow over ten acres of turf and we had a drought here in
New England this summer, most of my lawn went brown and it's too large
an area to water, I only watered specific plants. *But then the rains
came and everything is green and growing... in fact I'm hoping the
rains stop long enough so things can dry so I can mow one last time
before winter.

I always cut the grass fairly long, the question is how big an area
will regrow via rhizomes and will it grow better if the thatch is
removed or left alone.