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Buffalo grass starts to turn brown when encountering drought during the normal growing season. You can water the grass when you begin to notice some browning to prevent it from going dormant. Additionally, buffalo grass turns brown after the first freeze of late autumn or early winter, and this is a natural time for the grass to go dormant.

Aeration can level your lawn if the issue is minor soil compaction, so it can help smooth things out if your yard is bumpy from foot traffic or vehicle traffic. However, it won’t slope your yard. If you have small areas where water seems to pool after precipitation, aeration could help, but larger issues with improperly sloped lawns and problems leading to foundation leaks or structural damage will require more comprehensive solutions.

Each type of grass has its own specific needs regarding the timing of aeration, but in general, late summer to early fall is the best time to do so. For most lawns, that means sometime between September and November, though certain types of grass, like St. Augustine Grass, do better with aerations in late spring and early summer.

The grass could be dying because it’s overwatered or underwater. Additional issues include over-mowing the lawn, compacted soil, or a fungal disease in the lawn. In many instances, regular maintenance can keep grass from dying.