How to Develop Deep Roots in Grass

Healthy grass needs plenty of water to develop deep roots.

Healthy grass needs plenty of water to develop deep roots.

Establishing a lush green lawn takes work. Seeding, fertilizing, weeding and watering are all part of the process, but all of the time that you spend encouraging your lawn to grow can be for naught if your grass doesn't develop deep roots. Without deep roots, your grass will be easy to tear up and may not be able to take advantage of all of the nutrients in your soil. Fortunately, getting your grass to grow deep roots is largely a matter of making sure that the soil beneath the grass is moist enough.


Determine how deep the roots of your grass currently are by using a soil probe or digging into the soil to check the root depth. For well-anchored grass, you want the roots to be several inches deep.


Water your lawn weekly, applying 1 to 2 1/2 inches of water or more as needed to penetrate the soil to at least 1 inch below your current root depth. If there isn't water in the soil beneath your current root zone, then the grass has no reason to develop deeper roots.


Remove any built-up thatch using a metal rake or dethatching machine if water has difficulty penetrating your soil. Thatch is made up of dead organic material such as leaves and grass clippings and can form a barrier over your soil if allowed to build up.


Aerate your lawn using a core aerator to reduce soil compaction and increase water penetration. The core aerator removes small plugs of soil from your yard, breaking through thatch and introducing air into compacted soil.


Mow your grass regularly, setting the blade so that your grass is approximately 2 1/2 to 3 inches tall. This height provides shade to help keep the soil moist while leaving sufficient grass for photosynthesis and plant growth.

Things You Will Need

  • Soil probe or spade
  • Metal rake or dethatcher
  • Core aerator
  • Lawn mower


  • Install a sprinkler system if you want to make sure that your lawn gets enough water to encourage root development. The sprinklers help to ensure that your lawn is watered evenly so that deep roots will grow everywhere.

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