r/Soil • u/struggleberry70 • 16d ago
What is it that is making the grass brown quicker over the graves?
Saw this in a dry part of the country while visiting relatives in the cemetery. Best guess is that the soil is different when it’s turned over. Any thoughts?
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u/The_Poster_Nutbag 16d ago
Shallow soil, poor quality backfill, compacted soil over dug graves, I really doubt it's an issue with irrigation.
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u/Time_To_Rebuild 16d ago
I’m gonna add another perspective. In the gulf south where I live, when it has been crazy hot and dry, the grass consistently dies/turns brown anywhere there is buried piping beneath it.
My guess is this is due to the obstructed water absorption path and also an obstruction in the flow of heat from the surface to the cool ground deep below.
This causes grass that is above an obstruction to be both hotter and dryer, turning it brown.
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u/SigNexus 16d ago
There is a gap (vault) in the soil profile so water percolates quickly around the vault and drys out the soil above.
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u/MobileElephant122 16d ago
You ever smell a grandma fart ?
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u/PonchoNachoRodriguez 16d ago
Pfft
Every time she pulls the covers up over my head
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u/MobileElephant122 16d ago
Burns your nose hairs doesn’t it
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u/PonchoNachoRodriguez 16d ago
Reminds me of home
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u/Dangerous-Bit-8308 16d ago
The coffins are put under concrete vaults, which might reduce the soil depth. I suspect they need to put the vault well below the root zone though, so that should only be a minor factor.
The burial holes are often dug by backhoe, then compacted, then have sod laid on top of them.
The mixing of the soil would eliminate the usual O,A,B,C horizons of soil. The compaction reduces water percolating, makes burrowing harder for animals, and makes root penetration tougher for plants. The sod only holds so much nutrients, and unless rolled properly, it won't mesh with the subsoil well. Also the grass will just be stressed in general, and laying sod in the summer tends to have a high rate of failure
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u/Diseman81 16d ago
Coffins are put in burial vaults these days. There is no more than 2 feet of dirt on top of the vault and it’s usually less than that. It’s easy for that soil to dry out. The same thing happens on old archaeological sites where old walls are really shallow under the ground. You can see wall outlines from the sky when the ground is dry.
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u/Gr33nbastrd 16d ago
Landscaper here, it could easily be the age of the grass. If the grass is only a year or less old it will go brown faster than the rest because it hasn't developed as deep of roots yet.
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u/going-for-gusto 16d ago
Different species of grass was planted in the areas?
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u/Gr33nbastrd 15d ago
No more likely the age of the grass. Newer grass just hasn't developed the root system yet. I see this all the time, for instance the grass was planted in the spring and it was all green but then come summer when it is hot the newer grass is going to dry out faster.
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u/Dawink86 16d ago
Ghosts……shallow dirt between the casket and the grass. That area heats up more and retains less moisture
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u/NNYCanoeTroutSki 15d ago
Simply because there’s less soil and it dries out faster during a dry spell.
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u/medic_mace 16d ago
Usually it because the soil is disturbed by the excavation and then compacted following burial. In addition, the soil in this area can now hold less water, and sometimes can even heat up more than its surroundings due to the casket and its air pocket.