And though the recent rains have restored bits of green, most yards are patchy, cracked and riddled with the hardiest grower — weeds. What's a homeowner to do?

"Pray for rain. The most important thing to do is irrigate or hope for rain in order to see what you have left," says Joe Boggs, Hamilton County extension agent and turf expert.

The sooner the better.

"Start sprinkling. If the crown's good, the (grass) plants will start to grow and you'll be able to tell what's alive and what's not," says Ron Wilson, marketing manager at nursery Natorp's Inc.

He recommends watering the equivalent of 1 inch of rainfall, "a real thorough soaking" every seven to 10 days in the morning or evening. Put a container with a straight side on the grass to help measure the moisture if you're unsure.

"We've had enough rain to pull grasses out of dormancy," says Mr. Boggs, "but don't assume it's dead just because it's brown."

Get down on your hands and knees and rub your hand quickly across the soil to break off the blades that are dead, roughing the grass so you can see down to the growing point of the grass, called the crown.

"If there's a little bit of green — even a pinhead size — the crown's alive and will recover," Mr. Boggs says.

If your grass is fried, you'll need seed. But first determine the type of grass you have.

Chances are if your lawn is more than 10 years old and you've never seeded, it's Kentucky bluegrass, says Mr. Boggs. "Tall fescue usually thins out over time."

The general rule with grass seed is to "keep species to themselves," says Dave Kohler, lawn care sales representative at Lesco, lawncare business supplier and retailer with locations in Tricounty, Anderson Township, Florence and south Dayton.

Plant tall fescue with tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass with Kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye with perennial rye, though the latter are darker in color than the fescue and can be mixed.

If you're not sure what you have, dig up a chunk of sod, about 6 to 12 inches square and take it to a garden or lawn care supplier with employees trained to know the difference. (Remove the sod immediately before taking it in so it's fresh.)

Or go to the books. "A good resource with good visuals for beginners is the Ortho's All About Lawns" (Ortho Books; $10), says Mr. Kohler.

If your grass is dead and you get nothing after watering, Mr. Wilson says you can safely switch grass varieties. He suggests tall fescue "because they're stand-alone grasses that grow by themselves. But don't sow it with other types."

Tall fescue, lighter in color than Kentucky bluegrass or perennial rye, has become the dominant grass seed in Greater Cincinnati because it can tough out a drought, according to Mr. Boggs. Drawbacks: It grows in clumps and gradually thins out.

If you don't get tall fescue down by the end of September "you might be at risk of losing it to an early frost," Mr. Boggs says.

"Tall fescue is a wimp to get started because seedlings are susceptible to frost and freeze damage. (It takes about seven to 14 days to germinate). But it's a tough grass once it's established.

"Several years ago, we had a fairly nice, mild fall and all of a sudden, in early November, we had a tremendous freeze with temperatures in the Dumpster and we lost a lot of newly established tall fescue lawns seeded in October," he says. "Those seeded in September did much better."

"The time frame for (seeding with) tall fescue is Aug. 15 to Oct. 20," says Mr. Kohler. "With bluegrass and rye, you have another two weeks after that" because they are not as affected by frost and freezing temperatures.

Kentucky bluegrass, the other local favorite, is even slower to take root and is affected by high temperatures and drought. But it branches out, making it an attractive spreader. It has a 21-27-day germination.

Perennial rye, which takes three to seven days to germinate, matches well with Kentucky bluegrass's color and is an option if you have Kentucky Bluegrass and are running out of time for repairs, Mr. Boggs says. "But it's a smaller plant, doesn't spread and has a few diseases that make it look bad," he says.

Because of it's fast growth, perennial rye is the dominant grass used to repair athletic fields. Some types of tall fescue or perennial rye grass have a built-in insecticide that comes from a good-guy fungi called endophytes. So look for the wording "with endophytes" on the grass seed bag.

Before sowing grass seed, mow to a little more than 1 1/2 inch, says Marc Cool, chief operating officer of Barenbrug, an Oregon seed company that has come out with a new tall fescue this year that's drought-tolerant but spreads like bluegrass.

"Then rake the bejabbers out of (your grass) and get up the dead material," Mr. Boggs says.

The goal is to prepare the ground so the seed comes in contact with the soil to germinate.

In times of extensive drought where there's a lot of damage and soil compaction, it's important to aerate and regenerate the root structures of grass, Mr. Kohler says.

Aerators, which can be rented, pull plugs out of the soil about 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches deep to allow moisture and fertilizer to penetrate. Mr. Kohler recommends aerating in two directions.

To sow seed, a spreader can be used, but a machine called a slit-seeder "that looks like a lawn mower on steroids," according Mr. Boggs, slices through the organic matter on the surface with vertical blades so the seed can be deposited closer to the soil.

"It's a one-step process," says Mr. Kohler.

Though slit-seeders are self-propelled and can be rented, Mr. Boggs warns they are a bit top heavy, especially if you're working on a slope. Depending on your terrain, "you may want to call a pro," he says.

"You just want to penetrate the thatch layer and cut into the soil approximately 1/4 inch," says Mr. Kohler. You don't want to muscle in and rototill the lawn.

If you're hiring someone to do the work, Mr. Kohler suggests making sure the quoted price includes two passes with the aerator and/or seeder to be effective.

Once the seed is down, feeding and watering begin. But, ordinary fertilizer just won't do.

Make sure it says "starter" fertilizer because it has a form of nitrogen that's beneficial in establishing a seedling. The standard nitrogen in regular fertilizer might pack a damaging punch for the tender plants.

"In late fall you want to put down a "winter' fall fertilizer to extend the green period and promote earlier growth next spring," says Steve Steinhauer of Home Depot's West Chester location.

"Don't let the soil dry out," says Mr. Wilson.

Depending on the temperature, you may need to water every day to keep the soil moist, the equivalent of an inch of rainfall every 10 days or so, even after grass grows enough to begin mowing. Water also will help set the seed if some gets hung up at the top of the grass.

A straw covering is not necessary unless the soil is completely bare, says Mr. Boggs. Straw provides shading and conserves moisture "but people generally apply it too heavily. The coverage should never be more than 50 percent. Properly applied, you should see as much soil as straw."

The window is closing for fall seeding, says Mr. Wilson.

"Last year, folks who seeded fall fescue in October got away with it because it didn't get cold until December. But if there's a freeze in October or November, there's a chance you'll lose some seed.

"You're playing a guessing game at that point," he says.

Winter seeding is the next best bet for success.

Seed can be put out on freezing ground in late winter, about February, but success rates might be a bit lower than fall.

"University trial data shows you have a 50 percent success rate" with winter seeding, Mr. Boggs says.

"It doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. It just means the risk is higher."

Fall seeding is preferred because it allows the plants to become established in cooler temperatures and start growing so you have a well-recovered lawn by the time winter arrives. Growth will continue into spring.

"That's a lot of growing time under its belt before the dry season of July and August comes," Mr. Boggs says.

Nitrogen is the ingredient that makes grass grow.

Grass provides cats with a source of protein, vitamins, nutrients and chlorophyll

In the United States, there are more than 31 million acres of grass, about 50,000 square miles.

Grass plants are 70-80 percent water.

A single grass plant has 387 miles of root.

A 50-by-50-foot lawn releases enough oxygen to sustain a family of four.

A healthy 10,000-square-foot lawn can absorb more than 6,000 gallons of rainwater without noticeable runoff.

Turf grass acts as a natural filter, reducing pollution by purifying the water passing through its root zone.

Early Presidents Washington and Jefferson both used sheep to keep their home lawns at manageable heights.

Source: Barenbrug USA

The search for the perfect grass seed — one that will survive scorching summer sun and repair itself by spreading — is the Holy Grail of the turf set. In the Tristate, most look to three types of grass seed for answers:

Tall fescue is the drought grass champ, but it grows in clumps, doesn't spread easily and needs time to establish itself.

Kentucky Bluegrass spreads, forming runners, but shuts down in dry heat and needs lots of water.

Rye grass muscles its way in quickly but is susceptible to some nasty diseases that take an ugly toll. And it's very, very thirsty.

"We've had a lot of new grasses," says Joe Boggs, Hamilton County extension agent and turf expert "There are things coming down the line that are close, but we're not quite there yet" with a perfect grass.

Nevertheless, a family-owned business in Oregon -- Barenbrug -- thinks it has the answer. Its RTF Water-Saver is on the market in time for fall grass planting and first aid.

"It's a tall fescue so it's drought- tolerant. It combines that with the ability to form runners and fill in bare spots," says Marc Cool, Barenbrug vice president and COO. "You can plant it in any area or overseed and it will fill in bare spots." It has a germination period of seven to 12 days.

"We've not been able to find any disadvantages,' he says. "It's thin-leafed, dark green in color with a lot of disease resistance, especially with brown patch that's bad in fescue. It's very cold tolerant as well. If there's a disadvantage, it's that it can't be used in tropical areas like Hawaii and Louisiana."

The price tag for RTF Water- Saver is about the same as regular grass seed. Steve Steinhauer, garden department supervisor at Home Depot in West Chester, says a 25-pound bag is $39.98 compared to a 20- pound bag of Scott's Tall Fescue at $34.98 and a 25-pound bag of Pennington seed at $34.98.

The RTF Water-Saver is at Home Depot and headed for Kmart. Do-It-Best and ACE hardware stores.