Why is my lawn yellow?
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Yellow grass can be a result of improper care, improper treatment or fertilizing, insects, lack of nutrients in the soil, diseases, etc. Identifying the cause is essential to restore the health of your lawn.
The best time for intervention is right at the beginning when you notice the problem, stopping it from getting worse. |
One of the main causes is improper watering of your lawn.
Too much water can wash the nutrients away and leave your greens malnourished. A malnourished grass will turn yellow over time. Too little water will cause dry spots that will turn to yellow also. Make sure you water your lawn deeply at least 2 times a week.
Scalping the grass by lawn mowing too short will cause the greens to die and turn yellow also.
Slow growth of the grass, changes in light green and eventually yellow color indicates a nitrogen deficiency. In this case, you need to fertilize your lawn with a slow release fertilizer. The best time to fertilize your lawn is spring and fall but this also depends on the type of your grass, the growing season and of course the appearance of our lawn. You can get additional nitrogen supply by mowing your lawn with a special mulching mower that turns the cut grass into mulch making it possible to leave the clippings on the lawn.
Scalping the grass by lawn mowing too short will cause the greens to die and turn yellow also.
Slow growth of the grass, changes in light green and eventually yellow color indicates a nitrogen deficiency. In this case, you need to fertilize your lawn with a slow release fertilizer. The best time to fertilize your lawn is spring and fall but this also depends on the type of your grass, the growing season and of course the appearance of our lawn. You can get additional nitrogen supply by mowing your lawn with a special mulching mower that turns the cut grass into mulch making it possible to leave the clippings on the lawn.
Lack of proper supplements your lawn needs
Iron deficiency can have the same results on your greens, will turn it yellow in patches and will appear mostly near concrete structures or areas where the soil is alkaline. Adding in an iron supplement for lawn will usually fix the problem.
Too little potassium will also cause greens blades to turn yellow at the edges. Testing the soil will determine the type of deficiency and the type of fertilizer you need to fix the problem.
Too much phosphorus from excessive fertilization can cause the grass not to be able to absorb enough iron from the soil.
Mixing the warm season grass seeds with the cool season grass seeds will balance out the look of your lawn as the cool season seeds will reduce yellowing as winter approaches and the warm season seeds will go dormant and turn yellow.
Yellow spots in your grass can also be formed from dog urine. Hosing down the areas where you know your dog urinated will wash away the urine, reducing the yellowing of the grass.
Chemical spills, scorches from a heat source or other physical damages can cause yellow grass patches.
Too little potassium will also cause greens blades to turn yellow at the edges. Testing the soil will determine the type of deficiency and the type of fertilizer you need to fix the problem.
Too much phosphorus from excessive fertilization can cause the grass not to be able to absorb enough iron from the soil.
Mixing the warm season grass seeds with the cool season grass seeds will balance out the look of your lawn as the cool season seeds will reduce yellowing as winter approaches and the warm season seeds will go dormant and turn yellow.
Yellow spots in your grass can also be formed from dog urine. Hosing down the areas where you know your dog urinated will wash away the urine, reducing the yellowing of the grass.
Chemical spills, scorches from a heat source or other physical damages can cause yellow grass patches.
Diseases and Insects
Fungal infections are another reason why your lawn might take a yellow color. 1-5 inch spots can develop if your lawn is infected with dollar spot or microdochium patch, pink snow mold, fusarium, and many other fungal diseases. When this type of spots appear the best is to consult a specialist to help diagnose the problem.
Insects can also affect the look of your lawn. White grubs, sod webworms, larvae’s are just some of these insects that can attack the roots, the top of the leaves or the foliage. Proper application of pesticides will prevent these pests to attach your greens.
Insects can also affect the look of your lawn. White grubs, sod webworms, larvae’s are just some of these insects that can attack the roots, the top of the leaves or the foliage. Proper application of pesticides will prevent these pests to attach your greens.
Removing these patches of grass, adding fresh soil and compost and replanting these areas with new seeds of sod will fix the appearance of the lawn.
