Desperate to turn your yellow grass green fast? There are several reasons why your lawn may suddenly have yellow patches or maybe the entire thing is looking yellow. Today we will look at the causes and offer specialized solutions to get your grass green again.
Why Is My Grass Turning Yellow And Dying?
What's Inside:
If you’ve noticed yellow spots on your grass, chances are you’re worried about the state of your lawn, and all sorts of things are running through your mind:
- My lawn looks terrible!
- Did I ruin it forever?
- Is this from my lawn mower?
- What did I do wrong?
- Did I plant the wrong type of grass or use a product that is killing it?”
Don’t fret! Any type of grass can be plagued by yellow spots, including Perennial Ryegrass, Fine Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, Buffalo grass, Bermuda grass, Centipede grass, and even St. Augustine grass.
So, what could be discoloring your pretty grass? Other than frost – a common cause of yellow grass – here are five of the most common reasons why your lawn could be losing its dark green color and turning yellow:
1. Prolonged Heat
Prolonged hot weather can dry out your grass and make it lose its color – a particular problem during summer.
Depending on how hot it is and the type of grass you have, the yellowing could happen in just a few days. When temps are too high, your grass ends up not having sufficient moisture – one of the elements that play a pivotal role in keeping your grass lush and green – therefore turning yellow.
2. Lawn Disease
The other potential culprit for yellowing grass is lawn disease. Luckily, while lawn diseases are pretty common, they are easy to diagnose.
Lawn diseases are the worst and can affect both cool- and warm-season grasses.
Even the best-kept lawns are not safe and can be vulnerable. This is because disease-causing fungi are always lurking in the soil, waiting, and when the time and conditions are suitable, they attack!
Learn to recognize the signs so you can prevent and treat lawn diseases before they wreak unimaginable havoc on your grass.
The key to knowing whether you have dollar spot, lawn fungus, or other diseases on your lawn is when your lawn starts to show signs of undergrowth and small yellow spots that spread outwards into odd-shaped patches.
3. Poor General Lawn Care
While it’s often easy to blame things like lawn diseases and heat as the cause of yellowing grass, poor general lawn care could also lead to yellowing.
For instance, a neglected lawn or mowing too close can turn your grass yellow.
If you cut your grass too short (close to the ground), the grass ends up not having enough moisture, which leads to yellowing. You will often spot this since it will happen soon after you mow the lawn.
4. Dog Spots
Do you let your dog(s) run on your lawn?
Because the reason why your lawn is turning yellow could be your dog’s urine!
Dog pee contains a high concentration of nitrogen, which burns grass. As the grass burns, yellow patches start showing up, and the next thing you know, your grass is dying.
5. Grass Stress
Is your lawn stressed out?
There are several ways you could be stressing your grass, including:
- Over and under fertilizing: Fertilizer contains nitrogen, and too much of it can scotch your grass. Too little fertilizer can lead to nutrient deficiency, and grass lacking enough nutrition – especially iron and nitrogen, which play a vital role in the chlorophyll process – can turn yellow.
- Using excess pesticides: Excessive use of pesticides and herbicides can scortch your lawn and lead to yellow grass.
- Overwatering: Watering your grass too often makes the ground waterlogged (limiting the supply of oxygen in the soil) and leads to poor root development. Your grass will end up having shallow roots and will suffer from poor uptake of oxygen, nutrients, and even water itself, causing your grass to turn yellow.
Can Yellow Grass Turn Green Again?
Yes! In most cases, you can turn yellow grass green fast and once again have a lovely lawn.
All you need is to equip yourself with the right information regarding the cause of the problem and possible solutions for the problem, and voila! Your grass is green again.
How Do you Make Yellow Grass Green Fast?
Now that you have a an idea why your grass is yellowing (thanks to the tips above, ahem!), here’s how to turn yellow grass green fast:
Water your grass early in the morning
Doing so will reduce the amount of water that will evaporate due to prolonged heat later in the day. Be careful here not to overwater your grass as it will get damaged.
Prevent lawn diseases
By feeding, watering, and mowing your grass correctly you can correct a myriad of problems. If the damage is already done, treat lawn diseases as soon as you spot symptoms to turn yellow grass fast.
Make sure your mower blades are sharp
The next time you take out the lawnmower to cut your grass, make sure the blades are sharp and raised to the proper cutting height. Also, improve aeration and drainage in the lawn and practice proper lawn care to turn yellow grass green.
Keep pet urine off your lawn
One method to prevent yellowing caused by dog pee is to follow your buddy in the yard and wash down the spot they pee on with a neutralizer once they’re done.
Or you could train your pooch to use a designated spot (one without grass) for their business. If that doesn’t work, you can turn yellowing grass green again by re-sodding or reseeding your lawn.
Practice proper lawn care
Follow the proper fertilizing schedule for your type of grass to fix yellowing caused by overfertilizing and under fertilizing.
Deep watering your grass can also help flush excess fertilizer through the soil and away from grass roots. So, please do it for a few days until your grass starts to turn green again.
Use lawn care products according to the directions
Stick to the manufacturer’s specifications on the amount and frequency of use to prevent excessive use of pesticides and herbicides.
Don’t over water
Water your grass, but do it only when needed and not too frequently. Watering thoroughly but only when needed is the best solution to fix grass damaged by overwatering. The proper watering scheduled depends on your type of grass and your growing zone.
Yellow grass can be corrected
While seeing your grass turn yellow and start to die can be disheartening, there can be solutions to the problem that can help you turn yellow grass green fast. With the right information and some patience, your lawn could be lush green again in no time!