A lush and vibrant lawn adds to the beauty of your property and provides a pleasant environment for outdoor activities.
However, when you start to see yellowing grass blades in your lawn, it can be quite frustrating.
Yellow grass blades can be caused by several factors, including overwatering, underwatering, nutrient deficiencies, pests and diseases and more.
In this blog post, we will explore the common causes of yellow grass and provide tips to help you diagnose and fix the problem.
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a new homeowner, this comprehensive guide will help you keep your lawn healthy and green all year round.
So, if you’re ready to restore the beauty of your lawn, read on and discover the secrets to a perfect lawn
Why Is My Grass Turning Yellow?
Several things can make your green lawn turn yellow.These are:
1. Improper Watering
Balancing the amount of water your lawn gets is pretty important to your lawn’s health.
Too much water can turn your grass yellow by robbing the soil of oxygen required to generate the green color you want on your lawn.
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A waterlogged lawn causes grass to grow shallow roots inhibiting its ability to absorb water, oxygen, and nutrients, making your yard yellow.
Furthermore, underwatering your grass can also make it yellow. Underwatered grass is brittle, dry, and curly on the edges.
The middle of the yard will also develop brown patches, and the tips will become yellow.
2. Lawn Disease
Some lawn diseases turn a healthy lawn yellow, and failure to eradicate them causes the grass to die.
These diseases stem from various conditions, including mold and fungi. Address this problem quickly to avoid further damage.
Lawn diseases such as dollar spot and lawn fungus begin showing signs of undergrowth and yellowing leaves.
3. Overfertilization
Fertilizer is vital for the growth and thriving of your lawn, but you must use the correct amounts to avoid overfertilizing your grass and damaging it.
Grass can become yellow due to excess fertilizers.
Related: Why is my grass turning yellow after fertilizing
Failure to properly fertilize your grass can also cause yellowing.
For instance, areas that received less fertilizer will have the leaf blades showing fluorescent or yellow discoloration, while the grass in the well-fertilized areas stays green and grows faster.
4. Insects
Insects like caterpillars, worms, and beetle grubs poke tiny holes in the grass blades and even kill the grass from the inside.
A single insect infestation is enough to make your yard yellow.
5. Nutrient Deficiency
Grass requires nutrients to grow and stay healthy; nutrient deficiencies impair your yard, with your grass even dying if you do not fix the problem.
The main nutrients needed by lawns are nitrogen, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, oxygen, and potassium.
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient responsible for giving the grass its green color.
6. Mowing Mistakes
Committing some mistakes while mowing your lawn can lead to the grass turning yellow.
For instance, mowing too low or high stresses the lawn or makes the yard suffer from sunlight and oxygen deprivation.
In addition, oil spillage from the mowing machine drowns the roots, killing the grass.
7. High Foot Traffic
Walking, playing, or conducting other activities regularly on your lawn stresses the grass and causes severe damage.
Grass turns yellow or becomes permanently damaged when you repeatedly step on a specific area.
8. Dog Urine
If you let your dog pee on your lawn and fail to wash away the urine, yellow or dead patches will develop in these areas.
This is because ammonia burns the roots. More extensive problems are caused when fungi grow in the sections your dog urinates on.
9. Soil Compaction
Walking or driving over your lawn, particularly when dry, makes the soil excessively compact.
This compromises the penetration of nutrients, water, and oxygen into the soil, depriving grass of the needed ingredients for growth.
10. Drought
Grass turns yellow and eventually dies during drought spells like in summer due to high temperatures and lack of moisture.
11. Dormancy
Depending on the grass type, your yard goes into dormancy during winter seasons. Dormant grass appears yellowish in winter and even dead but will eventually come back to life in spring.
12. Chemical Burn
Overuse of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides can burn the grass, causing yellow patches.
How To Fix Yellow Grass
The solution to yellowing grass depends on its cause, so you must find the cause beforehand. Nonetheless, here’s how to restore your yellowing lawn.
a) Water The Lawn Appropriately
While you must water your lawn every day after reseeding it, the frequency lowers once the grass germinates and grows.
Avoid watering the lawn when it rains to prevent waterlogging the lawn. Also, the proper watering routine varies depending on the grass type.
b) Fertilize Correctly
while homeowners usually maintain healthy lawns by fertilizing once a year, this does not mean you should automatically adopt this strategy.
Consider your lawn’s watering plan, grass species, soil content, and local climate when developing the right fertilizing strategy.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when applying fertilizer. Additionally, determine the nutrient missing on your lawn by conducting a soil test.
Furthermore, fertilizer must be absorbed into the ground to be effective.
c) Reseed Urine Patches
Re-sod or reseed the damaged areas if pet urine patches take a long to grow back, even if you apply a urine neutralizer.
d) Mow Correctly
Using blunt blades to mow your grass hacks the blades, making them vulnerable to diseases.
When this happens, the grass crowns turn yellow. Restore the grasses’ green color by mowing using a sharp blade and cutting lower than usual to help greener blades to sprout back.
e) Treat Diseases
The moment you notice an outbreak of the disease in your yard, treat it and turn the yellowing grass to its natural green color.
f) Aerate The Lawn
Aeration helps loosen the soil. You can aerate your lawn using a powered machine or by hand.
A handheld aerator will suffice if you are aerating a tiny portion, while larger sections require a powered tool to make the work more efficient.
g) Remove The Soil Contaminated With Chemicals
If you spill harmful chemicals on your lawn, like lawnmower oil, apply absorbent materials over the affected area.
These include sawdust and kitty litter to soak up the chemicals and avoid contaminating the soil more. Also, dig out the affected soil, refill the area then reseed the patch.
Do not flush the area with water because that will only spread the chemicals, causing more damage.
h) Remove Leaves and Grass Clippings
Fallen leaves and grass clippings provide a home for diseases and insects and also smother your grass. Eradicate and prevent the yellowing of grass by raking the lawn.
Will Yellow Grass Come Back?
Yes, yellow grass can come back if the underlying cause is addressed and resolved.
For example, if the yellowing is due to a lack of water, giving your lawn enough hydration will bring back its green color.
Similarly, if it is caused by a lack of nutrients, fertilizing your lawn with the right nutrients can revive it.
However, if the yellowing is due to disease or pests, it’s important to treat the issue promptly to prevent further damage to your lawn.
With proper care and attention, your yellow grass can come back and thrive once again.
Final Remarks
Grass turning yellow in your lawn can be a frustrating problem to deal with, but with a little knowledge and effort, it can be easily resolved.
Whether it’s due to over-fertilization, drought, or disease, taking steps to address the root cause of your yellow grass can help you restore the health and beauty of your lawn.
Remember, the key to a healthy lawn is understanding the underlying factors that contribute to yellow grass, and taking the appropriate measures to remedy the situation.
So, don’t wait any longer, start taking action today and say goodbye to yellow grass forever!
Hey there, I’m Derek Schew, a writer for Lawnholic.com, where we cover everything and anything related to lawns. As someone who’s spent countless hours tending to my own lawn, I’m passionate about sharing my knowledge and helping others achieve the perfect yard. From lawn care tips to product reviews, I’m committed to providing our readers with the most accurate and up-to-date information available. So whether you’re a seasoned lawn enthusiast or just getting started, I invite you to join our community and discover the joys of a lush, green lawn.