Understanding why your grass is yellow is the first step to turning it back to a beautiful green colour. Some reasons why your grass could turn yellow are your dog’s urine, over-fertilisation, or over-watering. Fortunately, repairing your lawn is something that you can do yourself!
You may have heard of this fact before, but dog urine contains a form of nitrogen, and while this can act as a fertiliser for your lawn, too much of it can burn your grass. To work out if this is causing your yellow grass, keep an eye on your dog when it goes to the toilet. If your dog has a go-to spot that coincides with a yellow patch then you know what your issue is!
To resolve this, you can try changing your dog’s diet to replace processed proteins with fresh proteins (with guidance from your vet!), or pick a less visible spot on your lawn, and use positive reinforcement to train your dog to relieve itself in an area with mulch or gravel. Alternatively, if you have a lot of time on your hands and a stubborn pup, you can spray the area with a hose after your dog has finished its business!
A variety of common lawn diseases, such as anthracnose, leaf spot, powdery mildew, or rust, can cause yellow patches in your grass. The best way to treat a lawn disease is through improved maintenance, as poor maintenance practices can make an attractive environment for lawn fungus. Before applying any chemical treatment to your lawn, identify the disease to ensure you use the right solution.
If applying fertilisation is part of your lawn care routine, it’s time to check how much you’re using. Yellowing lawns can stem from using too much fertiliser or using the wrong kind for your grass type. Research your lawn type to determine the right fertiliser option. Make sure you read the fertiliser options thoroughly so you use the right amount.
Overwatering your lawn can lead to root rot, but being too conservative can replicate drought conditions, and both can cause your yellow grass. As a rule of thumb, most established lawns need 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week. It’s more effective to water your lawn deeply once per week rather than for shorter periods three times a week, as watering less often but for long periods encourages a deep, healthy root system.
If your lawn doesn’t bounce back to a beautiful green colour after changing your watering style, then the grass is likely dead. Reseed the affected areas or replace them with sod to revive your lawn.
If you’ve been cutting your grass too short, your lawn may show signs of scalping, which prevents it from properly photosynthesizing. This causes the grass to fade to yellow and become susceptible to other dangers, such as pests, disease, and weeds. Thankfully, there’s an easy solution! Simply increase your mowing height, and remember to never cut more than one-third of your grass blade’s height during a single mow to avoid stressing it.
If you have any questions about these solutions, or if you’ve tried these steps with no success, then contact your local Stiga retailer for personalised advice!
