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After being fertilized for a few days, your grass turned yellow. What happened? Fertilizer encourages the growth of a green and healthy lawn. Unfortunately, the type of fertilizer and the amount of fertilizer applied can cause grass to turn yellow or what is commonly known as fertilizer burn.
Your concern now is, how to fix grass turning yellow after fertilizing. While fertilizer burn is the main cause of grass turning yellow, it can also be caused by certain diseases, pests and dog urine.
Aside from applying too much fertilizer. Fertilizer burn also occurs when fertilizer is applied too close to each other. Applying fertilizer during the growing season also causes fertilizer burn. Spring and fall are the best times to fertilize the grass.
Fertilizer contains salt and chemicals which build up on the grass and soil. When these happen, grass will quickly dehydrate and turn yellow. Even healthy grass can develop fertilizer burn. Fertilizer burn is characterized by yellow to almost brownish dead patches of grass.
Nitrogen in fertilizer makes grass green and healthy. Excess nitrogen however can also cause grass to turn yellow. Nitrogen changes alter the soil’s ph level and burn its roots. Dog urine also has high levels of nitrogen, which later on burns spots and turns them yellow with green borders.
Most of the time, these symptoms of fertilizer burn appear days after excessive fertilizer has been applied. In some cases it appears right in the following day.
Too much is bad, too little is not good as well. Yellow grass spots can also be caused by under fertilizing, leading to the lack of nutrients. Yellow patches can also be due to low nitrogen and iron levels in the fertilizer.
Yellow grass is an unsightly sight and needs to be remedied. Here are the common ways on how to fix grass turning yellow after fertilizing.
Avoid applying too much fertilizer. Apply only as recommended while watching out for weeds which may compete with grass for nutrients in the soil. As you stop over fertilizing grass, it will grow again. This time, new grass growth will be green again.
Yellow grass due to insufficient nitrogen and iron can be remedied by applying the right amount of fertilizer to address the issue. Following the manufacturer’s instruction will allow you not to over fertilize.
If you accidentally spilled fertilizer especially the granular type on your lawn, sweep off as much as you can immediately with a broom or a vacuum cleaner.
Water grass infrequently but deeply. Water in the morning so leaf blades can easily dry.
Deeply water the over-fertilized portion of the lawn. As water drains down through the soil, the excess fertilizer goes with the slow.
Clear up excess grass clippings and fallen leaves with a rake. Grass clippings can be breeding grounds for pests as well as diseases.
Get rid of grass blades that have died in the areas affected by fertilizer burn. Shovel the soil of the cleared areas 2 to 3 inches deep.
Aerate the lawn to improve air circulation in the roots. Improve the drainage system of the lawn, too.
Mow when the grass turns dry. Make sure the blades of the mower are sharp.
Read more: Top 7 Best Corded Electric Lawn Mower Reviews
Trim surrounding trees to allow more sunlight to reach into the fertilizer burned areas.
Evenly apply fertilizer on newly planted grass seedlings. This should be about 2 weeks after grass seedlings sprout.
The most important remedy to grass turning yellow after fertilizing is to have a good fertilizing regimen similar to having good practices for lawn care. Fertilizers are the main source of nutrients to keep your grass green, healthy, thrive and survive.
Fertilizer should be applied every 5 to 8 weeks during the entire year. Fertilizer is best applied with broadcast spreaders or seed drills. This will endure fertilizer is evenly applied to your lawn. While over fertilizing and under fertilizing is based on the amount of fertilizer applied, spreaders can to a certain extent prevent such occurrences. Avoid spreading fertilizer by hand.
When fertilizing, make sure to apply a pound of nitrogen for every 1,000 square feet of grass every year. The first number indicated in the fertilizer bag is its nitrogen. A 20-20-10 bag of fertilizer contains 20% nitrogen which means that you need to apply 5 pounds of fertilizer for every 1000 square feet of lawn to keep grass from turning yellow.
Here is a video about reviving a brown lawn:
Has your grass ever turned yellow after you applied fertilizer? How much fertilizer did you apply? What did you do to bring back grass to its green color? Share some of your techniques in the comment section. If you found this article useful, share it with your friends who want to know how to fix grass turning yellow wafer fertilizing.
