Why is My Grass Turning Yellow (or Brown) and What Can I Do About It?

If you’ve looked over your yard and noticed spots of yellow or brown grass, you’re not alone. Lawn damage and disease affect millions of homeowners every year. Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to treat your lawn and return it to health. Once you determine the underlying cause of the discoloration, you’ll know exactly what to do.

So why is your grass turning yellow or brown? Read on below to learn more and take corrective action today.

Is Your Yard Stressed?
Sometimes there are grass diseases that cause discoloration, but before you treat those causes, check and see if your grass might be damaged or stressed. What causes damage in your yard? There are a variety of factors:

• Excessively wet or dry weather
• Unseasonably hot or cold temperatures
• High-traffic areas
• Pet urine
• Improper mowing or watering
• Too much or too little fertilizer
• Thatch
• Compacted soil

If one or more of these are the cause of your lawn problems, take action to correct that first. For instance, train your dog to use inconspicuous areas of your lawn, aerate to relieve compacted soil, sharpen mower blades, and fertilize appropriately. 

You might find that taking these steps helps return your grass to a healthy green before having to dig deeper or call in professional help. 

Common Lawn Diseases
Lawn diseases caused by fungi are a common reason that your grass will be yellow or brown. Here are several that are common in this area: 

Red Thread: If you notice brown patches in your yard and there is also red threadlike material in the grass blades, you’ve got red thread lawn disease. You can treat red thread using a fungicide with benomyl or carbendazim. Then fertilize your lawn with a nitrogen-based product to help grass recover and prevent future problems.

Dollar Spot. Dollar spot lawn disease causes small circular brown spots across your lawn. Over time these patches grow and connect, causing large discoloration that can be several feet in diameter. In most cases, you’ll need to fertilize to help your lawn outgrow the disease. Then, take action to prevent this issue by aerating, mowing properly, fertilizing in late spring, watering deeply but infrequently.

Leaf Spot. If you mow your grass too short and are in a high-humidity area, your lawn is susceptible to leaf spot. You’ll notice spread areas of discoloration, and on closer inspection, each blade will have spots. If this is a concern, mow two inches or higher and avoid early evening irrigation in the summer.

Pythium Blight. Pythium blight causes discoloration and tufted growths from infected grass. To prevent it, water early in the day, remove thatch and ensure good yard drainage. Make sure to avoid over-fertilizing as well. You can use chemicals to treat the disease if it occurs.

Avoid Yellow or Brown Grass With Proper Lawn Care
Taking care of your yard can help prevent most causes of discoloration. It’s a good idea to hire a professional if you don’t have the time or knowledge to keep your yard free of stress, damage, and disease. When you hire a pro, you can enjoy your yard without worry!

If you notice any signs of lawn disease, call the lawn care professionals at Blue Tree Landscaping right away. If left untreated, these lawn issues can spread and cause permanent damage to your grass. Give us a call today and we’ll help you figure out exactly what your yard needs.

ABOUT BLUE TREE LANDSCAPING

Blue Tree Landscaping proudly creates custom outdoor living spaces while respecting and enhancing the natural beauty of your surroundings. We specialize in providing Montgomery County the best inground pool design and construction, as well as serve as the area’s expert in landscape design. For more than 36 years, Blue Tree Landscaping has been dedicated to providing Skippack, Collegeville and the surrounding areas with superior customer service, quality pool construction and beautiful outdoor living areas meant to be enjoyed for years to come. You can expect personalized service in all that we do and the kind of care that has been built on a reliable reputation since 1983.