Does this look like fertilizer burn on my Kentucky Bluegrass lawn?
I was having yellowing problems and followed some forum advice, applying a nitrogen fertilizer. There was definite improvement in the weeks that followed. Last week, I reapplied lightly in a few spots where it was still yellow, and went on vacation a couple of days later.
While I was gone, the sprinklers were on (every four days) and there was an unexpected day of rain. I came back to what you see in the pictures. It is significantly more yellow than when I left.
If it is fertilizer burn, what can I do short of replacing the soil? Will aeration help? More frequent watering for a week to clear out the fertilizer?
Comments (8)
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Autumn fertilizer burn - is lawn a goner?
Comments (6)From the sounds of things, you may have some fertilizer burn. The burn pattern sounds more like what happens from a drop spreader (which is why I asked that question as you probably guessed). I wonder if the spreader sprung a leak or something. With the amount of snow you're describing, if it's fertilizer burn, the excess fertilizer is long gone, so you shouldn't need to do anything to correct that. Depending on how much you have and how much of the lawn is KBG, it may fill in on its own. If there's too much burned, you may need to overseed. You could seed once it warms up a bit, but you'll lose grass in the heat of the summer seeding in the spring. If I were in your shoes, unless the burned spots take up a lot of the lawn, I think I'd be inclined to wait and see if it will self repair. If there's too much burned, I'd probably seed now with the expectation that I'd need to seed again in the fall....See MoreNew kentucky bluegrass sod with dying area
Comments (4)Well I can see the pic, and from the way the grass and the edging look, I don't think it's from the heat off the metal edging. If that was the case, then I think you would see more of the grass along the edging drying out, and it would be more uniform. The every other day watering should have provided enough moisture to prevent this, unless your sprinkler doesn't reach the area. Since you tilled and composted I assume the area in question doesn't have any large rocks a few inches below the surface in that area. I'm inclined to say it was fungal in nature since it was hot, and you were watering every other day. Where are you located by the way and when do you do your watering?...See MoreKentucky Bluegrass will overtake Tall Fescue eventually??
Comments (4)Are you sure it's the fescue you like and not the KBG? Also, I noticed that there's some Chewings fescue in there. That's a fine fescue and there's more difference in looks between fine fescue and either tall fescue or KBG than there is between KBG and tall fescue. KBG spreads via rhizomes. There are some varieties of tall fescue that spread via rhizomes, but both of the varieties in htat mix are bunch grasses that only spread slowly through tillers. Chewings fescue also spread very slowly through tillers. The only fine fescue that spreads via rhizomes is creeping red fescue. These three grasses all have different traits and are suited for different types of conditions. Where in WA are you? You'll want to do things differently if you live in Seattle than if you live someplace like Pasco. How much sun does your lawn get per day?...See MoreWhy does my lawn look like a zebra?
Comments (7)Hmm - could be stress brought on by hard soil? Read up on watering practices - generally you want to put down 1" of water per week if there is no rain. Ideally at one 'watering'...if you have hard soil where runoff and puddling is common... then you might need to put down .5"...do the rest of the zones... and then put down another .5" on all of the zones to allow time for soaking in. Your weather in NC has been mild thus far... June/July will surely bring worse i would think?! Training now(and always) for deep rooting is key to get it ready... Using soil conditioners, natural fertilizer sources (milo/grains/etc), and shampoo(1-3oz/1000ft) can help slowly with soil hardness and water/root penetration. Like houseplants.... give them a good soaking, and then once fairly dry, give another good soaking. Sometimes there will be troublespots that will dry out first - spot watering might be needed. Sprinkling peat moss in these areas has also shown to help some for moisture retention/OM...See More
Kaillean (zone 8, Vancouver)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agohawk_941 thanked Kaillean (zone 8, Vancouver)
hawk_941
6 years agohawk_941
6 years ago
mishmosh
6 years agohawk_941
6 years ago
dchall_san_antonio
6 years agoThis time of year, south of 'Frisco,' (I know y'all hate that term, about as much as we hate San Antone, but anyway...) you should be watering no more frequently than once every 4 weeks. Here is a picture of a neighborhood in east PA which is full of contractor grade KBG lawns. The picture was taken in July several years ago.
The green lawn was replaced with a non-contractor grade seed, but the main point of difference is that the green lawn is watered once a week (during hottest heat of summer) while the rest are watered every day. Thank you to morpheuspa for the picture.
Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall.
hawk_941 thanked dchall_san_antonio
mishmosh