Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
lindak_2007

Help!!! Can I save my burned Lawn??

lindak_2007
16 years ago

I fertilized my front and back yard on Monday with a chemical fertilizer, today is Thursday and even though I soaked this grass it is turning yellow all over the backyard. I'm soaking it even more now, but I'm afraid my yard is going to float away?? How long should I soak it?? And is it going to even stop the yellow?? I can't believe I did this. I've fertilized many times and never burned the yard. We just bought this house and I loved the Yard so Much!!! Is there anything I can do at this point??

Thank you,

Linda

Comments (7)

  • bestlawn
    16 years ago

    Nope, not gonna stop the yellow, but keep soaking today and tomorrow. Exactly the damage can only be determined by how much nitrogen there was by percentage and the form(s) of nitrogen present. If there was a slow release element, the damage will not be continuous at this point. If none was slow release, the damage was immediate because the nitrogen was immediately supplied to the plants. The only thing you can do is water a lot to try to leach the fertilizer past the root zone. Still not effective from a damage-reversing point of view but would have prevented damage somewhat had you caught it and began watering earlier. Normally, it isn't anything to worry about in the long run. In the short run, the grass will look really crappy for a while but will recover. How long that takes usually depends on the type of grass you have. If it's bluegrass, expect that to be about a month give or take. In the meanwhile, don't blow it off as dead. It may not be. Keep mowing on a regular basis, never mowing off more than one third its height. And after tomorrow, irrigate as usual supplying no more than one inch of water per week taking rainfall into consideration. If it isn't bluegrass, let's hope it's not dead, but most don't die from this and usually do recover.

  • buzzsaw8
    16 years ago

    Sounds like you really love your lawn. May I suggest a switch to organics? You'll never have this problem again....

  • bpgreen
    16 years ago

    Are you sure it's turning yellow due to fertilizer burn? You said that you soaked the grass. One thing that can cause grass to turn yellow is if the soil is saturated. If you're really soaking the lawn, it could be turning yellow from overwatering.

    What kind of fertilizer did you use and how much and for what size lawn? It would help if you can tell us how many pounds of fertilizer you used, what the percentage of Nitrogen was (the first number on the bag) and how many square feet of lawn you have.

  • lindak_2007
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I started soaking the yard when I realized that it was turning yellow. I wasn't sure what to do at that point. There are places that it's actually getting greener and then patches that are turning yellow. Also, I fertilized the front yard at the same time and it seems to be okay.
    I threw the bag of fertilizer away, so I have no idea if I put to much on. I used one bag for the front and back. I've worked in my yards for so many years, but this is a first for me. I guess I just put to much on in spots.
    I would be more than happy to try Organics. Honestly, I had never heard about *Organic Fertilizer*. Now that I see the damage Chemical Fertilizer can do, I am going to be So Careful!!

  • bestlawn
    16 years ago

    "turning yellow all over the backyard"
    is not at all the same as
    "patches that are turning yellow"

    Please disregard everything I said.

  • texas_weed
    16 years ago

    What kind of fertlizer, how much, on what kind of grass? You didn't by chance use a weed-n-feed for Saint Augustine did you? IF you did and have a cool season grass, it is toast because weed-n-feed for SA contains Atrazine.

  • lindak_2007
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I'm not sure what kind of fertilizer it was. I know it wasn't a weed and feed because I saw those and I don't have a problem with weeds.
    I'm going to keep watering and hopefully the yellow areas won't get worse. It's just so strange to me because the front yard seems to be fine.
    Thank you for all your help!! :o)

    Linda