Seeding grass isn’t easy, but the results are hard to beat.
So I know you are looking at your newly seeded lawn every day hoping to see new, attractive blades of grass shooting up into the air.
Unfortunately, after all the work you put into it, you may look down and see your freshly seeded grass turning yellow.
There are a few reasons that happen, and we will look at those.
More than likely, the most common reason your newly seeded grass is turning yellow is due to a lack of water or watering it incorrectly. Lack of moisture is a leading cause, and wrong time of day water, also known as “sunburn,” will turn it yellow too.
1. Insufficient or Excessive Lawn Watering
If you do not water your lawn as much as prescribed, you are likely compromising your grass; it will yellow and dry up.
For most settings, you should water your lawn two times a day, in the morning and evening, depending on how much time you allot.
Yet, if you live in really dry environments, you will often need to water your lawn three or more times to keep your lawn looking green and your soil moist.
And after your grass is finally grown, you must lower the amount of times you water. You should feel confident to water your lawn once every two to five days depending on the weather and time of year, after your lawn has fully grown.
You will also experience yellowing of grass due to overfull watering, which constrains the grass’ root development.
Too much water will not only limit the amount of oxygen when the soil is waterlogged, it will also lead to little uptake of water and nutrients.
So: Your newly sown grass will yellow and fail to root properly due to insufficient water and minimal nutrients uptake.
2. Imbalanced Soil Nutrients
When the nutrients in your soil are imbalanced, you might start to see your new grass turn yellow.
This is due to too much phosphorus, not having enough iron, or not enough nitrogen. These will all cause turf yellowing and will slow the pace of grass growth and establishment.
Signs and a Solution for Nutrient Imbalance
Here are some ways to tell your soil’s nutrients are imbalance:
- Grass blades browning and yellowing at the tips
- Grass growing flimsy and does so slowly
- Unprecedented wilting
- Grass turning light green instead of having a deep green color
Luckily you can fix that with nitrogenous and phosphoric fertilizers like the NPK.
When applying fertilizers to your lawn, make sure you gather up everything evenly so that some sections of your lawn do not go without nutrient from the fertilizer application.
This will ultimately allow you to avoid yellowing streaks that resulted from sections of your lawn that had too much or too little fertilizer.
3. Lawn Burn
Lawn burn can be caused by a variety of reasons.
For example, excessive fertilization, especially synthetic fertilizers, can lead to a buildup of salts in the soil that causes a fertilizer burn leading to yellow, brown, or desiccated grass.
Furthermore, harsh insectides can also damage the new grass blades causing the grass to wilt and turn yellow.
Signs and Solutions for Lawn Burn
- Yellowing grass blades at the base
- The slow growth of your lawn
- Browning grass blades at the top
- A layer of fertilizer crusts on your soil surface
- Unlimited lawn diseases (the most common is the yellow grass lawn disease)
If this were to occur, you can lower the amount of fertilizer applied and give your soil adequate time to recuperate.
In order to avoid misuse of insecticides, you should always read your manufacturer’s instructions, and, more importantly, apply accurate measurements when applying harsh chemicals on your lawn.
Also, watering your lawn often, with a lot of water, can help you replant your lawn with a burn.
4. Grass Fungus and Lawn Grubs
Common lawn grubs whose infestation may turn your newly sown grass yellow include:
- Cranberry girdler larvae feed on grass roots, which makes them turn yellow and eventual dryness.
- Billbugs are dangerous insects that will feed on your grass’ stems and roots, leaving yellow and brown patches in your lawn. White grubs, similar to billbugs, consume the grass’ root system, contributing to the early wilting of grass as well as brown patches.
- There are fungi types that will cause your grass to turn yellow, most commonly necrotic fungi and necrotic ring fungi, and Ascochyta. If the yellow patches are spreading, it is helpful to check for fungal pathogens. Hot weather can bring the start of the rainy season, and you may notice grass turning yellow from Ascochyta. Always look at lawn for fungi samples, in addition to the stated pests above.
Additionally, by consistently aerating the soil and reducing mowing mistreatment on the lawn while continuing to experience the presence of fungi, you can reduce both Ascochyta and Necrotic ring.
Your Choice: You can eliminate lawn grubs and lawn fungus though proper application of insecticides and fertilizers.
5. Compact Soil
Did you know that highly compacted soil may actually cause your grass to turn yellow when you initially plant it?
When the soil underneath is too compacted, once you place your grass in the soil, the roots will struggle and not be able to grow down into the soil.
So, your grass will begin to weaken, turn yellow, and then begin to dry up, if the soil condition is not taken care of.
Signs and Solutions for a Compact Soil
- The complex grey soil is too closely packed
- Water quickly runs off the elevated parts of your lawn
- Water stagnates at the low ends of your lawn
If you notice any of these indicators in your lawn, you should back off on watering them too much and minimize foot traffic on your lawn.
Also, get your lawn thatch layer down to 1″ thick to promote healthy grass.
Finally, aeration can help you loosen up your compacted soil.
6. Animal Urine
The yellowing might be produced by your dog or your neighbor’s dog urinating on your lawn.
Most animal urine contains higher levels of nitrogen, which can burn your lawn and yellow the grass.
The urine would more readily produce yellow if it is urinated on the same spots repeatedly.
To remedy that, you should train your pet, if they are the culprit, to urinate elsewhere besides the lawn.
You can spray the lawn where the animal urinated and place baking soda on it when you find the yellow spots.
Final Thoughts
It can be an upsetting experience when your freshly sown grass turns yellow.
But, it happens all too often, because of many of the factors we just mentioned. We do encourage you to look for the signs we previously discussed if you want to properly interpret the cause of the problem.
Then rest assured now that you can take action using the solutions we have shared with you. We sincerely hope this has accompanied you on your way to obtaining a lawn that both looks great and causes a sense of pride.
Good luck and may the grass always be greener on your side!