How to Revive Yellow Dying Sod

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The last thing you want is to notice yellow patches of sod on your lawn, especially when your neighbor has a beautiful expanse of green, lush grass. Yellow sod can be quite unsightly, not to mention, an indication of a much bigger problem.

The good news is, not all cases are severe. If you can identify the specific cause, it will be pretty easy to restore the grass’s greenness. In this article, we’ll explore ways to revive yellow dying sod.

Keep your lawn free from dog urine.
If you have a dog(s), it could be why your sod is yellowing. Here’s the deal, the dog’s urine contains a high amount of nitrogen, which causes grass to turn yellow or brown. So if your pup tends to pee around your yard, he’s the cause of your sod-turning yellow.

Luckily, this is something you can prevent. Simply install a fence around your lawn to avoid accessibility. In case your sod has already yellowed, increase watering to these spots. Doing so helps to dilute the urine, hence revive the dying sod.


Reduce the frequency of watering

Yellow patches could be a sign that your sod is getting excessive amounts of water.

Now, when you first install the grass, it will require substantial amounts of water. However, the frequency of watering should decrease overtime to prevent yellowing.

For the first seven to ten days, experts recommend watering up to three times every day. Each watering session should last anywhere from five to ten minutes. The idea is to add enough water so that it soaks the first couple of inches of soil.

But during the second week, you can reduce the frequency of watering to one time every day. This time, you only need to soak about a quarter-inch of the soil. In the third week, water every other day for the next seven to ten days. By the fourth week, you can reduce the frequency to once or twice each week. This is because the roots are fully established by this time.


Hold off on fertilization.

A grand mistake that homeowners make is to apply fertilizer on their newly-installed sod. They fail to realize that the pre-grown grass is usually enriched with fertilizer, just a short while before it’s harvested and sold. This fertilizer is meant to nourish it up to the point when its root system develops.

If you apply fertilizer too early, the result is that the sod will begin turning yellow or brown. Even if you opt for slow-release fertilizers, these will still be too strong for your sod. It means they’ll have the same yellowing effect as any other fertilizer. To prevent this, avoid adding any fertilizer until your sod has lasted about a month or two. By this time, it will be able to absorb and utilize the fertilizers efficiently.

Choose the right time for sod delivery.
Even though most people neglect this aspect, timing the delivery of your sod is crucial. If you have it installed on a windy, sunny, or scorching day; it’s likely to turn yellow. Luckily, this kind of yellowing is temporary, and your sod will regain its green color soon after.

But to avoid this altogether, be sure to choose a calm, cold, and cloudy day for your sod delivery and installation.


Get rid of pests

Another way to revive yellow dying sod is to ensure that bugs are not attacking it. Numerous pests can wreak havoc on grass, ranging from armyworms to cutworms and grubs (beetle larvae).

If you don’t have any experience with lawn pests, consider hiring a professional to exterminate them. But if you want to be more hands-on, you can seek help from your local agriculture extension agency. Ask them to give you details about common pests in the area and guide you to eliminate the bugs on your sod.


The Bottom Line

If you’ve started noticing yellow patches on your sod, there are several remedies you can try.

For homeowners who keep dogs, the first thing you need to do is observe your pet and establish whether they pee on your yard. If they do, you can install a fence to prevent accessibility. For the yellow patches, increase the frequency of watering to dilute the nitrogen content.

Eliminating pets, reducing the frequency of watering after the one-month mark and holding off on fertilization, are other ways to revive yellow, dying sod.

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