How To Fix Nitrogen Lawn Burn
Yellow or brown spots can be an eyesore to a pristine lawn. These spots are generally caused by a buildup of nitrogen in the soil. Although nitrogen is required to make the lawn green, a lawn burn is a case of too much of a good thing. The nitrogen buildup may be caused by over-fertilizing your lawn, or it may be caused by urine deposits left by pets. No matter what the source of nitrogen burn marks, fixing the discolored lawn is relatively easy. However, it does take time.
Step 1
Water your lawn. Nitrogen leeches from the soil quickly. So watering the lawn will help to drive excess nitrogen from the roots of your grass and washes it out of the lawn.
- Yellow or brown spots can be an eyesore to a pristine lawn.
- Although nitrogen is required to make the lawn green, a lawn burn is a case of too much of a good thing.
Step 2
Apply a liquid nitrogen neutralizing product to help remove the nitrogen from the soil.
Step 3
Rake and remove dead grass from your burned lawn about a month after the patch appears. By this point, the nitrogen will have washed away from the soil.
Step 4
Loosen the soil with a cultivating tool. Then rake the ground with a garden rake.
Step 5
Plant grass seed in the bare spot on your lawn and rake the ground to cover the seeds.
Step 6
Cover the ground with mulch to protect the seed and water with the garden hose. Reseeding the lawn in this way will allow new grass to establish in the burned spots.
- Apply a liquid nitrogen neutralizing product to help remove the nitrogen from the soil.
- Reseeding the lawn in this way will allow new grass to establish in the burned spots.
Step 7
Switch to an organic liquid fertilizer that is lower in nitrogen.
Save A Nitrogen Burned Lawn
Water the lawn slowly and deeply as soon as possible after burn occurs or is noticed, applying 6 to 12 inches of high-quality, salt-free water. Irrigate the site slowly enough that water is absorbed without running off of the soil surface. Use a sharp spade to remove the dead grass and the top 1 1/2 inches of soil from spots in the lawn that fail to recover. Spread grass seed over the soil in the bare spot or trim a piece of sod to fit the bare spot using a sharp spade or knife and lay the sod in the bare area, firming it down gently to make sure the sod is solidly in contact with the soil surface. Choose a seed or sod species or mix that will match the surrounding lawn.
Things Needed
- Garden hose
- Grass seed
- Organic liquid fertilizer
- Liquid nitrogen neutralizer
References
- Reseeding Bare Spots in Lawns
- Avoiding Fertilizer Burn
- University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service: Salinity Problems in Turfgrass
- University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources: Lawns 'n' Dogs
- Colorado State University Extension: Dog Urine Damage on Lawns : Causes, Cures and Prevention
- Ohio State University Extension: Fertilization of Lawns