The Grass Doctor

What are some other causes for yellow spots in lawns besides dog urine?

Once the snow melted off our lawn, we've seen TONS of yellow spots. We don't have a dog, and although we've seen a few dogs running loose in the neighborhood, we don't think it's from them. It only affects our front yard and not our back. We did fertilize in the fall - could we have used too much and burned the grass? How can we find out for sure and what are some ways to repair the grass?

Public Comments

1. grass dying
2. Grubs worms or other insects. There are several diseases that it could be as well. You'll want to contact your local nursery or Master Gardener group (Botanical Garden in your area?) and get their input on what would work best in your area. If it is an insect, beneficial nematodes will help. You can get them from garden centers or order them online. Micro “good” bug you mix with water and spread around your yard\garden.
3. if you have st. Augustine grass, it s probably chinch bugs, they kill the grass in small circular patches then move to another spot, if it is you need a chinch bug insecticide, spread it on the entire lawn,, with a hand held spreader or by hand, use gloves to do this
4. Grubs, a shell-less snail, may have eaten away at the roots leaving the grass to die. Remove those areas and re-seed. Watch for similar deterioration elsewhere on your lawn and then put out pie plates of beer (yes, beer) to attract the grubs at night. They drown in the beer and you discard the whole lot in the a.m. The Muse