Yellow grass ---Neep Advises
 

Houston, Texas area, grass turns yellow in this very dry and hot
summer. I watered it 30 minutes every day and applied fertilizer in the
beginning of summer. It doesn't work. Some parts of lawn are still
getting yellow. Most of yellow parts are close to the concrete pave but
no one was walking on the lawn. Any remedies? Any suggestion is
welcome!

Thanks in advance!

HH

On 8 Jul 2005 15:28:57 -0700, wrote:

Houston, Texas area, grass turns yellow in this very dry and hot
summer. I watered it 30 minutes every day and applied fertilizer in the
beginning of summer. It doesn't work. Some parts of lawn are still
getting yellow. Most of yellow parts are close to the concrete pave but
no one was walking on the lawn. Any remedies? Any suggestion is
welcome!

Thanks in advance!

HH

You are definitely over watering, and this will cause it to get
yellow.

Here in the Midwest, I cannot ever remember heavy watering or rainfall causing the
grass to turn yellow. This is probably a result of the grass going dormant for overall
lack of water. It would be better for HH to water less often, but in larger amounts.
Time of day is also a factor. He should water when the sun is low (early morning or
late afternoon). I have found soaker hoses more effective than sprinkling in my area,
which is in the midst of a drought. I can't do the entire lawn this way, but I concentrate on the
yellow areas. I am barely keeping up with the hot sun and lack of
rainfall, hoping for a change in the weather.

Sherwin D.

Bourne Identity wrote:

On 8 Jul 2005 15:28:57 -0700, wrote:

Houston, Texas area, grass turns yellow in this very dry and hot
summer. I watered it 30 minutes every day and applied fertilizer in the
beginning of summer. It doesn't work. Some parts of lawn are still
getting yellow. Most of yellow parts are close to the concrete pave but
no one was walking on the lawn. Any remedies? Any suggestion is
welcome!

Thanks in advance!

HH

You are definitely over watering, and this will cause it to get
yellow.

By midwest you are saying you are up north? It's a whole other
ballgame down here in Texas and Houston is clearly part of the humid
south, nowhere near the dry line of the "mid west." Most likely we
are talking about St. Augustine or bermuda which indeed does turn
yellow from overwatering. If the turf wasn't watered so much, it
could be chinch bugs, but it's too early in the season for that.

On Fri, 08 Jul 2005 23:11:08 -0500, sherwindu
wrote:

Here in the Midwest, I cannot ever remember heavy watering or rainfall causing the
grass to turn yellow. This is probably a result of the grass going dormant for overall
lack of water. It would be better for HH to water less often, but in larger amounts.
Time of day is also a factor. He should water when the sun is low (early morning or
late afternoon). I have found soaker hoses more effective than sprinkling in my area,
which is in the midst of a drought. I can't do the entire lawn this way, but I concentrate on the
yellow areas. I am barely keeping up with the hot sun and lack of
rainfall, hoping for a change in the weather.

Sherwin D.

Bourne Identity wrote:

On 8 Jul 2005 15:28:57 -0700, wrote:

Houston, Texas area, grass turns yellow in this very dry and hot
summer. I watered it 30 minutes every day and applied fertilizer in the
beginning of summer. It doesn't work. Some parts of lawn are still
getting yellow. Most of yellow parts are close to the concrete pave but
no one was walking on the lawn. Any remedies? Any suggestion is
welcome!

Thanks in advance!

HH

You are definitely over watering, and this will cause it to get
yellow.

On 8 Jul 2005 15:28:57 -0700, wrote:

Houston, Texas area, grass turns yellow in this very dry and hot
summer. I watered it 30 minutes every day and applied fertilizer in the
beginning of summer. It doesn't work. Some parts of lawn are still
getting yellow. Most of yellow parts are close to the concrete pave but
no one was walking on the lawn. Any remedies? Any suggestion is
welcome!

What kind of grass is in your lawn?
Do you have clay in your lawn dirt?
If you have clay the water can simply run off those spots and not
benefit the grass. Watering clay should be done lighter and longer
so it can soak into the ground.

How much water in inches are you putting on the lawn? Get rain
gauges and put them around the lawn and measure the amount of water
being deposited. Thirty minutes watering time is a fact that doesn't
mean much alone, since I have no idea if you are hand watering with a
water hose or flooding with a dozen high volume sprinkler heads.
Thirty minutes with a water hose on a football field size lawn isn't
much. I water part of my front yard (30' x 40') with three sprinkler
heads for 20 minutes twice a day for three days a week, and it is a
small front yard.

Regards,

Hal Zone 8

In article says...
I have found soaker hoses more effective than sprinkling in my area,
which is in the midst of a drought. I can't do the entire lawn this way, but I concentrate on the
yellow areas. I am barely keeping up with the hot sun and lack of
rainfall, hoping for a change in the weather.

Our drought here in Chicago this year is supposed to be the worst ever
since they have been keeping records. It's worse than 1988, the last
real bad Midwest drought. As far as I know, it's useless and a waste of
water to try and keep grass green. Let it go yellow and keep the trees
watered. The grass will come back but a tree won't if it dies and the
young trees are most vulnerable now. I was out in the suburbs last
weekend and found the yellow lawns rather attractive, indicating just how
bad of a drought we're in. Another side benefit of a yellow lawn is that
you don't have to cut it very often if at all. When I see a lush green
lawn under these circumstances I see someone who wastes water, a consumer
that has a me me attitude with little regard for the rest of society that
they live in. Considering that we may not get another drop of rain for
the rest of the year, suburban water reservoirs are going to get real
low.

Right now I'm looking at a Honey Locust in the parkway that is turning
color due to lack of water. I think it will survive since it's over 30'
high so a good drought like this may toughen it up in subsequent years.
The newly planted trees on the other hand will need help to get through
this summer.

Thank you all for your suggestions. But confusing. Is it overwatered
or overall lack of water?? Does it need iron? I just bought Ironite
and plan to apply Ironite tomorrow. I posted some photos
hehttp://www.imagestation.com/picture/...d/f355fb42.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...3/f355fb52.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...2/f355fb4b.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...7/f355fb47.jpg

Any more advices?

Thanks in advance!

HH

Bourne Identity wrote:
By midwest you are saying you are up north? It's a whole other
ballgame down here in Texas and Houston is clearly part of the humid
south, nowhere near the dry line of the "mid west." Most likely we
are talking about St. Augustine or bermuda which indeed does turn
yellow from overwatering. If the turf wasn't watered so much, it
could be chinch bugs, but it's too early in the season for that.

On Fri, 08 Jul 2005 23:11:08 -0500, sherwindu
wrote:

Here in the Midwest, I cannot ever remember heavy watering or rainfall causing the
grass to turn yellow. This is probably a result of the grass going dormant for overall
lack of water. It would be better for HH to water less often, but in larger amounts.
Time of day is also a factor. He should water when the sun is low (early morning or
late afternoon). I have found soaker hoses more effective than sprinkling in my area,
which is in the midst of a drought. I can't do the entire lawn this way, but I concentrate on the
yellow areas. I am barely keeping up with the hot sun and lack of
rainfall, hoping for a change in the weather.

Sherwin D.

Bourne Identity wrote:

On 8 Jul 2005 15:28:57 -0700, wrote:

Houston, Texas area, grass turns yellow in this very dry and hot
summer. I watered it 30 minutes every day and applied fertilizer in the
beginning of summer. It doesn't work. Some parts of lawn are still
getting yellow. Most of yellow parts are close to the concrete pave but
no one was walking on the lawn. Any remedies? Any suggestion is
welcome!

Thanks in advance!

HH

You are definitely over watering, and this will cause it to get
yellow.

I don't know what kind of grass in my lawn. I do have a sprinkler
system and every day I think I water it with about 0.3-0.5 inches of
water. Someone suggest to apply Ironite. I will try that and water it
every two days with more water. Some photos
hehttp://www.imagestation.com/picture/...d/f355fb42.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...3/f355fb52.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...2/f355fb4b.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...7/f355fb47.jpg

Any more advices?


Thanks in advance!


HH

You are watering too frequently with too little water, causing shallow
roots. Water every 5 days before 10:00 am or after 7:00 pm, with about 1
inch of water, which will reduce your overall water use. Put out a tuna fish
or cat food can to see how long it takes to water 1 inch.

Water Every 5 Days
http://www.enewsbuilder.net/watercon....cfm?x=b11,0,w

Ironite is made from mine tailings and is considered toxic waste. Return
it and get your money back.

Ironite Sued for Toxics in Fertilizer and False Advertising
Company promotes popular home fertilizer containing lead, arsenic as
"environmentally safe"
http://www.envirolaw.org/poison.html

wrote in message
ups.com...
Thank you all for your suggestions. But confusing. Is it overwatered
or overall lack of water?? Does it need iron? I just bought Ironite
and plan to apply Ironite tomorrow. I posted some photos

hehttp://www.imagestation.com/picture/...9b186bec4f5eb8
2d802ad/f355fb42.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...3/f355fb52.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...2/f355fb4b.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...7/f355fb47.jpg

Any more advices?

Thanks in advance!

HH

Well, my suburb gets it's water from Lake Michigan. Any danger of that drying up?

Sherwin D.

Mark Anderson wrote:

In article says...
I have found soaker hoses more effective than sprinkling in my area,
which is in the midst of a drought. I can't do the entire lawn this way, but I concentrate on the
yellow areas. I am barely keeping up with the hot sun and lack of
rainfall, hoping for a change in the weather.

Our drought here in Chicago this year is supposed to be the worst ever
since they have been keeping records. It's worse than 1988, the last
real bad Midwest drought. As far as I know, it's useless and a waste of
water to try and keep grass green. Let it go yellow and keep the trees
watered. The grass will come back but a tree won't if it dies and the
young trees are most vulnerable now. I was out in the suburbs last
weekend and found the yellow lawns rather attractive, indicating just how
bad of a drought we're in. Another side benefit of a yellow lawn is that
you don't have to cut it very often if at all. When I see a lush green
lawn under these circumstances I see someone who wastes water, a consumer
that has a me me attitude with little regard for the rest of society that
they live in. Considering that we may not get another drop of rain for
the rest of the year, suburban water reservoirs are going to get real
low.

Right now I'm looking at a Honey Locust in the parkway that is turning
color due to lack of water. I think it will survive since it's over 30'
high so a good drought like this may toughen it up in subsequent years.
The newly planted trees on the other hand will need help to get through
this summer.

Rather than guess, take a spade and cut a chunk of sod from one of the
yellowed spots and from one of the green spots (don't worry, you can replant
it easily).

Look for:
1) soil moisture well down into the root zone in both places, or just one?
2) do the root systems seem equally well developed in both places, or just one?
3) do you see insects, grubs, etc. in one sample?
4) do the roots look and smell the same?
5) are you dealing with similar soil types?
6) are there different amounts of thatch (dead material just above the soil)
7) do the grass blades look similar or different when you compare the two
sods? (same width, same basic structure?)

I'm guessing that you're watering too little, too often. About an hour after
you water, the soil should be damp about 4-6" down from the surface, with no
puddling or ponding on the surface. Deep, relatively infrequent waterings
encourage deep root growth -- 3/4 to 1" of water is generally recommended
at a time in Houston, then watch for signs of wilting before watering again.

My other guess is that the yellowing you're seeing is due to something
wrong with the root system -- a fungal disease, grubs or other insects,
or something odd in the soil (thin soil over rocks, perhaps?)
Watering help:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/c...ter/lawns.html

I believe you said you were in Houston. You might also want to submit
samples to your county extension service.

Kay

On 9 Jul 2005 17:45:55 -0700, wrote:

I don't know what kind of grass in my lawn. I do have a sprinkler
system

Any more advices?

http://county-tx.tamu.edu/

Regards,

Hal