# Yellow spots in lawn after fertilizing



## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

I put down a granular 16-4-8 about a week ago and watered it in immediately. Since we didn't have rain for several days I watered in a little more (15 minutes per zone) about 3 days later. Now I have these yellow spots which could be added nitrogen from my dogs urine in the backyard but I'm also noticing slight yellowing in the front yard as well where there are no dogs.

Will continuing to water and time alone correct this issue or is there something I can do to help out?


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## wessneroo (Jan 22, 2019)

Howdy from Taylors. I think Connor Ward has a YouTube video about this. Is there any chance the granular could have been clumped slightly and left some bigger chunks?


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Hey, neighbor! I'm not far from you, Greer, SC.

I guess theres a slight chance it was clumped. Is there anything I can do to correct this and should I worry about any harm being done at this point?


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## wessneroo (Jan 22, 2019)

I believe this is the video I was thinking of...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3Yxsr7kwdg

I'm pretty new to this so maybe someone with more experience will chime in but I'm thinking the Bermuda will grow back with a little time.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Thanks for the video!

Here are some photos of the front lawn where no dogs are. The camera may not pick it up completely but in some areas there is a yellow tint. My lawn isn't 100% out of dormancy yet but when I fertilized it was at least 60% or more a week ago. I'm hoping as its awakening everything will green back up on it's own.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

MeanDean said:


> Thanks for the video!
> 
> Here are some photos of the front lawn where no dogs are. The camera may not pick it up completely but in some areas there is a yellow tint. My lawn isn't 100% out of dormancy yet but when I fertilized it was at least 60% or more a week ago. I'm hoping as its awakening everything will green back up on it's own.


Are you specifically talking about the yellow dots?

Edit- nevermind. I'm an idiot.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Hopefully I can get some clarity on this...

I used Rodgers 16-4-8 granular fertilizer about a week ago. According to the label, one 50 lb bag covers 5000 sqft but what confuses me is the following. If I take the 16-4-8 fertilizer, divide 100 by 16. The result is 6.25 pounds of product per thousand square feet: 100/16 = 6.25 to get 1 lb of nitrogen per 1000 sqft.

With this math one 50 lb bag would cover up to 8k sqft. I applied 2 bags across my entire 10k sqft lawn based on the label recommendations of 1 bag/5k sqft.

Which recommendation should I have followed here and did I apply way too much fertilizer to my lawn?


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## wessneroo (Jan 22, 2019)

The 50lb bag is 16% N by weight. 50lb * 0.16 = 8lb N per bag. For two bags, that's 16lb of Nitrogen. Across 10ksqft that gives a N rate of 1.6lb/1000ksqft.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

wessneroo said:


> The 50lb bag is 16% N by weight. 50lb * 0.16 = 8lb N per bag. For two bags, that's 16lb of Nitrogen. Across 10ksqft that gives a N rate of 1.6lb/1000ksqft.


Is that too much for the area I have?


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

That is the typical fertilizer burn after granules are spread on a reel low lawn. They sit on the leaves rather than going down to the soil level as they would on a high cut lawn. If the granules have any kind of coating or slow release, they are no longer slow release if the reel mower cuts them. Plenty of water if it s not raining hard and regularly is the remedy.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Greendoc said:


> That is the typical fertilizer burn after granules are spread on a reel low lawn. They sit on the leaves rather than going down to the soil level as they would on a high cut lawn. If the granules have any kind of coating or slow release, they are no longer slow release if the reel mower cuts them. Plenty of water if it s not raining hard and regularly is the remedy.


Thanks so much! Doesn't sound like there's anyway to avoid this when using a reel mower.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

There is a reason why I spray feed lawns. 
No granules to sit on top of grass or get chopped by reel mowers. 
The granules that do work in a reel cut situation are called greens grade fertilizers. They are small granules that disperse or dissolve on contact with water. They cost about $50-65 a bag. Way more than lawn food designed for high cut cool season grass.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Greendoc said:


> There is a reason why I spray feed lawns.
> No granules to sit on top of grass or get chopped by reel mowers.
> The granules that do work in a reel cut situation are called greens grade fertilizers. They are small granules that disperse or dissolve on contact with water. They cost about $50-65 a bag. Way more than lawn food designed for high cut cool season grass.


Great information! Thanks


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

It will be ok, just a little ugly for weeks or so. I've done it on multiple occasions because I'm too cheap to buy greens grade and haven't tried any spray fertilizers yet. I try to time the apps with rain but it sometimes the forecast is wrong and doesn't then it looks like this :lol:


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## bmw (Aug 29, 2018)

1.6 pounds of N per 1000 sq ft is way too much. You only need about .5-.75 pounds per 1000.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

bmw said:


> 1.6 pounds of N per 1000 sq ft is way too much. You only need about .5-.75 pounds per 1000.


I realize that now. I just went by the bags recommendation that one 50lb bag covers 5000sqft. I'm not sure why they would state that since one bag at 16-4-8 is enough to cover 8k sqft with 1 lb of nitrogen/1k sqft. I even called the manufacturer and she confirmed the same thing. I didn't break the math down until after I had already spread it and begin asking why they would advertise it that way.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Cory said:


> It will be ok, just a little ugly for weeks or so. I've done it on multiple occasions because I'm too cheap to buy greens grade and haven't tried any spray fertilizers yet. I try to time the apps with rain but it sometimes the forecast is wrong and doesn't then it looks like this :lol:


So you're telling me there's hope! lol

I would use a liquid fertilizer but when mixed with my blue lawn dye to ensure equal coverage my lawn looks crazy for a few days until it fades or cut away.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

MeanDean said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> > It will be ok, just a little ugly for weeks or so. I've done it on multiple occasions because I'm too cheap to buy greens grade and haven't tried any spray fertilizers yet. I try to time the apps with rain but it sometimes the forecast is wrong and doesn't then it looks like this :lol:
> ...


Having a Smurf Lawn is a right of passage for first time sprayers. It says "yeah my lawns blue, but so are my hands and feet and arms and teeth."


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## BadDad (Mar 13, 2019)

MeanDean said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> > It will be ok, just a little ugly for weeks or so. I've done it on multiple occasions because I'm too cheap to buy greens grade and haven't tried any spray fertilizers yet. I try to time the apps with rain but it sometimes the forecast is wrong and doesn't then it looks like this :lol:
> ...


Same here dude. Learning curves on going from a good lawn to better is huge. I have backed away from the die this year and added some black colored green county products or spray when the dew makes it pretty easy to see. Goodluck


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

Cory said:


> It will be ok, just a little ugly for weeks or so. I've done it on multiple occasions because I'm too cheap to buy greens grade and haven't tried any spray fertilizers yet. I try to time the apps with rain but it sometimes the forecast is wrong and doesn't then it looks like this :lol:


@Cory and others.

I applied 1 pound of N per 1K square feet 2 days ago...and I have just a little bit of fertilizer burn.

Im confused as to what causes fertilizer burn?

Is it putting down too munch N at one time? If thats the case what is considered too much. "I am doing a grow in right now on my renovation"

I was thinking you could be pretty aggressive "it is Bermuda " and could go lower or higher than 1 pound of N per 1k square feet IF...you watered the fertilizer into the lawn right away with a nice rain or long sprinker session?

Im just not sure what to "avoid" to keep from burning the lawn?


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

ENC_Lawn said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> > It will be ok, just a little ugly for weeks or so. I've done it on multiple occasions because I'm too cheap to buy greens grade and haven't tried any spray fertilizers yet. I try to time the apps with rain but it sometimes the forecast is wrong and doesn't then it looks like this :lol:
> ...


If you are mowing low it's because the prills are sitting on top of the canopy. They can't make their way through the canopy so when they start to release they burn the leaf tissue. Similar to a dog pee spot.

If you want to use granular products you either need to use a bio solid like milo or buy fertilizer with a smaller SGN (prill size). They are usually called fairway grade or greens grade. But the smaller SGN fertilizers are a lot more expensive so spraying fertilizers is usually the route most people end up taking or just using milo.

The lower you go the more expensive it gets :nod: :lol:


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

Cory said:


> ENC_Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > Cory said:
> ...


Now you tell me  :shock:


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

Cory said:


> ENC_Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > Cory said:
> ...


Gotcha.

Yeah this cutting low stuff never stops with the $$$😀.

So with your front lawn what fertilizer do you use on it?

I'm guessing your back lawn is granular?

Thanks for help!!!


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## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

Cory said:


> ENC_Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > Cory said:
> ...


Would CarbonX also cause this type of burn or is that more like Milo that avoids this?


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

@ENC_Lawnmy first application was 34-0-0 and 0-0-60 but the lawn was just coming out of dormancy so burn spots weren't really an issue because so much of the lawn was brown anyway. The next round was 16-4-8, it did burn but it was a week before sand so wasn't a big a deal to me. The last two rounds I used GreenTRX, but it still burned even after heavily watering it in 



I bought 46-0-0 a few weeks ago after seeing the first round of GreenTRX burning with the intention of spraying the rest of my apps after I'm finished with the GreenTRX. My backyard is tall enough that the standard cheap 34-0-0, 0-0-60, and 16-4-8 I use works just fine with no burning. If I use any of those on my front lawn currently it will look like it did in those photos from last year.

@Jimefam I'm not sure if CarbonX would because I haven't used it and didn't buy it but from the photos I've seen of it the prill size doesn't look small enough to me for it to fall through the canopy. Since it does have synthetic fertilizers in it I would assume it will burn the same way.


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

@ctrav sorry bro, you had to find out sooner or later :lol:


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

I saw on another thread that urea tends to not be water soluble. I haven't tried this so I don't know. Is there a special form you get of stuff so it can be sprayed?


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## BermudaBoy (Jun 27, 2019)

ENC_Lawn said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> > It will be ok, just a little ugly for weeks or so. I've done it on multiple occasions because I'm too cheap to buy greens grade and haven't tried any spray fertilizers yet. I try to time the apps with rain but it sometimes the forecast is wrong and doesn't then it looks like this :lol:
> ...


You can try an organic fertilizer. I'm a rookie at this lawn care stuff and 90% of the fertilizer I've used has been slow release organic fertilizer. I've used two apps of CarbonX that have a touch of quick release fertilizer but I stick to non-burning organics because I'll still wet behind the ears. As I get more comfortable with DIY lawn care I'm branching out with other materials but until I feel like I truly know what I'm doing it's organics. I can't burn my lawn even if I try.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

ENC_Lawn said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> > It will be ok, just a little ugly for weeks or so. I've done it on multiple occasions because I'm too cheap to buy greens grade and haven't tried any spray fertilizers yet. I try to time the apps with rain but it sometimes the forecast is wrong and doesn't then it looks like this :lol:
> ...


More water and maybe a different SGN fert.
You can throw all kinds of N at Bermuda.
I did 4lb of quick release in a week; it will not burn with sufficient water.


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

@Movingshrub

Thanks for the info!

I also appreciate you sharing the 4 pounds of nitrogen in 1 week info.

I'm guessing you where doing a grow in...???...and If so from your experience what worked best as far as N per 1k square feet for fast grow in?

Thanks


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> I saw on another thread that urea tends to not be water soluble. I haven't tried this so I don't know. Is there a special form you get of stuff so it can be sprayed?


I haven't even opened the bags. But it's supposedly highly water soluble. Worst case if it doesn't dissolve well I'll just spread it out over the lawn before a big rain.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

@Cory I put down about a half lb a week and haven't had any burns yet. I always do it the night before I'm scheduled for my watering day. If I mow lower and it gets denser, I may look at spraying it instead of just spreading the granular.


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> @Cory I put down about a half lb a week and haven't had any burns yet. I always do it the night before I'm scheduled for my watering day. If I mow lower and it gets denser, I may look at spraying it instead of just spreading the granular.


If the 46-0-0 doesn't dissolve well I just go back to the 34-0-0 I have been using. It's cheap and If I water it good enough it doesn't burn much. But it gives some amazing results that outweighs any burning that happens. When it's gets burned from fert it usually grows out within a week or so anyway.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

@Cory use hot/warm water to dissolve it. When going from a solid to liquid state it has a refrigerant effect causing the water to get cold. I tried mixing 3# of 46-0-0 with 3 gallons of well water and I couldn't get all of it to dissolve. @Mightyquinn said at that rate I needed to use hot water to get it throughly dissolved.


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## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

Cory said:


> @ENC_Lawnmy first application was 34-0-0 and 0-0-60 but the lawn was just coming out of dormancy so burn spots weren't really an issue because so much of the lawn was brown anyway. The next round was 16-4-8, it did burn but it was a week before sand so wasn't a big a deal to me. The last two rounds I used GreenTRX, but it still burned even after heavily watering it in
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info. You mention if you spread it before a big rain it will help it not burn. I have irrigation, would running the sprinklers for an extended period of time not do the same thing?


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

@J_nick yeah, I've read his post that's partially why I've decided to give it a go. Even if it doesn't work out well I should be able to spread it out in my backyard no problem. I'm mowing it at 1.5" currently and it's still pretty thin so I'm not worried about any burning.

@Jimefam for me any application that requires a good amount of water I have to wait for a big rain since I don't have an irrigation system.


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## adgattoni (Oct 3, 2017)

@ENC_Lawn - it's the salts within the fertilizer that does the burning, which is why you can get burn with relatively low amounts of foliar urea/ammonium sulfate but can basically smother the grass with milorganite without burning.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

ENC_Lawn said:


> @Movingshrub
> 
> Thanks for the info!
> 
> ...


I'm not suggesting that. It was a very unusual situation, and I noticed that I mistyped previously. It was 4 pounds over two weeks. I was doing a sprigging grow-in and this was the very beginning when I had a bunch of water going down, plus a lot of rain.

I don't have a particular suggestion on best N per 1k for grow-in. I would be suggesting or just turning to other university research. I was using a guiding document from UT-Knoxville that suggested 1lb of N per week during sprigging. My own assumption is that 0.25lb of N a week would hit that general 1lb of N a month recommendation while minimizing big swings of surge growth.


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

@Movingshrub

Thanks...so basically the amount of Nitrogen and the size of the prills matter....but more than anything if you water....water and water some more burn should be minimized when applying a higher amount of N than normal?

Is that correct?


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## LoCutt (Jul 29, 2019)

Rule of thumb is to always apply granular fertilizer when the lawn is dry and water it in, e.g. rinse the leaves off. Fertilizer burn is typical of inorganic nitrogen components, but most "good" granular fertilizers have a mixture of organic and inorganic components because the inorganic gives results faster. There is still another complicating factor in that the fertilizer could contain weed killer ("weed and feed") which needs to be foliar absorbed, meaning delay watering. Ammonium nitrate is notorious for fertilizer burn.


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