When it comes to perfecting a lawn, there is a surprising amount of work that needs to be put into its maintenance. While turf can look fantastic a few weeks after it has been placed down, it can quickly become problematic if you are not caring for it correctly.
While an overgrown lawn is not ideal, this is fairly easy to rectify in the grand scheme of things, all you will need to do is give it a trim. Yellow turf, on the other hand, is far more difficult to overcome.
In a lot of cases, if turf has turned yellow, it may not recover. However, in some cases it can. In this article, we will be chatting you through everything you need to know about yellow turf, and the things you can attempt to do to overcome it.
What Is Turf?
Turf is essentially grass and soil that you can purchase in rolls. When it comes to placing down a lawn, this is a far quicker option to consider in comparison to placing down grass seeds, and waiting for them to grow.
There is a layer of earth underneath, and a layer of grass on the top. It is all held together by the roots. To enable the turf to grow successfully, it needs to be placed on top of soil, and then carefully cared for over the following weeks. This is to ensure that the turf is rooting itself to the ground.
It helps to prevent a lawn from looking patchy, and when placed down correctly, can create a picture perfect lawn. While the majority of turf is real grass, the phrase can also be used to describe AstroTurf, and artificial grass too.
What Is Yellow Turf?
Healthy turf that has taken to the ground well will be a healthy green color. After a few weeks, it will seem as though the turf has been placed down for a long while and will gel together. When installed correctly, it should look like a lawn.
However, if there are patches of your turf that are turning yellow, this is typically not a food sign. It typically means that the grass is beginning to die, and there is something wrong with the turf.
This could be due to a number of reasons, such as lack of water, not being installed correctly, or being left too long before it has been installed. Essentially, it is a sign that the turn is dying, and it is something that you will want to work towards resolving as soon as possible.
When turf is created and rolled up, the turf can become warm quite quickly. In this situation, the heat cannot escape as it normally would when the turf is rolled up.
As a result, and due to the lack of watering, this will cause the turf to turn yellow and die. In this instance, the heat issues may not be able to be resolved, and you may have to discard the yellow turf.
Will Yellow Turf Recover?
Whether or not the yellow turf will recover and regenerate will all depend on how long the turf has been yellow for. If it has been rolled up for a long period, then the likelihood is that it is not going to recover.
This is due to the lack of oxygen and the heat that is trapped within the rolled up turf.
This is why it is so important to lay down turf as soon as possible. In just 72 hours, the turf can become so yellow and damaged that it is unsuitable to use, which is something you will want to avoid.
If the turn has been laid out, and has started to turn yellow after a longer period, then it is more likely that it will recover. This is because the heat is not trapped, and you will be able to water it. We would recommend using a sprinkler to ensure that the turf is well watered.
In addition to this, there may be further nutrients that the turf will need to rejuvenate it.
When you are cutting the grass, if you leave some of the grass clipping on the yellow areas, as they start to decompose, they will transfer nutrients to the grass. This is a great thing to do, especially in the warmer months.
Whether or not the turn will recover ultimately is down to you. The quicker you react to it, the more likely it will be to recover. However, the longer you leave the turf and do not water or treat it, the more unlikely it is that it will recover.
When you are placing the turf, we would recommend that you allow it a few hours to cool down. You will want to roll it out completely to let any of the excess heat escape. After you have aired it out, you should then quickly install it, and then water it well once finished.
While it is important to provide the turf with nutrients to encourage it to remain healthy. This should not be given too quickly. The roots will need to be secure in the ground first, and you will want the lawn to have been laid for a short while first.
While nutrients are important for yellow turf, providing these too soon can have a negative impact, which is worth keeping in mind.
Summary
We hope that you have found this article informative. As you can see, care needs to be taken when you are using turf in your yard. While it is a quicker option in comparison to grass seed, it is not always easy to care for.
Care needs to be taken to ensure you are laying it down as quickly as possible, and also allowing the turf time to breath for the extra heat to be removed. This is especially important if you are laying it down in the warm weather.
While yellow turn can recover in some instances, this is only when you are able to act on this quickly.
