Yellow Grass From a Lack of Water

Determining the Cause

• Generally, lawns that turn yellow from lack of water retain footprints when you walk across the lawn. You can check out the lawn after doing yardwork to see if there are depressions from your feet. Also, examine the grass blades closely. Water-stressed lawns exhibit grass blade curl. Press your fingers into the first 3 inches of soil to feel if the ground is dry. Once you have determined that your grass's discoloration stems from lack of water, properly water your lawn.

How Much Water

• Lawns typically need 1 1/2 inches of water per week to keep from turning yellow. Cool-season grass types such as fescues, ryegrasses and bluegrasses go dormant in the hot summer temperatures unless they have been watered. Furthermore, cool-season grass types such as bluegrass need 2 1/4 inches of water a week to keep from going dormant. Gardeners decide whether or not to allow their grass to go dormant or revive the grass by routinely providing water each week. Avoid changing your mind, because bringing grass out of dormancy stresses out root systems.

Testing

• Gardeners must find out how long to run their irrigation system to give their lawns enough water to prevent grass blade yellowing. Place tuna cans throughout the yard. A tuna can is 2 inches in height. You can also use a coffee can if you are measuring the water for cool-season grasses. Run the irrigation system and monitor the cans. When the can is halfway full, stop watering and take note how long the irrigation system has been on. Also, leave some cans in the yard to check every week to see if your grass has received enough rain to meet its quota.

Watering

• Water your lawn in the morning when dew is still present on the lawn. Lawns that are watered at night are at a higher risk for contracting a disease. Because the grass is already wet with dew, your chances of contracting a lawn disease are reduced. Also, it is important to avoid watering in the afternoon because hot temperatures evaporate the moisture. Be consistent when starting a watering schedule to prevent a future episode of yellow grass.