Why Isn't My Lawn Green?

Disease

• Diseases can cause turf to discolor. Common lawn diseases include leaf spot and melting off, which will cause tan, red or purple spots on the lawn; fusarium blight, which causes crescent or doughnut-shaped areas of dead grass; necrotic ring spot, recognized by "frogeye"-patterned straw-colored or red blades; and rhizoctonia yellow patch, a fungal infection that also causes a "frogeye" pattern with yellow and brown blades.

Nutritional Deficiencies

• Nutritional deficiencies may cause turf discoloration. Nitrogen deficiency results in yellow grass. Potassium deficiency causes blade to turn yellow and brown. Phosphorus deficiency can cause grass to turn purple.

Stress and Injury

• Stress, such as too much fertilizer, too much pesticide and extreme weather changes or drought, may result in turf discoloration. Heavy vehicular or foot traffic may cause injury to lawns, resulting in death of the grass blades and browning.