Burned Spots & Lawn Care

Over Fertilizing

• Over fertilizing the lawn can burn up grass. Gardeners often apply too much nitrogen which dehydrates their grass. Avoid applying more than 1 lb. of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet at one time. Check your rotary fertilizer spreader to ensure that it is evenly distributing the the fertilizer granules. Refrain from fertilizing your lawn with a soluble fertilizer on hot days.

  Lack of soil moisture will contribute to fertilizer burn, so make sure you water the grass a few days before and right after applying fertilizer. While the soil should be moist, refrain from applying fertilizer on wet grass because it can also cause burning, according to the West Virginia University Extension.

Pets

• Pets' urine contains a concentrated amount of nitrogen which can burn grass. You may see brown or bright green areas in your yard where pets typically urinate. Keeping pets in one designated area or in a dog run will prevent grass burn. If you see a dog urinate on the grass, leach the nitrogen out of the grass by soaking the area with water. Monitor the yard when your pet is loose to ensure that the dog does not urinate on the grass.

Gasoline

• When mowing the lawn, avoid keeping the lawn mower on the grass for any length of time. Not only can you compress the grass but drops of gasoline can drip out and cause burn spots. Furthermore, you should never add fuel to your lawn mower while it is on grass. It is better to place your lawn mower on a piece of plastic on a level area like a driveway when fueling. Make sure that the gasoline container does not leak out when carrying it across the lawn.

Chemicals

• Chemicals such as herbicides, insecticides and fungicides can brown or burn lawn grass. Use the right type of herbicide on your lawn that doesn't kill off your grass. For example, a broad spectrum herbicide will kill anything that it comes in contact with. When using it around grass, take a paint brush to apply it on weeds. Avoid applying any type of chemicals to water stressed grass or on hot days. Chemicals can dehydrate the grass and create burned areas or bare spots.