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Almost every house with a garden also includes at least a small piece of lawn. It can be used in a variety of ways for playing and relaxing and enriches the look with a quiet, pleasant area that can be arranged with other plants. In order to have the green you are hoping for in your own garden as quickly as possible, rolled turf offers the option of laying a ready-made lawn from a roll in the garden. If this turns yellow or brown after installation, good advice is often expensive. We'll tell you how to remedy the situation quickly in most cases.
causes
It happens again and again that turf turns brown or yellow over time in some areas or even over the entire surface. However, this discolouration is usually a sign of a problem which, if left untreated, can sooner or later lead to permanent damage to the sod or even the entire turf dying off. It is therefore worthwhile to quickly identify the causes after the determination and to determine suitable measures to eliminate them:
notice: For a better overview, the following list is sorted according to the causes. If sorted according to the symptoms, a distinction would only be made between the colors brown and yellow, but each with an enormous number of possible origins.
lack of water
symptoms
- Leaves turning brown from the leaf tip
- accompanied by rapid drying out of the brown leaf parts
- previously already lower water content recognizable by lying stalks
Possible Cause
- too infrequent or little watering
- Lack of contact between the rolled turf and the ground
- as a result, no access to water reserves in the ground
- excessive soil compaction
- Laying out the lawn with folds or voids
remedy
- If the water supply is too low, increase the amount of irrigation water
- If there is insufficient ground contact, elimination of cavities by removing the sod and filling it up
- Production of full-surface contact by rolling again
- If the soil is too compact, mulch the lawn including the subsoil to create the permeability required for root growth
danger: If the soil under the turf is too compacted, the roots cannot reach the water in this layer of soil. Since removing the rolled turf and then loosening the soil does not seem practical, the area should be scarified carefully. This achieves at least some improvement. However, the process should not be too intensive in order to minimize damage to the sod.
notice: If only the water supply is missing, either the pure amount can be increased or the water supply can be optimized. Small daily doses have less effect, as large amounts evaporate before they even reach deeper layers. Rarer gifts in larger quantities penetrate deeper and remain usable for the grass longer.
waterlogging
symptoms
- uniform yellow-brown discoloration of the culms
Possible Cause
- excessive watering
- resulting in waterlogging in the underbody area
- in the long run rotting of the roots and death of the plants
- Discolouration of the leaves due to a lack of supply from the damaged roots
remedy
- reduce pouring amount
- When laying, ensure that the soil is well-drained
- add sand if necessary
tip: Whether there is too much or too little water in the soil can be determined very easily at the beginning by lifting a piece of sod. If the ground and the lawn are damp, everything is fine. If it is dry or muddy, there is a need for action! Water every 2-3 days in spring and autumn when laying new plants, initially daily in midsummer! Watering 10 to 12 liters per square meter is usually appropriate.
nutrient deficiency
symptoms
- limp, lying leaves with increasing brown colouration
Possible Cause
- insufficient nutrient content in the soil
- no access to nutrients due to insufficient ground contact of the sod
remedy
- Nutrient supply through fertilizer application
- if there is insufficient ground contact, proceed as described under “Lack of water”.
acidification of the soil
symptoms
- extensive yellow matting of the lawn, mostly after the first winter
Possible Cause
- too acidic soil
- ideal pH value 6-7, critical from approx. 5.5
- rapid spread of yellow mosses that prefer acidic soils
remedy
three-phase remedy usually makes sense:
- Scarify for better ventilation
- Determine the pH value using test strips to determine the cause with certainty
- In case of actual acidification, add lime to neutralize acid
Lawn cut too often or too short
symptoms
- Brown discoloration from the leaf tips
Possible Cause
- Mowing the lawn too frequently during the growth phase
- selected cutting height too low
- in both cases too much strain on the culm and subsequent death
remedy
- Increase mowing interval
- Do not select a cutting height of less than 4 to 5 centimeters in the growth phase
- thus sufficient development reserves for the stalks for the exhausting root formation
tip: Even if in many cases the cause seems to be identified quite quickly, it is worth taking a comprehensive look at several factors. Various "problems" often come together, some of which are of different degrees of severity, and all of which lead to the discoloration of the lawn. If a cause is eliminated, the symptoms can disappear, but optimal growth is only achieved when all parameters are in the (in the truest sense of the word) green area. On the other hand, if you know and take into account the special features of rolled turf from the outset, you can avoid numerous difficulties without ever coming into contact with the resulting symptoms.
Peculiarity of turf
Ultimately, however, the lawn from the roll is no more or less than normal grass. For faster installation and a more successful growth phase, these are only cultivated beforehand under monitored conditions and harvested as a closed and coherent area.
Logically, as a result, other things have to be considered during installation than with the well-known sowing. While germination and sprouting are irrelevant, since they have already taken place, the focus is on the good connection between the laid sod and the subsoil. Wrinkle-free, flat laying on a loose and evenly leveled sub-floor allows the lawn to grow slightly into the existing sub-floor. In this way, the lawn can easily access the reservoirs in the ground and ensure its own water and nutrient supply in a short time. If you attach particular importance to this aspect of ground contact when installing rolled turf, the course is set for growth with as little brown or yellow discoloration as possible.
