The pro of installing any kind of sod grass in our lawn is that it can make it from nothing to ravishing in a matter of days only. However, it is still grass and it will get damaged if not properly taken care of. Out of all the sods, St. Augustine is undoubtedly one of the bests as it has many characteristics and benefits over the others. It has dual operation as it can tolerate heat and work well in shady areas too. It supports children and pets running around on it daily and its maintenance cost is not much. But, like any other sod, St. Augustine also requires regular maintenance else it will start to turn yellow and eventually fully die. You must know all the reasons that turn this sod yellow and how to avoid them.
Reasons Why St. Augustine Sod Turns Yellow
Following various factors and daily maintenance routine can turn your St. Augustine Sod yellow:
Animal Urine
If you have fluffy playful friends and they are outdoorsy, then you may want to keep a lookout for their waste too. It is important their urine contains chemicals that can turn your St. Augustine sod yellow very easily. When your sod is being laid down, you must strictly keep your children and your pets off of it because it is a sensitive stage for the sod and if the chemical tendency gets messed up then the final look of it will be yellow and damaged.
Excess Water
Too much water can lead to damaged sod in no time. When the sod is being laid down, then 4 inches of water at all times is suggested but after that, you must only water it on a weekly basis. You have to keep the watering schedule strict and be mindful that too little or too much water can make your St. Augustine yellow.
Overfertilizing
Overfertilizing is often the major reason for St. Augustine sod turning yellow. Every sod comes with a specific time period of fertilizing and overdoing it can lead to damage and ultimately the death of the sod. Thereby, asking your vendor everything about sod is rather important and gives fruitful results.
Quality of the Soil
The quality of the soil in which you want to put the sod matters a lot and it can either make the whole look or break it. If you do not get it checked prior to putting sod in and it turns out to be rotten or bad, then it can also cause yellowing and make your sod dead.
Prevent Yellowing of the Sod
There are a few proven ways that have stopped the grass from turning yellow previously and they work like a wonder today as well. Following are some of the best-mentioned ways to prevent the yellowing of sod:
Use Recommended Amount of Water
In order to keep your St. Augustine sod fresh and lush throughout the year, you must use the recommended amount of water on it only. Too little or excess water will result in yellowing the sod in no time.
Follow the Instructions
After installing the sod, you must follow all the pre-care and post-care instructions to keep it healthy and lush green.
Fertilize within Instructions
The St. Augustine sod is given fertilizers several times in a year and if you miss one time or overdo it, then you will see that the sod will turn yellow. Therefore, you have to fertilize it according to the given instructions only.
These are some of the dos and don’ts of St. Augustine sod that will help you to prevent it from yellowing.
