Yellow Spots in Lawn: Dog Spots, Fertilizer Burn, or Fungal Disease?

Yellow patches in your grass that won't green up despite fertilizer? The cause determines the fix — and more fertilizer usually makes it worse.

Three Common Culprits

1. Dog urine: Nitrogen overload burns grass. Fix: train dog, water spot immediately, or repair with seed.
2. Fertilizer burn: Uneven application creates dead spots. Fix: stop fertilizing, water deeply, reseed if needed.
3. Fungal disease (brown patch, dollar spot, etc.): Fertilizer feeds the fungus. Fix: identify disease, improve air flow, reduce nitrogen, treat if necessary.

Diagnose Before You Treat

Don't guess. Check pattern (circles? streaks?), time of year, grass type, and recent inputs. A soil test and close inspection (or lab sample) reveal the truth. Blanket fertilizing a sick lawn wastes money and accelerates decline.