Are you wondering, ‘Why is my grass turning white?’ and don’t have a solution? This article is just for you!
Lush green grass is the desire of every lawn owner, even if they don’t have any interest in gardening.
The grass is an essential and axiomatic part of a garden, and it seems immensely hurting if your great green grass turns slowly into a white one.
Seeing discolored patches on the grass can be disheartening after working so hard to maintain it.
If you had a beautiful lawn, but now its grass is decolorizing, and you want to know what is happening with your lawn, you are at the right spot!
It is because today, we will discuss why your grass is turning white. So, without further ado, let us dash ahead into the article.
Why Is My Grass Turning White?
Whitening of grass can be caused by various plant diseases such as powdery mildew or, in some cases, excessive use of herbicides and lawn mower damage.
It starts as light white dust on the grass blades, and from a distance, it looks like some sort of powder sprinkled on your lawn.
Whatever it is, the good news is that if your grass turns white, it is entirely rectifiable (you can make it healthy once again).
You need to find the exact problem and then put all your efforts into resolving it.
So, what causes your grass to turn white? There are several reasons, which include:
Sick Grass
When your grass suffers from stress and overcutting, grass blades start looking white.
- When your grass color begins to fade out, it is a vital sign by your plant that you need to raise your cutting height.
- It also indicates that you need to adjust the lawn mower blade (discuss later in detail) so that you are not cutting more than one-third of your grass blade’s length.
- A sprinkler system and other irrigation measures are essential to keep the grass nourished.
- Manual watering is also an innovative idea, but you need an automated schedule to water adequately.
Besides all the poor effects, one good thing about it is that it is reversible.
You only need to stay careful and regular in watering and length maintenance of your grass; with little effort and patience, your grass will look green and lavish once again.
Powdery Mildew
It is one of the most common reasons for grass to turn white.
This fungal disease is easy to recognize; it appears as white patches on the grass blades.
Powdery mildew occurs in areas having warm temperatures with low intensity and is more susceptible when there is a high amount of nitrogen in the soil.
When conditions are more suitable, the fungus produces powdery spores on grass therefore named powdery mildew.
These fungi grow due to more water in the plant’s roots, promoting fungal growth.
Remember that young grass is more vulnerable to power than old ones.
To cure the disease:
- Start pruning away the blockage that keeps sunlight from reaching the grass.
- Also, avoid adding too much fertilizer or water to the fake grass, and make sure not to cut the grass blades too short.
- Provide your lawn with a bit of time after removing the blockage.
By providing time, I mean taking proper care!
Herbicides
Sometimes grass also turns white after contact with herbicides—used to inhibit the grassy weeds in the lawn.
The most common organic compound used as herbicide is mesotrione.
- This herbicide kills a specific type of plant weed.
- Mesotrione blocks the plant’s enzyme (which is crucial in making chlorophyll).
- As the level of chlorophyll decreases, grass loses its color and appears white.
- Grass with mesotrione will lose color after a week, but it will recover in three to four weeks.
- You need to water your lawn and use nitrogen fertilizer to speed up the recovery.
Some gardeners use Tenacity Turf (commonly known as crabgrass killer) on their lawns.
That herbicide is safe for your lawn but can bleach the turf grass if not applied according to the instructions.
It would be best if you always read the guidelines for safely using any herbicide to prevent your grass from bleaching.
Lawn Mower Damage
The other common cause of white tip grass blades is the damage caused by the lawn mower.
That happens when you cut your grass too short or remove too many grass blades.
When grass is too short, it cannot take the nutrients it needs to thrive, forcing the grass to lose its color.
If you are mowing your grass with a blunt blade, your grass also gets lawn mower damage resulting in discoloration of your grass.
Drought
Although it is not a common cause but also possible; if your grass has been facing drought for a long time, the tips of your grass blades turn white.
It usually occurs in areas with no rainfall or where the soil is too dry.
If you live in an area with seasonal drought or you do not have sufficient rainfall nearby, your soil will lack water, and thus grass turns white.
If your grass is damaged from drought, you will notice widespread damage.
How to Fix White Grass?
To fix your lawn and white grass, you need to understand the cause and then move toward how you can cure it.
Some effective fixing types include proper mowing, correct fertilizer usage, and increasing exposure to sunlight.
Grass needs plenty of light to grow well; if you provide suitable conditions, this will lessen the chances of repeated instances of diseases or stress.
Apply a Fungicide
If your grass is suffering from powdery mildew, it is better to spray the lawn with a suitable fungicide.
- It helps to reduce or completely eradicate the infection from your lawn.
- Use fungicides containing sulfur and neem oil that are amazingly effective against fungal diseases.
The other way to deal with the powdery mildew or fungal disease is to increase sunlight exposure to your lawn.
As mentioned earlier, powdery mildew infects primarily in shaded conditions; therefore, increasing the light intensity of your plant is the best idea.
- Trim the branches of the trees to reduce shade and increase light exposure.
- Increasing sunlight exposure is also beneficial if your grass is affected by mold.
- It is because molds are not able to grow in places where there is a lot of sunshine.
But remember increasing exposure can make your plant deficient in water. Therefore, try to maintain a proper watering schedule if you try this method.
Do Not Water at Night
Although a proper watering schedule is necessary for lawn maintenance, remember not to water your lawn at night, even if your grass turns white because of the drought condition.
- You can recover your droughted grass by aerating the soil properly.
- Well-aerated soil easily allows water to penetrate the grass roots.
- Watering at night keeps the humidity high and creates a condition where molds love to prey on the plant.
Watering the lawn in the early morning is perfect because it gives your lawn enough time to dry during the daytime.
Related article: 10 Awesome Tips for Looking After a Large Garden!
Sharper Your Lawn Mower Blades
If a lawn mower is the cause of the whitening of your grass, it is better to sharpen the blades every time before you want to mow.
- It depends on the size of your yard and the time after which you mow your lawn.
- Many local hardware stores offer blade sharpening services; you can also find a service nearby you easily.
The benefit of sharpening blades is that your lawn mower provides a precise cut with minimum damage.
That also helps to reduce the damaged appearance, making your lawn lush and beautiful.
That is all for today!
Now it is time to move towards the conclusion of the whole topic.
Conclusion
So, why is my grass turning white? I hope you got the exact answer!
The grass is the essential component of every lawn; if the grass does not look green and healthy, the entire lawn looks ugly and dull.
Grass turns white due to several reasons.
- It might be due to irregular grass cutting or the poor blades of your lawn mower, which makes irregular and excess grass cuttings.
- Fungal infections like powdery mildew are the other reason for whitening grass.
- You need to find the exact reason for whitening and then move towards the second phase—the phase of treatment.
I hope, so you find this post helpful.
If you still have questions about this topic, do not forget to mention them in the comment section below.
Regards,
Moiz Atiq.