Answering the following questions about recent events will help you verify whether or not you are dealing with an abiotic (non-living) problem.

• Has the property manager fertilized within the past 3 weeks? If so, what type of fertilizer was used?
• Fertilizer burn happens when too much fertilizer is used, when the fertilizer is not watered in, or when fertilizer has been put down in periods of excessively high temperatures. Slow release and organic fertilizers have less of a potential for burn compared to synthetic, fast release fertilizers.
  
  
• Has the weather been hot and dry lately? Is the lawn irrigated or not?
• Drought stress can be widespread or happen in confined areas such as those areas that get the most sun or areas where the soil is sandy.
  
  
• Has the weather been cold lately?
• Cold weather can settle in low areas of a property in small pockets, leaving the higher elevations untouched. Cold weather changes the color of the grass to yellow, brown, or even reddish/purple.
  
  
• Has it rain a lot lately? Is the soil well drained or have there been standing pools of water?
• Extensive periods of standing water will deplete the oxygen available to turf, leaving the turf to “drown” or “suffocate”. However, the affects of standing water can be delayed until weeks after the area dries out. Turf growing in areas that have remained wet for long periods of time may develop shallow root systems. In this situation, the turf will look healthy and green until the weather becomes hot and dry.
  
  
• Has the problem area experienced more traffic than usual?
• Different types of soil and different types of grass varieties can withstand more traffic than others.
  
  
• Has the neighbor’s dog been visiting the problem area more often that usual?
  
• Dogs often like to go to the bathroom in the same place each day. The over application of nitrogen that comes from dog urine can burn the turf.
  
  
• Have you aerated or spiked?
• These beneficial cultural practices should be done when the grass is not already under heat or water stress. Aeration should be done in the fall or spring.
  
  
• Have you over-seeded?
• Most bags of grass seed area blend of different types of grass and even different cultivars of the same type of grass. The different cultivars have different characteristics like color, texture, and blade width. These differences may give the grass a speckled appearance or show up more when the sun hits it just right. Often one type of grass will take over a section of lawn and that monoculture will look off-color compared to the rest of the lawn. Different cultivars also respond to stresses differently.
  
  
• Have there been any herbicides, insecticides or fungicides put down?
• Pesticides are often mixed with fertilizers and sold in one bag. When applying fertilizer, be sure to read the bag carefully so you’re positive you are only applying fertilizer.