If you’re a homeowner with a garden, you’re probably all too familiar with the challenges of lawn care. You’ve worked hard to tend your lawn over the spring, only to notice that when the weather warms and you want to start relaxing in the garden, you see patches of yellow or brown grass, or simply uneven colors across the lawn.

Discolored grass is a sign there’s something wrong with your lawn care regimen. Lawn Doctor is here to help you understand what the different colors of grass mean, what color your grass should be and how to fix patchy lawn problems.

Dark Green Grass

Grass is green because of the chlorophyll in the leaves. If you want deep green grass, you’ll need to make sure your grass is healthy and has lots of chlorophyll. Nitrogen, iron and magnesium are all important nutrients that grass needs to ensure it’s lush and green.

Hard fescue, perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass are all popular options for people who want an attractive, dark green lawn.

Light Green Grass

Some varieties of grass are naturally light green, even when they’re healthy. For other varieties, however, light green grass is a warning sign of poor irrigation. If your lawn is patchy with some areas dark green and others having a lighter appearance, it could be that the light green areas aren’t getting enough water, either because of the position of your sprinklers or because some areas are in the sun and are drying out more quickly.

Grassy weeds often have a light green appearance, but don’t have a desirable texture. If you want to cultivate a light green lawn, look for a meadowgrass variety. If your lawn is shaded, you may find that some fescue varieties thrive in that environment and produce a light green color and a fine texture.

Bright Green Grass 

If you notice bright green or neon green colored patches on your lawn, this could be a warning sign that the pH of your soil is off, or that the soil is too wet. Both of these factors can cause your grass to take on an unusual color, as nutrients can’t flow properly when the soil is waterlogged.

Neon-green patches may also be caused by nutsedge. This is a plant with a grass-like appearance, but it grows more quickly and taller than grass. Nutsedge has triangular-shaped blades and grows in clumps. It’s a very difficult weed to control, and can quickly become an eyesore if allowed to take hold in your lawn.

What Color Should Your Grass Be?

Healthy grass is green, although the shade of green may vary depending on the variety of grass you’ve planted. In general, a consistent, even green color across the whole lawn is a sign of a healthy garden. The shade may change over the course of the year, depending on the weather conditions and how much sunlight the lawn gets. If you need help with your lawn, consult a lawn care professional to get advice about how to care for it during each season.

What If Your Grass Is Different Shades of Green? 

Under ideal circumstances, your lawn should be a uniform color. Changes in the shade of your turf suggest there are differences in the environment. For example, if one area is starved of moisture or the soil isn’t well aerated, this can be reflected in the shade or color of the grass in that area.

Another thing people sometimes overlook is that there’s more than one type of grass. What you see as being a different color grass could be a different variety of grass taking hold on your lawn. If you’ve re-seeded your lawn with another type of grass, you might notice various patches of colors for a while.

To make sure your lawn has a uniform appearance, fertilize it evenly, aerate the soil at the right time of year and provide good drainage. If you’re not sure what type of fertilizer to use or you’re having other problems with the lawn, call in a lawn care professional for some expert advice.

If you have concerns about the shade of your lawn or you’re struggling with taking care of it in other ways, the lawn care experts at Lawn Doctor are here to assist you. We can carry out lawn fertilization and aeration, help with mosquito and grub control and provide other lawn services. Call the Lawn Doctor today to get professional lawn care tailored to your yard and climate.