The term abiotic disorders when referring to turf grass, means nonliving. Problems in the turf grass caused by abiotic disorders are not caused by living organisms such as insects or weeds, but by conditions such as weather, soil conditions and the human factor. Below are a few abiotic disorders that might contribute to the decline of your lawn. You can control most abiotic disorders in your lawn.
Common abiotic disorders.
Compaction– Compaction occurs on heavily trafficked areas. A highly compacted lawn will restrict root growth and decrease water absorption.
Dog Spots or Salt Damage– Damage by dog spots or salt can kill out sections of turf. The turf dies out when salt reaches a toxic level in the soil.
Drought- Bluegrass will turn grey when drought is present and gradually turn over to tan in color. Early drought will be patchy and advanced drought will make your lawn look like a tan beach.
Dull Mower Blades– Dull mower blades will rip your grass instead of giving it a nice clean-cut. The ends of the blades will be shredded and brown.
Fertilizer or Chemical Burns- Fertilizer or chemical burns will leave irregular dead patches throughout your lawn, wherever the over application was made.
Nutrient Deficiencies- Soil test will help determine nutrient deficiencies in your turf. Spotty color of turf grass might be caused by a nutrient deficiency.
Over Watering- Over watering may cause your lawn to die out from lack of oxygen. Flooding is a perfect example of how turf grass might die due to lack of oxygen.
Shade- Reduction in the amount of light due to shade reduces photosynthesis in the plant. If your shade is caused by a tree, the turf grass is competing for the same water and nutrients that the tree is.
Thatch- Thatch levels over 1” will act like an umbrella and prevent water and nutrients from reaching the soil. Higher thatch levels cause the turf grass to be less tolerant of heat, drought, insects and disease.