Fertilizer Burn Repair Guide: How to Fix Fertilizer Burn

Fertilizer burn is when plants develop signs of damage and unhealthy growth due to over-fertilizing. Fertilizers contain mineral salts that draw moisture from the soil and plants, which can lead to dehydration. This lack of moisture can affect a plant’s root system and impede new growth.

Fertilizer burn appears as yellow or brown dry spots on green foliage or large, dry patches on grass.

The primary symptoms of fertilizer burns on plants are yellow or brown spots on their foliage. Foliage fertilizer burn can also show up as burnt, crunchy leaves. Lawn fertilizer burn shows up as streaks of discoloration on grass blades and dry brown patches of dead lawn grass.

If you use a fertilizer spreader on your lawn, fertilizer burn will appear as long strips of burnt grass where you may have overlapped the fertilizer.

Fertilizer burn is easy to avoid if you take the proper precautions. Here are some key tips to help you prevent fertilizer burn:

• Fertilize dry plants. Apply fertilizer to dry ground, whether you’re working with grass or plants. Adding fertilizer to wet soil increases the likelihood of fertilizer burn.
• Follow fertilizer application instructions. Check how much fertilizer your lawn and plants will need, and avoid using more than the recommended amount on the package. Excess fertilizer is the leading cause of fertilizer burn, and using too much will not improve your plants’ growth rate.
• Keep fertilizer off of plant leaves. Fertilizer sitting on your plants' foliage can cause fertilizer burn. Only apply fertilizer to the soil around your plant. Spray away any excess fertilizer from your plant's leaves with a garden hose.
• Use organic fertilizer. Using chemical fertilizers on your plants and lawn grass increases the risk of fertilizer burn. Fertilize your plants with an organic type of fertilizer or compost to reduce the risk of fertilizer burn and keep your plants healthy.
• Use slow-release fertilizers. If your plants need regular fertilizing, consider using a slow-release fertilizer rather than regularly adding more to your soil, which can build up and cause fertilizer burn.

Treating fertilizer burn is a matter of reducing the amount of fertilizer in your soil to prevent further damage to your plants or grass. Here’s how you can fix fertilizer burn:

1. 1. Remove excess fertilizer. First, rid your lawn of any residual fertilizer. If you use granular fertilizer and it’s still sitting on your soil or grass, scoop as much of it up as you can with a small trowel or shovel.
2. 2. Rinse the soil. Thoroughly rinse your soil to wash away the excess fertilizer. Saturate your soil with water until it cannot absorb any more. As you do this, make sure the soil is draining. Repeat once a day for about a week. You can also use a sprinkler to do this.
3. 3. Prune dead foliage. Prune all of the dead foliage off of your affected plants. If you’re treating burned grass, reseed the area with new grass seeds over the damaged brown grass. You’ll have to wait to see if the affected areas can recover, but pruning damaged growth away is a good start.

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