IT CAN be alarming for homeowners to see their grass turning from green to purple or something else. Although a few ornamental grass types are purple, the natural color for most grass varieties should be green. So, it’s understandable and logical to ask why new grass is turning purple.

New grass turns purple due to insufficient nutrients, cold or freezing weather conditions, or disease infestation.

If your lawn turns purple during warm conditions, you probably don’t water it deeply and consistently.

Additionally, your grass may discolor if you don’t feed it enough fertilizer.

Why Is New Grass Turning Purple?

Here are some of the 4 UNDISPUTED reasons why new grass may turn purple;

1. Cold temperatures

Cold or freezing temperatures stress the grass and impair its ability to absorb phosphorous, triggering discoloration.

For instance, it’s common for Bermuda grass to turn purple during cold weather and bounce right back in warm conditions.

Similarly, cool-season turf like Fescue will turn purple during summer when the temperatures are extremely high.

The discoloration is triggered by heat stress, and proper watering and shading of the area can help.

2. Disease infestation

Your grass may sometimes turn purple due to stress caused by lawn disease invasion.

For instance, the lawn fungus called leaf spot, caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana leaves grass blades looking unsightly.

This fungal disease results in purple and brown spots on grass blades and changes the roots to black.

It commonly affects Zoysia grass.

3. Nutrient deficiency

The grass blades will turn purple if you fail to feed your turf grass with enough nutrients.

Therefore, ensure you nourish the lawn with nutrients like nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium.

For instance, your Bermuda grass will turn purple due to phosphorous deficiency.

In this case, add a slow-release organic fertilizer containing phosphorous and water properly for better absorption.

4. Insufficient water

Your lawn may turn purple during prolonged dry conditions due to insufficient water. Similarly, if you fail to water new sod as required, it will discolor and eventually die.

Therefore, ensure you water your lawn deeply and consistently during summer to maintain a healthy and greener lawn.

How to Fix New Grass Turning Purple

Before you fix the new grass turning purple, you must know the cause.

If your lawn is discoloring due to cold weather, there is little you can do about the issue.

The only solution is to wait until summer, and your grass will be restored to green.

Additionally, if the issue is caused by nutrient deficiency, apply fertilizer to your yard and water appropriately for better nutrient absorption.

Remember not to add too much fertilizer, which will destroy the turf.

Watering your new grass thoroughly, especially during summer, can also help restore your lawn to normal.

As for lawn diseases, apply high-quality fungicides to treat the turf.

You can also use home remedies like baking soda or soapy water to kill lawn fungus.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Why does grass change color?

A: Your grass may change from color green to purple, brown, yellow, or other colors due to stress. The stress can be caused by too much heat, freezing conditions, disease and pest invasion, nutrient deficiency, and insufficient water.

Q: What are purple patches of grass?

A: The purple patches in the grass are mainly caused by a fungal disease called leaf spot. It is caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana and causes brown and purple spots on the grass blades. Treat it with fungicides as early as possible to prevent root rotting.

Conclusion

It’s frustrating for homeowners to see their once beautiful, thick, green lawn turning purple. Although purple is a pleasant color, seeing it on grass is alarming.

For this reason, it is understandable to question why new grass is turning purple.

The reasons new grass turns purple are insufficient nutrients, freezing weather conditions, or disease infestation.

Your grass may also discolor if you don’t water appropriately, especially in prolonged hot weather.

To fix purple grass, water it consistently, fertilize and mow as required, and treat the lawn with fungicides.