Yellow patches in new laid lawn

I've laid a new lawn recently but have now noticed a number of yellow patches appearing - why is that? I've cut it and was wondering if that might be it.

Responses from some of our very best tradespeople:

"Without looking at the lawn it is very difficult to know exactly what is wrong, but the first thing that comes to mind is that a female dog has been on the grass.  The urine of a bitch is very strong and will kill any grass over a period of time, but as newly laid turf is very young, the urine will kill it off very quickly.  If they see the dog on the lawn then immediately after she has been, water the patch and try and dilute the urine.  Ideally all animals should be kept off for at least 3 weeks, and encouraged to go the toilet elsewhere.  If the patches have gone really yellow then the only thing really is to replace them with new turf, or dig them up and apply grass seed.  Mowing the grass will not have harmed the lawn, although it depends on how long ago the turf was laid.  It is best if it is not walked on for at least 3 weeks to give the roots time to knit together."

Richard and Jill Tinkler, R&J Landscapes
R&J Landscapes is a small husband and wife team. Jill is in charge of the office side and Richard does the majority of the garden work with Jill coming to help out with the garden work occasionally. They do a large range of jobs from complete design and garden makeover to weeding and hedge trimming and are based in Holbeach. They come highly recommended on Rated People.

"Newly laid lawn must be watered everyday for at least 10-15 minutes at a time. Yellow patches could mean over watering, sun damage or bad soil."

Barry De-Swardt, Be-decked
Barry and his team have been building decks for over 6 years now and Barry himself has got international experience. Be-decked also do all other forms of hard landscaping. At the moment, Barry is doing his Diploma in Garden Design which means in 6 months' time he'll be able to tackle any outside project.

"The yellow patches may be caused by drought although pets may also be urinating on the yellow parts of the lawn."

Paul James, Paul James Designs
Paul James and his team have a focus on professionalism and quality. They represent a company that wants to establish a client base of satisfied clients who remain friends of the company. They have extended design practise and, Paul and his team are skilled horticultural consultants and see a job from beginning to end; from design through to construction and aftercare. They come highly recommended on Rated People and work in the Cheshire area.

"Hard to say without looking although my first thought is that the subsoil is more permeable in those patches so they're getting less water than other areas. Either that or the turf wasn't really soaked at the beginning when you laid it and those areas are where the grass hasn't rooted itself properly."

Daniel Johnson, Labyrinths of Albion Ltd.
Labyrinths of Albion Ltd. is a sustainable landscape design-and-build company. They create gardens that are meant to last for literally hundreds of years. They use very old and tried classical methods for their hard construction and very new ideas about permaculture and bio-dynamics for soft landscaping. They use ethically sourced materials and as far as possible they use British materials. Their methods mean that stone work and walls and patios and so forth mellow with age, not fall apart. Gardens done by Daniel and his team get better, and don't look tired and worn in 2 seasons.