Question
I live in Central Mass and Ive really burnt my lawn from overfertilizing.About 1/5th of my lawn is yellow, Ive been watering the hell out of it, my lawn is all sloped and drains real well. My question is, should I just go ahead and rip up the yellow patches now and continue to flush out the nitrogen for a couple of weeks before reseeding? Also, do you think it will be necessary to remove some of the topsoil and add new? I have no idea what posessed me to fertilize in the middle of summer, especially with a broken spreader, but I did and now i have to deal.

Answer
Bob, you and the rest of the USA seems to be going crazy with the lawn fertilizer this month.  I think Ortho must have some subliminal thing going on at the movies or at traffic lights, somewhere that everyone is turning their lawns onto too much fertilizer application.  And the lawns are dieing.  You are not alone.

Get yourself a nice little present down at Home Depot, and pick up a new spreader.  They're not too costly and they are really good to have.  Sears has them too.

If you rip up the yellow patches, and water well to dilute and flush out the fertilizer, you will not need to add topsoil.  Better instead to amend your soil with something healthy and rich.  Like bone meal.  Or vegetable peelings.  Or leaves.  Or mowed grass.  Or compost.

Like I told another reader, if you had applied an organic fertilizer, you would not be reading this answer now.  Organic fertilizers never burn your lawn.

Have the soil tested before you reseed.  You'll know if it is back to normal that way and you won't be throwing money and seed out the window.  Good luck and go organic,