Your a trip.

 

I'm using Scotts grass seed to try and fix the patch at the back of the lawn. Sucks.

 

ortho.com, lots of good info

 

 

A couple questions

1) How long have you lived there
2) Do you have a dog or kids
3) have you recently changed the shrubbery in the back

Answer those and I'll tell you what it is

 

1. This is my second summer in the home
2. We've had a dog for 1-2 months. He does his business on the wood chips aroudn the lawn. No Kids. He only plays back there when we go out with him to fetch.
3. We removed a 25ft crabapple tree which was between the two rocks in the back; you can kinda see where it was in the photo. That's North BTW.

 

Okay then.

two more questions too, how old is the house?
and did it die like that last year?

Back in the back close to where the tree you removed was is dead within 10 feet or so because of the root system from the tree. Thats why if you ever really notice, peoples little circles around trees (be it pine straw or mulch) gets a little bigger each year as the root system expands. The tree takes the water away from the yard.

The reason I asked about dogs and kids is because that dying patch is pretty well right accross the middle and has a few striations off it towards the deck. This would usually represent a constantly beaten area where people (kids) roam and the dogs selected yard path. If it was like that last year as well, then you may want to lime it. That will reduce acidity in the soil and promote growth if thats the problem. The reason I ask how long you've been there is that builders these days are *******s and will bury a bunch of chit int he ground and it will kill the grass. I have about a 10x10 area in my front yard that does this every year. I have limed it, dug it up and put in new dirt, laid sod, you name it and it still dies. The only logical solution becomes to look for Hoffas body under there.

I can't remember the name right off, but I think its scotts that had some new lawn dirt for helping grass grow. If the dog will leave it alone, go to lowes or depot or get yourself several bags of Black Kow. Its composted cow manure and makes anything grow. (plant it one flowers, they look like the miracle grow commercials!)

If you really want to know what it is technically if all that doesn't help, then take several soil samples and go down to the county extension office./ They'll analyze it and get back to you. Could be just common brown spot.

 

The house was built in 84' I believe. The yard was pretty nice last year so I'm kinda disappointed. I'm just afraid I'm going to have to pay for someone to dig up the junk and re-sod next year. It would take me forever to shovel all that up.

Anyone know if this type of damage is reparable long term without re-sodding?

The soil in the area; where we've tried to plant flowers and such; is very poor with lots of clay.

 

I have a pretty nice green bluegrass lawn. There are many variables to consider. What kind of grass seed and what are the soil conditions? In NJ you need to lime because bluegrass like sweet soil. I fertilize 5 times a year. I treat for grubs which will destroy a lawn. If you can roll your grass back like a carpet it was probably grubs. The heat of summer is stressful on lawns. I apply a fungicide every 2 weeks in the summer to prevent diseases. Fungicides are expensive. If you water by hose you are fighting a losing battle. You really need an underground irrigation system which is quite easy to install. You only need to water a few times a week but you must water heavily so the water gets down to the bottom of the roots which creates a strong root system. Watering lightly doesn't get to the root sytem, weakens the grass which will allow diseases, bugs and weeds to take over. I do not pretreat for weeds or crabgrass. I wait till they start growing and spray on the appropriate weed killer. Most need two applications a week apart. I don't use granular killers because they must stick to the weeds to work. With liquid you get total coverage. I also add a wetting agent to the chemicals. I have used various fertilizers and disease control chemicals over the years but I think Scotts have been by far the best. I use various sprayon weed killers. I rely on the chemical that the killer or disease control is made of for the liquids.

If you ground is rock solid you need to have it aerated by a machine that pulls plugs out of the ground. This is good for air and chemicals and the plugs will decay in a few weeks. I don't have a thatch problem but if it is heavy you need to have it dethatched and then bag your clippings for awhile. Have your soil tested. Watering is a biggie.

You can over do it and kill your grass with kindness. Scotts has a website you can register with and they email info to you year round what to do with your lawn, for your type grass in your area.

 

^ good post.

 

I was just going to ask what kind of grass it is...

Different types will thrive in different conditions.

 

I had a similar problem here in NC. The guy that came out brought a couple of gallons of liquid soap and water with him. He mixed it and poured it over a two or three foot section of the browned out lawn. He waited a few minutes, then said he needed to treat it for root fungus. I asked how he knew that just by pouring soapy water over it. He said the soapy water was to drive any grubs or army worms to the surface. Once he did that and no worms came up, he said knew he was treating a root fungus. He charged me 150 bucks to treat the whole yard (about an acre of grass front and rear) with some sort of chemical spray. The lawn still looked bad, but the following season I aerated and overseeded and it's been fine since.

 

Hmmmm; I think one of the first things I will do is change to less frequent; more water watering; as well as adjust the time from 2am to more like 6am.

Edit: I'm excited to use the knowledge I've learned. I'll definately check for symptoms of grubs but I'm most optimistic about changing how I water.

 

I believe the time to water can be a myth although I have read about it. It rains a lot during the night and I never have gotten diseases either as a result of it. My sprinklers come on ay 4am and it's never been a problem. Early is good because there is less wind and no evaporation from the sun. Water pressure can also be better early based on your family's water usage at different times of the day.

 

I'm doing 10 minutes per zone every day at 2am. hehe.
Going to start with 15-20 minutes three times a week.. I'm also going to deploy buckets to monitor how much water I'm putting out so I can adjust accordingly given the 6-8in root depth I should be shooting for.