Is there anything I can do with my lawn if part of it seems...

Question

to be diseased? It is dying off completely in strange patches in one main area of the yard. I water it plenty and it does not see too much traffic, so I can only guess that is diseased. It is sod (kentuky bluegrass) that was put down in the spring, this problem started about 2 months ago and watering enough (I don't think I over water, they said you pretty much can't) and fertilizing has not helped any. Is there anythiong that can be done to cure/bring it back. Or do I have to pull it up and start over? Thanks for helping : )

Answer 1

It could also be cinch bugs.  If the weather has been dry and hot, they will literally suck the juice right out of the grass blade, killing it.  It gives the appearance of drought stress.  Run your fingers across the dead grass patch, and if you see little tiny shiny black bugs, it's cinch.  The only real 'cure' is spraying... and even then you need to get them in the right life cycle.  Just keep overseeding your yard and hope for cooler and wetter weather.  Call in a professional for an assessment at the least.

Answer 2

I'm certain you're watering methods are inadequate.  Do some investigation with a shovel and dig up a section of dead grass.  Probe into the soil 2-3",  if the soil is bone dry, that's you're problem.  You may have some disease or something as well, but doubt it.  

How well did you rototill and prepare the soil prior to sod laying?  (Taking a short cut for that step won't insure you a nice lawn!)

You can figure it out better than we can.

Answer 3

Well since you are growing bluegrass, I assume you are in a fairly mild climate. KY bluegrass is a cool weather grass and does well in temps up to 80 degrees. If it gets warmer for a period of time, the grass will go dormant but watering on a regular basis helps slow down the dormacy.

In addition to an insect problem, you could have a type of fungus. These typically occur when climates change. Say for example, In June, you have seasonal temperatures with normal rainfall. When July hits, temps normally increase. With moist soils and hot conditions, fungus can occur.

Some typical types of fungus seen in the midwest where I live are Summer Patch and brown patch. Summer patch is sometimes called "frog eye". You have a little clump of green grass in the middle and a circular patch of dead grass. Brown patch is what the name says... brown patches throughout the yard ( or concentrated in one area of the yard)

If you have grubs, you can tell by grabbing a handfull of grass and pulling up on it. If it comes up, you will notice no root system. They have been eaten by the grubs. If it doesn't come up easily, chances are its a fungus.

If you have fungus, not much you can do at this point. A fungicide can be applied at a corrective rate (probably 6lb/1000 sq ft) and it will stop it but the grass won't come back this year. It will next year though but you'll probably have the same issues. There is a preventive fungicide application you can put down next year to alleviate the problem. Typically 3lb/1000 fungicide application on May 1st, June 1st and July 1st.

Rake up the dead patches, aerate the area and re-seed probably around Sept 1st. Bluegrass need 10-21 days to germinate and apprx 6 wks to become resistant to the pre-emergent application you apply around April.

Hope this helps. If you have a county extension agency, give them a call. They are there to help you with issues like this.

Good luck

Answer 4

since its dying off in patches- it sounds like you might have grubs eating at the roots. I would recommend digging up some dirt in a area- take that for a soil test- you can usually bring it for a test at a local greenhouse or even hardware store - just call around. With the results of that you should be able to determine if its your soil lacking nutrients , during your digging you might also notice some grubs that may be the cause. Do you notice alot of beetles on your plants in the area, or maybe alot of eaten leaves on surrounding plants? If so - then thats a definate sign of grubs (they are larve of beetles and love to eat at roots, when they grow to beetles - they feed on leaves)

Answer 5

Your probably going to have to start over. try grub killer. it could be that too... my stepdad ken had the same problemo... one whole patch was gone. he dug it up... put some grub killer and seed. took a while but its finally back.