# *** lawn browning/shutting down



## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

Hi all, in the last week my lawn has seemed to really slow down, turn yellow and have patches here and there just completely stop growing. This same time last year this exact same thing happened.

I have been getting down good doses of nitrogen and potash along with bio stimulants. Soon as the season cooled everything yellowed a ton in the last week. Any ideas? Been low 70s for a few days now. Mowing 2x a week at 3.25" now.


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## situman (Nov 3, 2020)

Have u checked for insect damage?


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## thin_concrete (Sep 11, 2020)

What did you do when it happened last year? Did the grass come back normally this spring after winter? Do you have irrigation?


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

situman said:


> Have u checked for insect damage?


Yes I have been looking for insects but haven't seen any grubs in really any form here. I also just put down a 24 hour grub control about 2 weeks ago in hopes to rid the yard of raccoons that come dig holes at night.


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

thin_concrete said:


> What did you do when it happened last year? Did the grass come back normally this spring after winter? Do you have irrigation?


Nothing last year it seemed the cooler temperatures caused the yard to brown just like this season. I do have irrigation and plan to start running it more. Although I'd say the yard is growing at least 2" a week. I just applied a 24-0-6 fertilizer last weekend. I swear the more nitrogen I put down this time of year the more yellow things get. And again just like last season the few spots of the yard I have repaired with some Scott's ez patch are growing thick and dark green and at twice the rate as the rest of the yard. No idea what's in that ez patch but the yard loves it. I'm thinking of hitting the yard with some starter fertilizer I would guess that's the closest replica to what's in that ez patch. Frustrating.

The grass came back real slow this spring that's when I started to educate myself and did a soil test. I started with some 0-0-48 then some urea. Then after that some 7-0-20 applications in the hot dry summer we had along with a few liquid bio stimulants followed by some liquid iron apps. Yard was looking great just a few weeks ago. Even 1 week ago it looked so much better than this.


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## cleohioturf (Jul 20, 2020)

could just be the imagine but some of this looks like scalping. the wheel lines are green, the middle tracks are yellowing like you are scalping.


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## crkone (Apr 26, 2021)

jordan572 said:


> situman said:
> 
> 
> > Have u checked for insect damage?
> ...


Wait so raccoons are digging in your yard? They have to be digging for something. Applying the grub control may just take a little bit of time. MSU says


> even trichlorfon should not be evaluated for at least five days after application (assuming it rains or irrigation was applied), and carbaryl may need three to four weeks to be effective.


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

My first thought was scalping as well. Have you recently dropped the height? Also how much water are you giving your lawn considering that you are putting a decent dose of N. At 70s temperature with a good dose of N your grass should be very very green.

Edit: I read that you noticed that EZ patch places were doing better. That has a decent amount of mulch that stores a lot of water. Your problem could be watering considering you are putting down N.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

I would suggest lack of water.

How much water is it getting each week? Have you done an irrigation audit?

How much of the blade are you taking off each time you cut?

Some of those areas could be grub damage but to me, the lawn in general looks tired and stressed.


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

crkone said:


> jordan572 said:
> 
> 
> > situman said:
> ...


Yes a family I've caught on camera and with my eyes late one night like to come through and dig for grubs. They have seemed to tame down quite a bit since I put down the grub control but I think that might just be a coincidence.


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

cleohioturf said:


> could just be the imagine but some of this looks like scalping. the wheel lines are green, the middle tracks are yellowing like you are scalping.


That's what I was leaning towards it seems the mower is cutting extremely short for being at 3.25". I will manually check cut height next time the mower is out.


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

uts said:


> My first thought was scalping as well. Have you recently dropped the height? Also how much water are you giving your lawn considering that you are putting a decent dose of N. At 70s temperature with a good dose of N your grass should be very very green.
> 
> Edit: I read that you noticed that EZ patch places were doing better. That has a decent amount of mulch that stores a lot of water. Your problem could be watering considering you are putting down N.


I recently did just drop my height from 3.5" to 3.25" I'd swear I dropped it about an inch considering the scalping going on on transitions and what not. I like to try to drop 1/4" every 3-4 weeks until season end but maybe this is not a good practice. If I raise it up I'm almost certain it'll be greener.

I also agree that I'm not watering near enough, this is the driest season we've had in decades. I'm going to start watering substantially more. Do you tend to water more after a N application? I lawyer it in heavy but after that initial watering I retreat back to normal right away.


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

Harts said:


> I would suggest lack of water.
> 
> How much water is it getting each week? Have you done an irrigation audit?
> 
> ...


I have not I'd say I'm only getting down at most 1/2 inch but thought that was sufficient with the cooler weather. I'm thinking that was a totally wrong assumption. When I mow I tend to cut off about 1" maybe a tad more but I mow 2x a week so I'm not cutting too much off. Also I think some parts of the yard may have suffer urine damage from the raccoons and deer I have seen come through. I also sprayed for weeds and I think got a tad heavy. Is it wise after the week killer is allowed to dry for 12 hours or so to water in fairly heavily? I feel I am making a mistake by not watering for days after weed killer apps and it's causing unnecessary stress and yellowing in those areas. The weeds are retreating but aren't anywhere near fried out so I don't believe over application has happened.


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

jordan572 said:


> I recently did just drop my height from 3.5" to 3.25" I'd swear I dropped it about an inch considering the scalping going on on transitions and what not. I like to try to drop 1/4" every 3-4 weeks until season end but maybe this is not a good practice. If I raise it up I'm almost certain it'll be greener.
> 
> I also agree that I'm not watering near enough, this is the driest season we've had in decades. I'm going to start watering substantially more. Do you tend to water more after a N application? I lawyer it in heavy but after that initial watering I retreat back to normal right away.


Is the mower same as well 9ver this time? Sometimes transitioning to a bigger deck also causes scalping. It could also be just going down a notch. Give it a week or so.

I usually water 0.5" at least no matter when. I try to get my fertilizer app the night before and gets watered in the morning. Usually irrigate only 2 times a week, Tuesday and Friday.


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## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

jordan572 said:


> Hi all, in the last week my lawn has seemed to really slow down, turn yellow and have patches here and there just completely stop growing. This same time last year this exact same thing happened.


This could be simple heat stress. The neighbor's yard looks yellow too in the pic below. I have similar issues in a mixed TF KBG yard where the KBG in full sun browns-out whereas the KBG that gets afternoon shade is totally fine. It is particularly bad at the end of August. All areas are treated with professional fungicides and there is no sign of disease or insects. The area eventually recovers with cool weather but not instantly. It takes a few weeks.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

It needs water. Should be 1" per week in the fall.

I don't think insects or pee spots are your issue.


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

This is normal for August it's called the shed. This time of year and it varies year to year also take into consideration of your location grass will start growing faster again it will also look like its shedding dead stuff this is completely normal. It's a sign to lower your height on your lawn and to start feeding it


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## rob13psu (May 20, 2018)

M32075 said:


> This is normal for August it's called the shed. This time of year and it varies year to year also take into consideration of your location grass will start growing faster again it will also look like its shedding dead stuff this is completely normal. It's a sign to lower your height on your lawn and to start feeding it


^+1. I was just going to reference this from @g-man post on the N-blitz.

_The shed
Depending on the summer (wet vs. dry) but around August the lawn will start growing faster again. It will also look like it is shedding dead stuff. This is the time to starting dropping the height of cut (HOC) from the summer HOC. This also helps the lawn get rid of the dead stuff and prepares the lawn for the fall. The HOC is a very personal choice, but most will be happy with a 2.5 inch height of cut (HOC).
_


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

rob13psu said:


> M32075 said:
> 
> 
> > This is normal for August it's called the shed. This time of year and it varies year to year also take into consideration of your location grass will start growing faster again it will also look like its shedding dead stuff this is completely normal. It's a sign to lower your height on your lawn and to start feeding it
> ...


Exactly how I learned it. Totally worth the read loaded with great information


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

M32075 said:


> This is normal for August it's called the shed. This time of year and it varies year to year also take into consideration of your location grass will start growing faster again it will also look like its shedding dead stuff this is completely normal. It's a sign to lower your height on your lawn and to start feeding it


I feel if I lower much more it's going to scalp bad, ever since I began lowering it's been yellowing just like the previous comments asked and stated it looks like ima calling. Much lower and I'll be cutting it to the base and blowing dirt lol 😆. I almost feel like doing the opposite. Watering more and going to 3.5" again?


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

I wouldn't lower the cut anymore you just lowered it. If you want to raise the cut then absolutely do it especially if the grass looks better. If you feel like it needs water then absolutely do it just stay consistent especially since you just fertilized until the fall rains are more consistent. I personally think it's shedding but I could be wrong. You said you sprayed for weeds not long ago did you blanket spray or just a few individual weeds?. If you blanket sprayed that will knock the grass back some


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

M32075 said:


> I wouldn't lower the cut anymore you just lowered it. If you want to raise the cut then absolutely do it especially if the grass looks better. If you feel like it needs water then absolutely do it just stay consistent especially since you just fertilized until the fall rains are more consistent. I personally think it's shedding but I could be wrong. You said you sprayed for weeds not long ago did you blanket spray or just a few individual weeds?. If you blanket sprayed that will knock the grass back some


I appreciate the advise, that will be my plan for now. You may be onto something though with the shedding. Check these pictures out. So randomly spotty from a bird eye view from the house. That back left corner of the yard struggles always especially this time of year. It's like the layed sod over sand and debris just seems to be lacking a good base in that corner or something


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

Some more pictures in the brownest of spots the grass easily pulls right out at the root. I've checked for grubs in numerous spots not a one unless they are way deep. Check it out


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

Corners especially if surrounded with trees or tall bushes sometimes struggle from lack of sun especially in the fall with the angle change of the sun. The area could be getting less full time of sun.Some KBG is more shade tolerant then others.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I see a lot of fine fescue.


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

g-man said:


> I see a lot of fine fescue.


Does that differ anything for me?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Fine fescue has shallow roots and turns brown in heat/drought. Your tittle says KBG lawn but it doesn't seem to be.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

The other issue with a lot of grass in shade is that the trees/shrubs which cause the shade also have roots in the same area that pulls water from the ground. Corners can be particularly bad since there are roots from two side rather than just one.


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

g-man said:


> Fine fescue has shallow roots and turns brown in heat/drought. Your tittle says KBG lawn but it doesn't seem to be.


Okay thank you for the education I double checked my invoice from the landscaped and they claimed it to be kbg is it a blend you're see or how does one recognize kbg vs fine fescue?


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## GreenMountainLawn (Jul 23, 2019)

As someone with a ton of fine fescue, I am not really seeing fine fescue here--at least to my eye. I think maybe some needling of the stressed KBG which can then make it look similar to fine fescue. I guess back to the original issue is what is making the brown-ish haze? Lack of water, late summer shed, bugs? I personally don't think fine fescue, but obviously not 100% certain.


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

I'm on the fence with the possibility of a fine fescue in a few pictures I think I see some in others I do not. It makes sense fine fescue goes dormant in full sun in the dog days of summer no matter how much water you throw at it but come fall bounces back like nothing happened.


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

M32075 said:


> I'm on the fence with the possibility of a fine fescue in a few pictures I think I see some in others I do not. It makes sense fine fescue goes dormant in full sun in the dog days of summer no matter how much water you throw at it but come fall bounces back like nothing happened.


The yard looked it's best in the hot dry stretches we had likely because I was watering enough. I'm thinking I let it get too dry too long and really stressed it. Not exactly sure of why I have blotchier going though and in those real yellow spots it just pulls up like nothing. I will water well and raise the deck and see what the next two weeks brings.


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

jordan572 said:


> M32075 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm on the fence with the possibility of a fine fescue in a few pictures I think I see some in others I do not. It makes sense fine fescue goes dormant in full sun in the dog days of summer no matter how much water you throw at it but come fall bounces back like nothing happened.
> ...


Usually when the grass pulls up like a carpet it's grubs but you dug around you didn't see any. At this point you can do a light de thatch water and feed it to get the KBG to spread in those areas.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

Grass that pulls up easily suggests something was pruning roots. If it is dead long enough, that will do it. Assuming that it didn't die weeks ago, it suggests something killed the roots and weakened the turf. Common culprits would be grubs and fungal diseases. Summer Patch can prune roots and looks a lot like drought stress, but your lawn doesn't quite look like Summer Patch to me. Diagnosing it is difficult and best done by a university turf lab (Rutgers is one that diagnoses turf diseases). Leaf based diseases can also cause weakening of the grass and eventually lead to root pruning, so keep that in mind as well.

All that being said, I think what you are dealing with is lack of water. I agree with the assessment that there is needling of the KBG which happens when it is dry. If there is some mild root disease going on, those areas will be more sensitive to lack of water. The brown tips can be a sign of dry grass or dull mower blades. If there is a lot of shredding of the leaf then definitely sharpen the mower blades.

My recommendation is to increase watering, and do an irrigation audit if you have not already so you know exactly how much water you are putting down. If it doesn't recover with more water, then you might consider a fungicide (though just moving into fall may cure any fungus). The really unhappy areas may still die no matter what you do, but with KBG the lawn should recover and fill. I'm not seeing too many large dead areas.

TLDR: Probably lack of water, but could be fungal. Give it water and see what happens. You probably don't need a fungicide. Oh, and sharpen your mower blades if you haven't done it recently.


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## robjak (Mar 31, 2020)

Are you seeing small ants in the spots you are pulling up? I help a neighbor who's lawn shows the same. It is much too brown for this time of the year. In august, I was thinking it was heat stress but it has cooled down a lot and we had two tropical storms come through. over 10 inches of rain in 2 weeks. I pulled some up and noticed ants. (Last Year he had grubs, I treated for grubs with imidacloprid in early July.) I needed to go on a business trip so i could not spray anything. I told the neighbor I would inspect in 2 weeks when i got back. I had tried to cut his lawn at 3.25 from 3.5, and it looked just like some of the picks from the start of this thread.


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## robjak (Mar 31, 2020)

Most lawns in neighborhood are green.


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

bernstem said:


> Grass that pulls up easily suggests something was pruning roots. If it is dead long enough, that will do it. Assuming that it didn't die weeks ago, it suggests something killed the roots and weakened the turf. Common culprits would be grubs and fungal diseases. Summer Patch can prune roots and looks a lot like drought stress, but your lawn doesn't quite look like Summer Patch to me. Diagnosing it is difficult and best done by a university turf lab (Rutgers is one that diagnoses turf diseases). Leaf based diseases can also cause weakening of the grass and eventually lead to root pruning, so keep that in mind as well.
> 
> All that being said, I think what you are dealing with is lack of water. I agree with the assessment that there is needling of the KBG which happens when it is dry. If there is some mild root disease going on, those areas will be more sensitive to lack of water. The brown tips can be a sign of dry grass or dull mower blades. If there is a lot of shredding of the leaf then definitely sharpen the mower blades.
> 
> ...


First off thank you for the detailed response, this issue really came up quickly. In about 1 week of time and right after a 24-0-6 granular application. I am suspecting I was not water enough just quite odd it is so spotty. Is there any bio stimulants you recommend I spray or should I just water and wait? I will raise my mower height and verify blades are sharp as well. I assume I should wait at least another 1-2 weeks to see any major changes before I begin worrying about disease or things of that nature? Very odd though all areas that are struggling struggled last year. The front yard is looking very nice compared to the back. I also am bagging so hopefully that will help prevent disease spread if I have any. Still no grubs or insects found anywhere. Also when you talk about something pruning roots are you insinuating rodent or insect damage?


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

robjak said:


> Are you seeing small ants in the spots you are pulling up? I help a neighbor who's lawn shows the same. It is much too brown for this time of the year. In august, I was thinking it was heat stress but it has cooled down a lot and we had two tropical storms come through. over 10 inches of rain in 2 weeks. I pulled some up and noticed ants. (Last Year he had grubs, I treated for grubs with imidacloprid in early July.) I needed to go on a business trip so i could not spray anything. I told the neighbor I would inspect in 2 weeks when i got back. I had tried to cut his lawn at 3.25 from 3.5, and it looked just like some of the picks from the start of this thread.


Thank you rob for the advise, I have not seen any inspects or grubs ever in this yard. Not to say I can't have them but I've inspected a few spots now with no findings. I will definitely be bringing my mower back up to 3.5". Also the commercial mower I am using weights in at likely 1200 pound or so with the bagger. With me on it close to 1400 pounds so the little it sinks in the yard is causing it to cut even lower than the deck setting.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

jordan572 said:


> First off thank you for the detailed response, this issue really came up quickly. In about 1 week of time and right after a 24-0-6 granular application. I am suspecting I was not water enough just quite odd it is so spotty. Is there any bio stimulants you recommend I spray or should I just water and wait? I will raise my mower height and verify blades are sharp as well. I assume I should wait at least another 1-2 weeks to see any major changes before I begin worrying about disease or things of that nature? Very odd though all areas that are struggling struggled last year. The front yard is looking very nice compared to the back. I also am bagging so hopefully that will help prevent disease spread if I have any. Still no grubs or insects found anywhere. Also when you talk about something pruning roots are you insinuating rodent or insect damage?


Coming up quickly could be any of the things that were suggested. The spotty appearance is characteristic of many diseases, but could also just be variation in soil. The recent 24-0-6 application may fit in with drought stressed turf. Fertilizer effectively reduces available water by adding salts to the soil - regardless of amount, though higher rates result in higher stress. If the grass was already drought stressed and there was not enough water added after the fertilizer it will further stress the grass, and the net result can be fertilizer burn. While we consider 1 lb of Nitrogen per thousand to be safe, it does add stress to the roots.


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

Looking at your 10 day forecast you have nice weather low humidity but zero rain. If it's a fungus issue it should subside the weather pattern is good. I would stay with a early morning watering routine and recommend a de thatch remove the brown stuff and get the KBG to spread fill everything in


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

bernstem said:


> jordan572 said:
> 
> 
> > First off thank you for the detailed response, this issue really came up quickly. In about 1 week of time and right after a 24-0-6 granular application. I am suspecting I was not water enough just quite odd it is so spotty. Is there any bio stimulants you recommend I spray or should I just water and wait? I will raise my mower height and verify blades are sharp as well. I assume I should wait at least another 1-2 weeks to see any major changes before I begin worrying about disease or things of that nature? Very odd though all areas that are struggling struggled last year. The front yard is looking very nice compared to the back. I also am bagging so hopefully that will help prevent disease spread if I have any. Still no grubs or insects found anywhere. Also when you talk about something pruning roots are you insinuating rodent or insect damage?
> ...


Now that I recall I did do a few extra spread out passes in the main area of issue. Between that and the lack of water and what not I bet I overdid it. The only thing that's random is throughout the yard you can see random yellow spots. We will see how this week goes watering and mowing higher. Thank you for your help I really appreciate it.


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

M32075 said:


> Looking at your 10 day forecast you have nice weather low humidity but zero rain. If it's a fungus issue it should subside the weather pattern is good. I would stay with a early morning watering routine and recommend a de thatch remove the brown stuff and get the KBG to spread fill everything in


Okay that is the plan thank you as well for your thoughts and advise. I will keep this updated as the time goes by.


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

Updated pictures as of today. Mowed at 3.5" definitely looking better. I'll keep watering and letting it run it's course. Still unsure of the random very yellow spots. Not too many of them at least, growth has just stopped on these random yellow patches.


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

More progress sprayed a liquid application last sunday, mixed some 7-0-0 high iron bio stimulant, along with rgs and humic12. We have received some rain and I have been making sure to water. The yard is coming along for sure. Looking a lot better the yellow spots are still yellow but trying to come back. Maybe in a few weeks.

So far I've made the following adjustments:
Raised cut height to 3.5"
Watering substantially more
Stopped mowing the lawn when the grass is wet or damp

What I can't figure is 2 season ago I damaged this area with fertilome spraying too heavy and in too hot of climate. Last year it never fully came back. This year for the most part it did. However as soon as the yard starts to struggle on me these areas prominently come back. Is there anything I can do?


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## jordan572 (Aug 23, 2020)

Also forgot to add in 4 days of good rain and sun with some nice high 70s I only cut off a little less than an inch of grass. I feel like I should apply some more nitrogen soon?


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