# New Homeowner need help with brown spots



## GG3000GT (Jun 22, 2017)

So I have been lurking around the forum for a few months finally decided to join.

We bought this house in September of 2016 and it had a great looking lawn. Now not so much now. See pictures

This year I have put down crabgrass pre-emergent in May. Along with a organic fertilizer.

I water 2-3 times a week in the morning at around 7am. 20 minutes per zone. Sprinkler coverage is head-to-head with no areas being missed.

This Spring has been very hot with temps over the last three weeks about 85 with little rain.

Checked for grubs did not see any.

Maybe this is a fungus.


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## j4c11 (Apr 30, 2017)

Welcome! Need some closeups of the affected grass from about 3" away.


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## GG3000GT (Jun 22, 2017)

I will get some better pictures tomorrow evening. Also should be getting the soil test results soon aswell.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

20 min per zone? That doesn't seem right. You should also test those areas with tuna cans to see if you have even coverage. Sometimes the heads get misadjusted.


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## GG3000GT (Jun 22, 2017)

Took a few more pictures looks like I have these mushrooms growing in the backyard this is the only place that I see them.

























Besides the mushrooms 🙃 does this look like some sort of fungus?


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## LIgrass (May 26, 2017)

That looks an awful lot like Summer Patch (which is really just the grass dying from drought stress due to death of its roots) but it's most likely too early to be that. If it's a disease it's most likely a soil/root based disease. The mushrooms are harmless.

Double check your watering with the tuna can test to make sure 20 minutes is putting down at least a 1/3 to 1/2 inch. Also do the screwdriver test (see how far you can easily poke down 6" with a screwdriver in several areas). Let us know what you find.


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## BrettWayne (Jun 19, 2017)

Not an expert by no means but could it be a burn from fertilizer ?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I doubt it is fertilizer. Look at the lawn across the street. Let's start with the water coverage test.


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## BrettWayne (Jun 19, 2017)

Good eye g-man ..


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I just noticed something else. In the second image from the original post, there are dark areas close to the side walk. It seems to follow the path of the brown areas. What is that, topsoil?


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

Looks like he altered the planting bed shape and put new seed down near the sidewalk.


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## GG3000GT (Jun 22, 2017)

That's right I moved the flower bed and seeded a few weeks ago.
So far I detached, spike aerated and top dressed a few areas of my front yard including the area near the flower bed I moved.
I was able to fill a lawn bag with all the dead grass. Crazy how much dead grass came up.

I used a peat moss & topsoil mixed at 50/50. With some starter fert. Mixed in. As topdressing Hope this works.

I have yet to touch the back yard.

Did screwdriver test and no issues.

The brown areas are only getting about a quarter inch of water with 20 mins per zone. 
Filled about 1/2 tuna can. Should I increase watering time? (Other areas will be getting over watered though).


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## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

I like this thread good investigative trouble shooting. I'm sorry to report that I do not have any suggestions.

OK maybe 1 suggestion.. Try hand watering that area a few times a week. Like hand watering.... like manually with a hose and your thumb at the hose end. No sprinkler. Become one with your lawn.

I know it's crazy talk but I personally would de thatch /rake out heavy all that dead grass and throw some seed down the with some peat. Water and don't let dry out. See what happens. Oh and some starter fert.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

GG3000GT said:


> The brown areas are only getting about a quarter inch of water with 20 mins per zone.
> Filled about 1/2 tuna can. Should I increase watering time? (Other areas will be getting over watered though).


How much over watered? This is exactly what I suspected. The sprinklers need to be adjusted to get even coverage. This is not an easy task unless you have mp Hunter nozzles.

For now, hand water those sections.increasr the watering to get 1in in the most watered spot and hand water the dry spots.

Second, aerating brings a lot of different opinions. But one this is clear, spike aerating is not useful at all. Core aerating with then filling the holes with peat moss and compost is a good way to increase the organic matter in your yard.


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## GG3000GT (Jun 22, 2017)

Test results in.


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## ales_gantar (Apr 13, 2017)

Those dead spots look like they're there because there's something fishy going on under the soil surface. It's in the areas builders would stack and keep heavy stuff, so the soil might be compacted.


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## GG3000GT (Jun 22, 2017)

During the screwdriver test there are a lot of rocks approximately four to six inches down in that area. Wasn't thinking that be an issue at that depth.
Gonna do in app of Milorganite. Should I try adjusting the pH at all?


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## LIgrass (May 26, 2017)

GG3000GT said:


> During the screwdriver test there are a lot of rocks approximately four to six inches down in that area. Wasn't thinking that be an issue at that depth.
> Gonna do in app of Milorganite. Should I try adjusting the pH at all?


There's your issue. No doubt about it.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

He means the rocks. Likely there is pea gravel or construction debris there. I suggest after summer to lift the lawn up and remove the debris.

Your pH is fine. You do need to increase your potassium (per that analysis), I would use 0-0-50 (sop) instead of 0-0-60 (mop) since your sodium seems high. Sop goes down at 2lb/ksqft once a month.


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## j4c11 (Apr 30, 2017)




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## kolbasz (Jun 7, 2017)

g-man said:


> I doubt it is fertilizer. Look at the lawn across the street. Let's start with the water coverage test.


The yard across the street looks like it could be @GrassDaddy

The brown patch is this years reno...


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