# Need help/advice...brown spots



## kylecopeland10 (Oct 14, 2019)

Quick background, I renovated my front yard last October (TTTF). Everything went great. Grass came in awesome. Fast forward to Feb. of this year...grass took off and I have already mowed twice. Here is where things go sideways. March 1st, I applied my preemergent (Andersons 0.48 Barricade Herbicide) at 3lbs per 1,000sqft. On March 8th, I applied some granular fert at .75 of N per 1,000sqft. Nothing crazy or over the top. March 12th, we got a random snow of about 3 inches (I live in Chattanooga, TN area so snow is rare around these parts). By Sunday evening, the snow was gone because temps were back in the high 60's. But ever since then, my yard has started to look like it is dying. More and more brown is popping up by the day. Below are a few pictures on what I am seeing. Need some opinions on what is going on and how/if I can correct it. Thanks everyone for the help!


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## Lawn Noob (Jul 26, 2020)

That browning look strangely linear…almost like footsteps. You didn't spray glyphosate elsewhere and then track it when you spread your fertilizer, right?


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## kylecopeland10 (Oct 14, 2019)

@Lawn Noob No, I didn't spray glyphosate anywhere. It does look linear. That is why it has me perplexed.


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## 7824 (Oct 23, 2019)

I think the brown grass is a goner, possibly due to your cultural practices. If you have a scotts spreader, that could be your issue. Aside from that, you should not have applied nitrogen, especially at the .75lbs rate. You said it yourself, the lawn was growing like crazy and already had to mow twice. That is a clear indicator that you do not need any nitrogen. Also, the grass is too long if that is the height you maintain. Another thing, lawns renovated in the fall should use dithiopyr in the spring for pre-em instead of prodiamine.


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## Easyluck (Feb 5, 2019)

Did you walk on the grass when it snowed? Do you have a soil test?


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

learningeveryday said:


> I think the brown grass is a goner, possibly due to your cultural practices. If you have a scotts spreader, that could be your issue. Aside from that, you should not have applied nitrogen, especially at the .75lbs rate. You said it yourself, the lawn was growing like crazy and already had to mow twice. That is a clear indicator that you do not need any nitrogen.


Yup. Brake to a screeching halt on nitrogen apps - SCREEEECH!!! This article is a good wake-up call as to why less is more when it comes to nitrogen:

https://www.paceturf.org/member/Documents/0109.pdf


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## JERSEY (Sep 9, 2018)

just not true.
i applied 1 lb on mar 7. im green and nothing but positive results

there is more to it....soil conditions, temps..soil type.....


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

JERSEY said:


> just not true.
> i applied 1 lb on mar 7. im green and nothing but positive results
> 
> there is more to it....soil conditions, temps..soil type.....


Possibly. Let me know how your lawn is doing by August.

Note the OP is in TN and you're in NJ which is substantially cooler. 1 lb. is still way more than grass needs. It's your money,


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## Easyluck (Feb 5, 2019)

I'm in TN and I apply nitrogen in the spring. This year I'm at 0.75. Biweekly rates 0.25lb of N of AS. I've done this multiple seasons.

NC state, UT, Clemson, UGA and the renovation guide on this forum recommend a Nitrogren application in the late winter to early spring.

@kylecopeland10 its been about 5 days since we had that snow. Has it gotten worse or better?


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## 7824 (Oct 23, 2019)

No one is saying the N app is the sole cause. I was simply listing some of the OP's cultural practices that are questionable and can lead to issues. The brown spots should be a kick in the butt to revamp his entire approach.


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## Easyluck (Feb 5, 2019)

learningeveryday said:


> Aside from that, you should not have applied nitrogen, especially at the .75lbs rate. You said it yourself, the lawn was growing like crazy and already had to mow twice. That is a clear indicator that you do not need any nitrogen. Also, the grass is too long if that is the height you maintain. Another thing, lawns renovated in the fall should use dithiopyr in the spring for pre-em instead of prodiamine.


Applying N, cutting frequently, cutting TTTF high and applying pre m is all good cultural practices.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

kylecopeland10 said:


> On March 8th, I applied some granular fert at .75 of N per 1,000sqft. Nothing crazy or over the top.


What specific fertilizer and was the lawn humid/wet?


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## jha4aamu (Oct 16, 2017)

Deadlawn said:


> JERSEY said:
> 
> 
> > just not true.
> ...


There is nothing wrong with early, light apps of N. Temps in TN arent high enough in mid-march to be concerned about fertilizer burn


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## Fraust (Apr 4, 2021)

learningeveryday said:


> Another thing, lawns renovated in the fall should use dithiopyr in the spring for pre-em instead of prodiamine.


Haven't heard this before. Did I just miss it somewhere? What's the reasoning?


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

jha4aamu said:


> There is nothing wrong with early,* light apps of N*. Temps in TN arent high enough in mid-march to be concerned about fertilizer burn


.......with an emphasis on "light apps of N". 0.75lbs per 1,000 sq ft is NOT a light app.


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## kylecopeland10 (Oct 14, 2019)

@learningeveryday I followed Pete's (GCI Turf) renovation guide to a T, so you would need to take it up with him on what you think are "questionable cultural practices".

@Easyluck Spots have now turned yellow and growing. Picture below.



@g-man Fert was Vigoro 29-0-4 at a .75# of N per 1,000 rate. It was not humid or wet. Temps are in the 60's here. It did snow a little over 3 inches 4 days after I applied the fert. That is the only out of normal weather we have had


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## 7824 (Oct 23, 2019)

Exactly, you followed it to a T. Every lawn is different and it's just a guide. You are clearly doing some things wrong but you don't want to hear it. You come on here looking for advice and then argue everything. What you are actually looking for is an answer that satisfies you, rather than your lawn. Keep it up though, looks like it's working well for you. You didn't answer about which spreader you are using.


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## 7824 (Oct 23, 2019)

Fraust said:


> learningeveryday said:
> 
> 
> > Another thing, lawns renovated in the fall should use dithiopyr in the spring for pre-em instead of prodiamine.
> ...


There is some talk about prodiamine being a lot rougher on roots than dithiopyr. With new grass, this may be something to pay attention to. I haven't seen any first hand issues, but have read about it. With that said, most will not use it as a reason to go buy dithiopry if you already have prodiamine in the shed. I can't blame them. This was just one of the cultural practices that I said the OP might want to take a look at. It wasn't a sole reason for his lawn looking like a leopard.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

That last image looks like tiger stripes. I know it is common in bermuda.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=223470#p223470


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## Easyluck (Feb 5, 2019)

That looks similar to frost damage that occurs to warm season grasses in the fall. Can't say I've ever seen it happen to cool season grasses but given the grass is tender, not mature and it is recovering I'm guessing that snow event impacted your lawn.

@learningeveryday prodiamine is milder than dithiopyr. You have them backwards.


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## 7824 (Oct 23, 2019)

Prodiamine is a dinitroaniline herbicide. Dinitroaniline herbicides can impair root development for young turf grass. Dithiopyr isn't supposed to have the same root pruning effect on non-established grass, although it is still considered a root pruner. Just something to pay attention to with non-established grass. At a quick glance, prodiamine and dithiopry are generally thought to be on the same level (least harsh) as far as "root pruning" is concerned.


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## Vtx531 (Jul 1, 2019)

Looks nice and green along the right edge of your fence. Is it cooler there from being shaded? Or warmer from the sun reflecting off the blocks?

Are there any other spots that look better than the bad spots? Could help give a clue as to what is going wrong if you can find good spots and figure out what is different about those spots.


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## kylecopeland10 (Oct 14, 2019)

@g-man I had the same thought as well, but have never seen it in TTTF. I have no bermuda in my lawn. Thanks for your thoughts on my issue

@learningeveryday I am hoping it is damage from the snow. Appreciate the thoughts. I will update after the weekend and see where we are at


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## Lawn Whisperer (Feb 15, 2021)

kylecopeland10 said:


> … Spots have now turned yellow and growing. Picture below.


Looks very similar to the zebra stripes effect on warm season lawns when they experience freezing temps.

IMO, I would just wait it out and let the warmer temps re-establish growth.

 Chilling causes stylish zebra striped bermudagrass 





g-man said:


> That last image looks like tiger stripes. I know it is common in bermuda.
> 
> https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=223470#p223470


Edit: Didn't see gman's comment.


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## kylecopeland10 (Oct 14, 2019)

@Vtx531 It is cooler there from it being shaded. The most recent picture I posted is from a pic a took this morning. There are some better spots but no rhyme or reason to them (ex. foot prints or spreader tracks). I feel like it is either fert burn or snow damage but have never seen either personally. So any thoughts you have is appreciated.


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## Vtx531 (Jul 1, 2019)

Well, whenever there is a "problem", the best thing to do is nothing. We all want to do something to fix things but often the best practice is to avoid just that.

Based on everything you said, I don't think it is fertilizer burn. Everything you did is well within the label instructions and nothing out of the ordinary. .75lb per 1,000 is completely reasonable.

How do the neighbors lawns look? Are there any areas you didn't fertilize or apply the barricade?

At this point I would just sit back and wait for it to regrow. Maybe mow it a notch shorter than your desired height once it starts growing and then allow it to grow up to the desired height. This will avoid seeing the dead brown grass that takes a while to decompose.


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## Angler (Apr 9, 2021)

I am experiencing some of the same problems. My grass looks very similar to yours. I applied prodiamine about 4 weeks ago. My grass has been very green and I have mowed twice. I mowed and sprayed some iron about 2 days before we got a freeze here in North Carolina zone 7b. The low temps got down in the teens and it was cold for a few days. I have brown and yellowing an inch or two from the tips. I started to panic until I read this article.
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/what_are_those_dead_grass_tips_in_my_lawn


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Lawn Whisperer said:


> kylecopeland10 said:
> 
> 
> > … Spots have now turned yellow and growing. Picture below.
> ...


Looks like a nice pattern for a carpet, but not so nice for a lawn. :roll:


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## Bluestone (12 mo ago)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hHG2IU4CLow

Check out the photo at the end of the video. Viery similar to what you are describing in terms of damage.


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## nclawnguy (Jun 27, 2017)

Freeze damage, many lawns in NC are experiencing this right now too. It will grow out and be fine.


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## kylecopeland10 (Oct 14, 2019)

@Bluestone @nclawnguy Looks like freeze damage is exactly what I have. I took a look a few of my neighbors yard's, and theirs looks just like mine does. @Bluestone Thanks for sharing Paul's video. The yards he shows in the video coupled with yards in my neighborhood makes me feel freeze damage is definitely the case and not something I applied wrong. Thanks for everyone's help.


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## JERSEY (Sep 9, 2018)

Deadlawn said:


> JERSEY said:
> 
> 
> > just not true.
> ...


Hey deadlawn!

Well..its July..ALL PICS from last week or 2...all in JULY.......and im the greenest, THICKEST lawn in the area. This is pinebarrons sand. They stop to marvel and ask me how i do it.

4lbs of N SO FAR this year. 4 lbs.

Dont be so quick to judge other peoples conditions/area.

Hows yours doing???


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## JERSEY (Sep 9, 2018)

Deadlawn said:


> JERSEY said:
> 
> 
> > just not true.
> ...


Hey deadlawn.

Well..its July.....and im the greenest, THICKEST lawn in the area. This is pinebarrons sand. They stop to marvel and ask me how i do it.

4lbs of N SO FAR this year. 4 lbs.

Dont be so quick to judge other peoples conditions/area.

Hows yours doing???


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## JERSEY (Sep 9, 2018)

Heres backyard and take notice inder trees. No irrigation...3lbs back there


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## JERSEY (Sep 9, 2018)

Perfect? No

No rain...dryyyy

Nitro baby. No BS BIOSTIMS...just walmart fert.


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## JERSEY (Sep 9, 2018)

Mid to late may...with rains....3lbs at that point


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