Uh Oh, What Caused This?

[GravelyGuy]

These pics are of a lawn that I maintain. I just picked it up this spring. I am at this property every week and it was perfectly fine last week, but this week when I pulled up it looked like this. It's not that dry around here yet.

Hopefully you can help me out from the pics.

[americanlawn]

Drought damage on Kentucky bluegrass. I'm sure is it's clay soil. We're seeing it here too. He should water thoroughly & regularly to bring it back out of dormancy, but it might take up to 3 weeks. Also try to avoid mowing during hot/sunny conditions.

If I were there, I'd pull out the "truth detector" (soil probe). If you can get the probe 2 or 3 inches deep (which I doubt you could), you can see how deep the root system is by pulling away the soil from the bottom of the core sample until you can see grass roots (not the band:laugh:).

[mrkosar]

it looks a little like melting out disease possibly. the way the blades are dying back from the tips. lawns are dryign out finally in this area too, but not this bad just yet. either way tell them to get the sprinkler out.

[RigglePLC]

I think this is human-caused. Edges are sharply distinct in a straight line especially on left. Perfectly rounded end on the right.

[FL-lawnjockey]

I'd ask the homeowner/resident what was there in the last week...Maybe a tarp left out to dry? A roll of roofing/tar paper to heat up & become pliable?
I'm far from an expert but I'd say the damage was man-made.

Rob

[americanlawn]

No tarp. No disease. Just clay soil with shallow roots. These are classic pics of KBG on poor soil. Probably some pea gravel, sand, etc underneath too. Notice it's in the front hot/sunny yard....classic drought damage (dormant turf w/shallow roots). No doubt. Especially with the "man-made patterns". But try to tell the homeowner this???? That's why I call the soil probe the "truth detector".....it never lies.

[sandman23]

Brown Patch?

[Tscape]

You weren't spraying Drive 75 or herbicide with spreader/sticker were you?

[sprayboy]

Gravelyguy,

Where are you in Indiana?

How much rain have you had there in the last couple of weeks?
If you are like us around Indianapolis we have had plenty. There are no signs of drought damage anywhere here.

Are there any other lawns showing any stress or damage or is it just this one?


Has the homeowner done something, yard sale with something laying out there?

[tlg]

Ask your customer if they have a pool and recently opened it up for summer. Looks like they laid the pool cover on the lawn to wash it off. We see this every spring. Just my guess.

[humble1]

I think this is human-caused. Edges are sharply distinct in a straight line especially on left. Perfectly rounded end on the right.

im with you riggle

[PSUTURFGEEK]

I agree with American, it looks like a very hydrophobic soil base caused this.

[pinto n mwr]

Drought damage on Kentucky bluegrass. I'm sure is it's clay soil. We're seeing it here too. He should water thoroughly & regularly to bring it back out of dormancy, but it might take up to 3 weeks. Also try to avoid mowing during hot/sunny conditions.

If I were there, I'd pull out the "truth detector" (soil probe). If you can get the probe 2 or 3 inches deep (which I doubt you could), you can see how deep the root system is by pulling away the soil from the bottom of the core sample until you can see grass roots (not the band:laugh:).

drought damage in one week..... maybe with roundup and a sheet of glass

kiddy pool, or a slip n' slide can do that also

[GravelyGuy]

Thanks for the suggestions. We have had very little rain over the last week or so and a bunch of lawns are very dry, but none are showing damage like this. I don't think it's that dry yet. I am in Lafayette.

I have not sprayed anything recently.

I will talk to the homeowner tomorrow if they're home. I take care of a few in this hood and I was actually just passing by until tomorrow. I would think if he thought I was responsible for this damage he would have called.

There is a good chance that it is crap soil, pretty common around here. I feel pathetic, but I don't even have a soil probe. I need to get one ASAP.

Any other ideas?

[Hissing Cobra]

http://www.lawnsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=112583&stc=1&d=1214338724

In this picture, you can clearly see two "strips". The "strip" on the left side has an edge (left side) that's too straight to be something that Mother Nature caused. Do they have a swimming pool with those "bubble wrap" strips that float on top to generically heat the pool? How about a "slip and slide" for the kids. Look around the property when you get there and try to find something that looks to be the same size and shape as the damaged areas.

Also check to see if there's anything that's buried there that's reflecting the heat upward. Could there be a leaching field there? I once had a lawn that was perfectly green except for a nice sqare in the front yard. It turned out to be the Septic System box that caused the lawn to burn because it wasn't buried deep enough. As a result, the heat would reflect off the top of it, causing rapid evaporation of the moisture in the soil and subsequent burning of the turf.

To me, it definitely looks like it was scorched from lack of water but what caused it is anyone's guess.

[Grass Guru 621]

Almost looks like the kids had a Slip-n Slide, possibly left it out too long?

[Lbilawncare]

Looks like Summer Patch to me. I've seen it around here, we got a ton of rain in April and May then the spigot got turned off and it hasn't rained for two 1/2 weeks. Water deeply and mow it high (avoid the yellowed area)

[whoopassonthebluegrass]

No slip and slide. They totally mat grass down and squeeze out the thatch.

Out of curiousity, how old is the lawn? I see this kind of stress on young sod that isn't established well. Regardless, the problem is drought related. The grass is all standing up and yellow (not brown).

A couple years ago my oldest son decided to use my hammer on the glass in our rear door. So when I went to replace it I set the new glass panel on the lawn for no more than 20 minutes. When I went to put it in the door I had dehydrated a perfect rectangle into the lawn. In 20 minutes!! If it's hot outside, it doesn't take much time at all to do damage by having things on the grass...

[GravelyGuy]

The lawn should be well established 8+ years. I hope that they are home when I mow so that I can ask them. Hopefully they don't look at me with the same puzzled face and say, "we didn't leave anything there."

[gorknoids]

I think this is human-caused. Edges are sharply distinct in a straight line especially on left. Perfectly rounded end on the right.

That was my take. There is a distinct arc at the end of the one on the right. Looks like a typical homeowner 10-10-10 app.

[whoopassonthebluegrass]

The lawn should be well established 8+ years. I hope that they are home when I mow so that I can ask them. Hopefully they don't look at me with the same puzzled face and say, "we didn't leave anything there."

When you're there just take a look at the base of the stems and see if there's green coming up. If so, you'll mow it away in a couple of weeks...

[Grassman08]

I would definety talk to the home owner to get your conclusion right. May be ask if this happens annually. There maybe something baried there; like stones, or even bricks, or concrete. There could also be a leach field, although the house is in a sub-development. The other option is yes a tarp, or a cover of sort, for a certain time.

[GravelyGuy]

When you're there just take a look at the base of the stems and see if there's green coming up. If so, you'll mow it away in a couple of weeks...

The homeowner was not home today so I will have to call them:dizzy: There was some green around the base of some of the blades. I just mowed around the area so I would not stress it anymore. I looked at it for a few minutes and I think you guys are right about it just being drought stress. I noticed one other lawn like this in the neighborhood also.

Thanks for the help.

[Athletic field]

I'll guess man made as well. Other yards in the background look green. If it were drought, wouldn't the top of the slope dry out first? The edges would dry first too due to heat and shallow soil, usually rocks and other debris under the soil near pavement. I agree as stated before, the shape makes it look man made.

[vegomatic40]

It may very well be "Man-made" as the final grade didn't happen by accident. I vote for drought damage due to concealed rock, construction debris or gravel as others suggested. At any rate, some of that turf will survive and a good portion is likely to be dead. A soil probe would be good to start but even using a large screwdriver to determine what you have under there works as well. If conditions remained relatively the same over the coming days/weeks a disease or insect problem would advance into other areas of the lawn. Have you checked for possible grub/chinch bug damage?

[MarcSmith]

how about....did they rescenlty have their carpet shampooed by a truck mounted carpet cleaner. sometimes those guys just dump their discharge in the yard they are working on...

[HandyHomeMedic]

http://handyhomemedics.com/images/damage.jpg

Your picture looks exactly like a customer property that I went to this week. And, it seemed like overnight they were suddenly brown in one corner of their lot.

I took pics, went to Lesco and was told right away "irrigation problem." I purchased one of those soil sample roddy thingys and went back. Sure enough, it's new sod laying on a bed of sand / gravel.

Any suggestions?

[Turfdoctor1]

http://handyhomemedics.com/images/damage.jpg

Your picture looks exactly like a customer property that I went to this week. And, it seemed like overnight they were suddenly brown in one corner of their lot.

I took pics, went to Lesco and was told right away "irrigation problem." I purchased one of those soil sample roddy thingys and went back. Sure enough, it's new sod laying on a bed of sand / gravel.

Any suggestions?

this photo is totally different than what gravely posted. yours is certainly drought. but, i don't believe there is any way that the picture that gravely posted was caused simply by drought. no way. definitely man-made.

gravely, if you would not have said that you had not sprayed recently, i would have guessed that it was residual left in your spray tank, because it looks like it is on the very edge of the lawn.

[humble1]

These pics are of a lawn that I maintain. I just picked it up this spring. I am at this property every week and it was perfectly fine last week, but this week when I pulled up it looked like this. It's not that dry around here yet.

Hopefully you can help me out from the pics.

Did you poke around for Scotts fert prills, looks like the width of a small spraeder, i think over fert, ot they tank mixed something that had round up, looks smoked plus green in between rows.

[humble1]

These pics are of a lawn that I maintain. I just picked it up this spring. I am at this property every week and it was perfectly fine last week, but this week when I pulled up it looked like this. It's not that dry around here yet.

Hopefully you can help me out from the pics.

Did you poke around for Scotts fert prills, looks like the width of a small spraeder, i think over fert, ot they tank mixed something that had round up, looks smoked plus green in between rows.

[GravelyGuy]

Here is a pic that I snapped today after some rain and an app of fert a week ago. It was just drought stress.

Thanks to those that helped.

[Frank Fescue]

These pics are of a lawn that I maintain. I just picked it up this spring. I am at this property every week and it was perfectly fine last week, but this week when I pulled up it looked like this. It's not that dry around here yet.

Hopefully you can help me out from the pics.


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