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Strange Browning

3K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  TLS 
#1 ·
I'd like some inpput from the pro's on a strange brown spot issue i'm suddenly having. My lawn is KBB,Chewings Fescue, PR. About two years old and almost no weeds. I've been using the Scotts steps and my last fert only app was about 5 weeks ago. We had a sudden heat wave a about two weeks back and I increased the watering by about 30 min. I've been mowing with my ride on the highest settings and not bagging. I've been mowing about every 10 days to avoid alot of thatch. I just picked up the summer fert with weed killer but haven't applied due to rain coming in. For some reason the over the last few days several large area's appear to be browning. It appears to be yellowing then going brown. Nothing has been applied and the rest of the lawn is thriving. I'm not seeing insects or other pest and I'm starting to suspect a dull mower blade as a suspect. It appears on close examination that the blades of grass to tattered and split rather than cleanly cut. There are a few isolated area's and none ajoin. Is it likely that the blades tearing the grass is stressing it into the yellow color? Should I hold off on the Scott's until I figure this out? Until now it could have been a fairway and I'm completely baffeled at this point.

Matt:confused:
 
#8 ·
A brown spot issue? Do mean one spot or the whole yard? Pictures would be helpful. Your yard was probably graded with a bulldozer at construction time. So be aware of that. Chewings fescue... Do you have a lot of shade? I wouldn't fertilize grass that is stressed. And pre-emergent herbicide will weaken the grass. You bumped up the water...that might have contributed to the problem. What time of day do you water? Early morning is best. How often? Cool season grass in the northeast shouldn't need more than 1/2 inch a week in the summer. 1/10 if its in the shade.

Grass blades that are tattered and torn are a sign that you need to sharpen your blades. And dull blades will stress the grass. But it wouldn't cause yellow-brown patches. You probably have a combination of things going on. Dull blades-overwatering-who knows what else. You need to check for grubs. You are doing a lot of things correctly but this time of year will make little problems bigger.
 
#9 ·
The lawn was graded by me with my harley rake and quality topsoil. Soil analysis were done before and after by UMASS. I hydro seeded but supplied the seed. The area that's in question is yellowing not brown. I'm color blind I guess. It looks stressed more than anything. The size is about 10'x15' out of a total 15k. It seemed to appear two to three days after mowing and the blades of grass look tatered so I'm thinking that the high temp swings we've had and the dull blades has greatly contributied to this. The entire yard has 5"-7" of topsoil and I'm watering daily in the evening. I'd love to do it in the AM but it's not an option since I need to more the sprinkler three times. It's a little early for grubs here but I did treat late last year for them. The next Scotts has insecticides but I'm still on the Yellow bag. I was thinking of raking the area when the rain stops then poking the area with a pitch fork to open the soil a bit. I'll get pics up as soon as the rain stops. Thanks for all the helpful replies.

Matt
 
#11 ·
Watering in the evening is just an invitation to trouble... We had 1 week in which it was necessary to water at all this season...

So the question is, what kind of thatch or fungal problem are you feeding? Why the insecticide and how many herbicides and apps of fert have you put down since the season started? How often do you water if there is no rain?

My guess is that you have over-fert and over watered and you have spots that just can't take it anymore and fungus took advantage...

Pix will help... :)
 
#12 ·
I don't know but if it's new lawn like as in last fall and all it's had was a measly little shot of Scotts with pre......my money says hunger in the yellowing 10' x 15' spot. A friend put a lawn in a commercial site last fall and the company the restaurant hired misses a spot every time they make an application and the spot is yellow. I usually double up on these spots and they go away. 10' x15' is not a disease.......I don't think.
 
#13 ·
Another possibilty is a low spot that has been suffocating in this constant heavy rain... Chlorosis???

Have you guys had rain like Wisco has had? Lots of things to consider... :)
 
#14 ·
I had this going on bad in one of the lawns I mow and treat

Ascochyta Leaf Blight of Turf

In literally one week, large splotches of turf turned yellow to almost white. Like I spilled gas on the lawn (which I did not). This was on a fairly newly sodded lawn on top of a pee-poor soil and was poorly irrigated. Temps hit over 100 for a couple days, then rapidly cooled down, and this is when I saw the problem.

Fast forward to this week, and those white patches have really browned out BUT there is new green growth coming up from the bottom. I am confident most spots will recover now that temps are more moderate and we are getting good rainfall. This blight only takes the shoot growth and not the roots typically.
 
#15 ·
I'm in western ma and have a similar problem. Last fall, I put in a backyard for a customer---new soil and seeded it. It looked fantastic till about 3 weeks ago and then I see thinning out in places and eventual die off.

My take on it is this--- we've had substantial rain and this yard is somewhat shady. When I mow it's soaked---everytime. Not wet, soaked.
From what I see, its the chewings fescue taking a beating and the rest is nice dark green. It appears to be dying from being water logged. Everything else is growing normally---about 1-2 inches per week growth I'd estimate.

It looks great from a distance and up close, you see dead thatch underneath. I raked it all out and got quite a bit of dead stuff out of there.

I don't see a disease issue although there could be some fungus going on considering the rain. I don't see any indication of discoloration or brown patches or anything on the blades themselves-- I looked very close yesterday.---it's just thinning out.
 
#16 ·
I'm in western ma and have a similar problem. Last fall, I put in a backyard for a customer---new soil and seeded it. It looked fantastic till about 3 weeks ago and then I see thinning out in places and eventual die off.

My take on it is this--- we've had substantial rain and this yard is somewhat shady. When I mow it's soaked---everytime. Not wet, soaked.
From what I see, its the chewings fescue taking a beating and the rest is nice dark green. It appears to be dying from being water logged. Everything else is growing normally---about 1-2 inches per week growth I'd estimate.

It looks great from a distance and up close, you see dead thatch underneath. I raked it all out and got quite a bit of dead stuff out of there.

I don't see a disease issue although there could be some fungus going on considering the rain. I don't see any indication of discoloration or brown patches or anything on the blades themselves-- I looked very close yesterday.---it's just thinning out.
If it is still wet when you mow, then it is getting too much water, especially in the shade... Your thinning grass will soon b replaced by moss... I have a couple of lawns that are overwatered in shade and every season is a little worse...
 
#17 ·
If it is still wet when you mow, then it is getting too much water, especially in the shade... Your thinning grass will soon b replaced by moss... I have a couple of lawns that are overwatered in shade and every season is a little worse...
The only watering it's getting is the everyday rain. I have no way to shut that off!

I will let you know what happens in a couple weeks. It rained this morning again and all last night. I'm thinking that anyone who is looking top buy a house now and pass a title 5 (septic perk test) will be struggling. The ground is essentially saturated.

It seems to be drying out some now. Except for 2-3 days in the 80's, its been constant 60's and rain for about 3 months. At night its still high 50's.

This has been the wettest spring/summer I can remember---last yr it rained here into the start of June then just stopped and didn't rain the rest of the year. Fescue is great in shady dry conditions. Getting rained on everyday for months doesn't fit that mentality. I put in a lawn in another area that gets more sun and its doing fine.

I don't see any moss yet, but it wouldn't surprise me. In a normal year, I wouldn't be having a problem. Then again, that's what the poor people in North Dakota are saying too. I will take a dying lawn over their issues every day of the week.
 
#18 ·
It's your annual bluegrass (Poa) dying. This would be my best guess. This time of year when the heat sets in, grass that you think is "real" is in fact just annual crap!
 
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