[IN2MOWING]

Can someone help me please. Im a mow only company and around this time of year in KS we are getting no rain, temps in the 90s and high humidity. My yards arent burning but they are getting brown spots all over them and really thinning out.


As a mower only is there something Im doing wrong? I keep my blades very sharp and I mow at 3 inches. Is that to short? My customers are getting upset and I tell them its lack of rain and high temps.

Anyone have some ideas?

 

[sjj14]

tough to id any problem without some pics. could be Grub damage or disease.3" is not too low. try to see if damage is consistant with your mowing pattern that should tell you if your at fault and point that out to the customer.

 

[IN2MOWING]

Thanks. Ill get some pics tommorow on one of the yards.

 

[MrBarefoot]

Can someone help me please. Im a mow only company and around this time of year in KS we are getting no rain, temps in the 90s and high humidity. My yards arent burning but they are getting brown spots all over them and really thinning out.

As a mower only is there something Im doing wrong? I keep my blades very sharp and I mow at 3 inches. Is that to short? My customers are getting upset and I tell them its lack of rain and high temps.

Anyone have some ideas?

If your clients are not watering at all, then drought is the #1 suspect. If the whole lawn is mostly uniform in its "brownness" and the soil is not moist, then tell your clients that they need to start watering if they want their green lawn back.

Grub damage usually presents in patches or blotches. The damaged grass will also pull up easy. Go to the damaged area and peel back the turf, you may find some grubs.

Turf disease is also a suspect but without pictures it would be difficult to say what disease.

You can find some info and pictures of active diseases here:

http://www.lesco.com/?PageID=53&Gro...ubMenuItemID=74

http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/in...rfdisindex.html

http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/turf/

Diseases can be tricky because some of them present very similar damage, but are treated very differently. When in doubt, call a small LCO in your area, and let them handle it.

 

[IN2MOWING]

If your clients are not watering at all, then drought is the #1 suspect. If the whole lawn is mostly uniform in its "brownness" and the soil is not moist, then tell your clients that they need to start watering if they want their green lawn back.

Grub damage usually presents in patches or blotches. The damaged grass will also pull up easy. Go to the damaged area and peel back the turf, you may find some grubs.

Turf disease is also a suspect but without pictures it would be difficult to say what disease.

You can find some info and pictures of active diseases here:

http://www.lesco.com/?PageID=53&Gro...ubMenuItemID=74

http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/in...rfdisindex.html

http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/turf/

Diseases can be tricky because some of them present very similar damage, but are treated very differently. When in doubt, call a small LCO in your area, and let them handle it.

They all water at least 4 days a week. I tell them to water in the early morning for long intervals.

If it was a grub how deep would they be before I found one?

 

[MrBarefoot]

If it was a grub how deep would they be before I found one?

Grubs graze at root level. When you peel back the turf, you will be near the right depth. Just brush around with your hand if you don't see any and don't forget to check the grass you pulled up for grubs also.

Here are some links for you to read.

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/hortihints/0308d.html

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/lawntalk/lawntalk23.html

http://cahe.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/2004/090404.html

http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/monitorinsectslawns.html

 

[Oh Yard Boy]

Not to far down in the dirt, they look like uncooked shrimp. Could be chinch bugs if that is a problem in your area. The heat is a big factor here all the time and so are grubs. Quarterly fertilizing and fert with insect control and lots of nitrogen seem to solve a lot of problems.

 

[IN2MOWING]

Thanks guys. Ill post some pics tommorow. Im trying to learn as much as possible. Ill be adding chemicals next year so I need to learn to identify all these problems.

 

[Lawn Sharks]

"Watering deep four times a week" and the lawn is dying? Sounds like too much water and you may have a fungus issue. Post some pics.

 

[lawnandplow42]

thats too low IMO, we cut at 4 inches, as do many other people i know

 

[TurfProSTL]

thats too low IMO, we cut at 4 inches, as do many other people i know

If 3" is too low, how do golf courses survive, year after year? Greens at 1/8", fairways at 1", tees at 3/4".

Actually, a 4 inch cut promotes Brown Patch on fescue lawns in my area.

Before you diss somebody for what they're doing, I would suggest you get a clue as to WTF you're talking about.....

 

[iluvscag]

Served!!!!

 

[IN2MOWING]

Sorry it took so long but here are some pics of the lawn , a couple up close and 1 from a distance. I was told that its probably brown patch caused by a combination of the humidity and watering at night. The guy also told me that it didnt harm the root system its just annoying to look at. He said fungicides would fix it but they were costly. After most people hear the price of them they choose to just deal with looking at it for a couple months.

 

[TurfProSTL]

That may well be Brown Patch. But, looking at the "big" picture, I would be inclined to probe the soil in the off color area and compare it to the greener areas. You may have a water issue there, causing drought and/or Summer Patch symptoms to show up.

The spot looks a little higher than surrounding areas, and I would expect more Brown Patch in low spots, where water collects.....

 

[IN2MOWING]

That may well be Brown Patch. But, looking at the "big" picture, I would be inclined to probe the soil in the off color area and compare it to the greener areas. You may have a water issue there, causing drought and/or Summer Patch symptoms to show up.

The spot looks a little higher than surrounding areas, and I would expect more Brown Patch in low spots, where water collects.....

When you say water issue do you mean not enough or possibly to much and the water is sitting there to long?

 

[TurfProSTL]

^ In looking at the 3rd photo, the brown area looks to be a little higher than surrounding areas. Probe it and see if you have any soil moisture, and compare to greener areas (for depth of moisture). If you don't have a soil probe, a long screwdriver will do.....

And, while I've got you, one of the other photos looks like the fescue is still green, whereas the finer grasses are brown. If in fact the bluegrass is affected but not the fescue, I would bet on Summer Patch being the problem rather than Brown Patch.

 

[IN2MOWING]

^ In looking at the 3rd photo, the brown area looks to be a little higher than surrounding areas. Probe it and see if you have any soil moisture, and compare to greener areas (for depth of moisture). If you don't have a soil probe, a long screwdriver will do.....

And, while I've got you, one of the other photos looks like the fescue is still green, whereas the finer grasses are brown. If in fact the bluegrass is affected but not the fescue, I would bet on Summer Patch being the problem rather than Brown Patch.

Thanks for the help. Ill check it Thur when Im back there.

 

[SOONER GREEN]

Is the turf fescue? If so Id bet its brown patch or some other disease. High temps humidity, moisture = fungus down here in okie land. Is'nt it too early for grubs? we wont see grub damage down here till Aug or Sept.prolly fungus among us.

 

[IN2MOWING]

Is the turf fescue? If so Id bet its brown patch or some other disease. High temps humidity, moisture = fungus down here in okie land. Is'nt it too early for grubs? we wont see grub damage down here till Aug or Sept.prolly fungus among us.

Yes its fecue.

 

[LwnmwrMan22]

Could come down to something as simple as a poor irrigation system too, meaning lapses in coverage.

I know here in MN, it's been 90+ for the last 2 weeks, sunny, and to be honest, our lawns don't look ANYWHERE as good as that one.

Most of mine that are irrigated, you can see where the heads have watered and where they haven't.

On the right side of the picture, up next to the trees, could it just be where the irrigation isn't hitting as much as the areas where the grass is a little greener?? Or maybe that area right there gets an extra hour or two of sun during the mid-late afternoon so your moisture is evaporating out of that area?

How does the lawn sit? Were you standing on the south side of the lawn so the house is to the north?? Even in the middle of the yard it looks like it might just be a little "drier". The areas under the trees (shade) are the most green.

By the way.... might want to get them to spray that walking path too. :waving: