First image is a month ago. I was feeling good and the lawn looked better than ever. Then the heat wave hit, along with a lot of rain, and it’s been a mess since.
At first I thought I was just dealing with some heat damage and overwatered. Guessing that just made it worse since now it looks like what I think is a fungus of sorts.
So my question now is – should I do anything about this now? Fungicide, fertilizer, anything? Or do I just ride it out and over-seed in September and learn for next year.
by alphonse55
30 Comments
I live in eastern PA and got hit with fungus every year. I started putting down Bioadvance fungus control one a month and some nitrogen based fertilizer and it’s gotten it under control. Check the blades next to the dead areas see if there is rot or lesions on it. If so, get the fungicide down and stop it.
Hard to tell from these pictures, do you see lesions on the grass blades that have a dark border? Something like this picture
https://preview.redd.it/ss6nhw18awcf1.jpeg?width=3472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8ca64867c975abd5ccf2634aa9575fc2ed368fe
Is that a swimming pool…..for ANTS?!!
Let’s ignore the grass for a minute and tell us more about that…pool?
Fungus for sure. Apply fungicide to save remainder. Sharpen blade and bag clippings to avoid spreading the fungus.
It’s heat stress, bro
Also in NJ, looks like my side yard that I watered regularly but didn’t taper off with deeper watering like I was supposed to.
It’s shaded half the day, prob the ideal conditions for fungus to grow.
I’m waiting for fall to aerate and overseed; I’m not wasting anymore $ this summer.
….. is that a pool?
maybe your soil got infested with grubs?
Is this not from to much nitrogen? Over feeding in the spring?
Have you checked for grubs ?
I never understood pools that are completely surrounded by grass
Yeah, agree with the poster pointing out the funky tree trunks in the middle and on the right… individually poured concrete for each chair… string lights from and to nowhere…
Wtf.
This post smells funny.
I gotta say it’s just the heat brother we have been getting hit with 90’s high 90’s most of the time since early Jun
That’s the smallest pool I’ve ever seen
Michael Scott pool
I have this in a few areas where the ground is quite compacted from foot traffic and parking cars. Im not entirely sure if its fungal or just heat stress, but if your soil doesnt drain properly, it can make both of those worse. Do the screwdriver test, and if compacted, consider core aeration and compost top dressings.
As for watering, do it as few times as possible, and as deeply as possible. You are better off deeply watering once a week than a little bit every day or every few days. Not only to limit the risk of fungal infections, water will seep deeper in the ground, where it doesnt evaporate so quickly and that will stimulate the grass to grow deeper roots.
Last tip: mow higher when its hot. A lot higher if possible.
Do you ever get tired of hosting pool parties for one?
Dude I’m in Central Virginia and my KBG/ PRG looks the same. I think it’s a fungus because of all the rain and humid temps we’ve had, so I just hit it with some propiconazole wait 2 weeks and hit again.
Sick bird bath!
I could be wrong about this but I have something similar happen in my backyard every summer. Someone suggested it was poa annua that was dead, and I’m 100% sure I have a ton of it in my yard. I’ve sprayed fungicide and there was no change.
Do you have a dog?
did you check for chinch bugs? It’s always hard to tell from pictures, but I don’t see any of the signs I look for for fungal disease, and it looks a lot like chinch bug damage.
Who built your pool? How much was it,how deep is it and when was it built?
Such a great addition to the back yard!
Check for grubs.
Its fungus from when we had those 100 degree days with high humidity. Spray a fungicide and plan to tear out those dead spots and seed it at end of august
Sorry I couldn’t help myself…is this a pool for ants? I’m guessing it’s a lap pool but this is what immediately popped in my brain 😂
This is brown patch fungus. Dealing with it horribly here in NC from heavy rains almost daily across 6 weeks on new fescue sod. Went from looking like a golf course to dead and matted in about 10 days. I’ve had it professionally diagnoses. It’s matted just like yours and feels sticky if you walk on it. Unfortunately, I’m in a new house and just using a push mower without a bag attachment until I get a shed to house more equipment. Having to mow so often because of the rain without bagging likely caused my significant spreading of the fungus. I put down DiseaseX when I first noticed the problem in May and then again in early June, but it was too late.
The brown/yellowish lesions near the middle of the remaining green blades are a telltale sign.
I’m not alone!
It’s a pool for ants.