The question I have for you is how were you watering? Once a week?

Or, and this is bad if you did, were you watering several times per week?

I doubt that you would have gotten fungus from watering weekly. It rains all the time at night and most yards don't get fungus from a weekly rain event that happens at night.

If you were watering every night or several nights per week, that was probably the problem.

FWIW, I normally water ONLY at night. You lose less water to evaporation and the wind is normally calmer.

But I only do it once per week.

As for your questions...

1) The fungus is in your soil, as well as your grass. It's not practical to rid the topsoil by removing it.

Your best bet is to get cultivars that are disease resistant. Having said that, it would be helpful if you KNEW the problem was fungus and what type of fungus caused the problem.

2) I don't know your climate well enough to say if you should wait. AJ or Bestlawn might be able to say for sure. But normally, your best chance of success is to wait until Fall.

3) There are dramatic differences in color and shade tolerance (though most KBGs do best in full sun). Bestlawn or AJ might have suggestions for specific cultivars.

4) Bestlawn has posted a pretty good watering schedule for seeding/new lawns. You should be able to find it if you search the forum.

5) This depends on if you do a total renovation or just an overseed. With a total renovation, just cut it when it is long enough. As for an overseed project, that is something you'll have to judge for yourself. But you probably should cut the lawn as low as possible (without scalping it) before seeding (over several cuts -- not all at once)

Thanks a lot for the reply.

I watered 3 times per week in summer (July-Mid August) unless it rained and I did not have this before when I watered in the morning previous years. That is why I am suspecting fungus.

How can I make sure it is fungus, or something else? If it is fungus, is there any suggestion to kill them, fungicide probably? I read somewhere, Bayleton systemic granules works ok.

Well, I gotta call sod place that I got the sod from originally whether they sell seeds for the sod they sell.

The backyard is in full sun, no shade whatsoever.

I guess I will do raking, aerating and wait till late August for overseeding.

It is a big disappointment to say the least since it was so beautiful this time around last year.

1. Contact your local MSU Cooperative Extension Service for help in having the disease diagnosed by the MSU Diagnostic Service. Ordinarily, no disease would have presented itself just yet here in Michigan except perhaps one of the snow molds or powdery mildew. But whatever it is, control is based on identification.

2. You don't really tell us what is wrong with the grass or why you wish to reseed. Please describe its condition and describe why you feel there is fungus. Pictures will help us a lot.

3. Terrible idea to purchase seeds from those stores. Purchasing the same seeds is a great idea.

Thank you for your reply.

It happened last year. Last fall, the lawn was as damaged already as it is now. It does not look spreading after I changed to morning watering in late August last year, but it can spread this spring if I don't do anything about it.

I will take some pictures today and upload them.

Basically, sections of grass are dead with some small lumps survived inside of setions. For a couple of years ago, I got brownpatch (cirtular pattern with center surviving), but those went away. Even when I had them, they were pretty much contained in small areas, but near the now-dead sections. This time, I did not see the circular patterns, but random patterns with much larger areas affected. I don't see anything popping up in those sections.

I should have elaborated more in the first posting, I guess.

I just called the sod store and they are saying they don't know what kind since they are getting all kinds. I was told to buy "Kentucky Blue Blend" from hardware store. Any suggestion?

Thank you.

I got home and went out to take some pictures. I found out that the dead section can be lifted really easily and I got the feeling that I have a grub problem...

Wait... how do I put the picture here?

"Wait... how do I put the picture here?"

Here is a thread that tells how to post.

Here is one about an online image editor.

Does your lawn look like mine did last August?

(This is grub damage)

{{gwi:83227}}

Ahhh!!! That is how everyone gets their photos up. Here we go, BTW, garycinchicago, that is how mine looks. What did you do to recover?

{{gwi:85805}}

Here is another picture bit closer.

{{gwi:85806}}

A bit closer...

{{gwi:85807}}

After I dug a bit of the section.

{{gwi:85808}}

My question are these:
1. I did not find that many grubs when I checek several different spots. In fact, two grubs that shown in the above picture are the only ones. I thought I should be seeing a lot, if this was grub infestation, more than dozen. Am I wrong?
2. Now I remember that there were many beatles on 3 of my flower bushes (forgot their names) all over last year and I tried kill them all so sparayed a bug killer almost everyday. Killed many of them. I guess they are the ones ate my grass last year.
3. If this is grub, what should I do? What I read was spring treatment won't reduce the damage for the year... Should I start working on the lawn sometime in mid July, spreading those chemicals and give up this year?
4. If this was fungus, would it have been so easy to peel off the 1/2" layer of grass?

It was flush green and it happened so fast... sigh...

Thank you so much for your help.

mich5,

It's unlikely that a Michigan KB lawn would ever get so damaged by fungal causes, so the grubs are probably what caused the devastation. Our main culprits here are European chafers, who like to lay their eggs in dry lawns, and Japanese beetles, who prefer well-watered turf. Either way, your best control without resorting to really nasty insecticides, is to treat in July.

You can try seeding the most damaged areas now through the first couple weeks of May. If really hot weather holds off until July, you might get a good stand of grass. Spring seeding is usually not advised, but it can be successful here with a little luck from Ma Nature. I've done it a couple times.

You can mail order first-rate seed from a number of places, and Bestlawn can give you some good recommendations there. If you want to buy locally, give Turfgrass, Inc. a try. They are in South Lyon off Pontiac Trail. I don't know what varieties they're carrying this year, but they are a good outfit.

Think about it, and let's discuss this some more. Also, take Bestlawn's suggestion and visit MSU's turfgrass site. They have lots of good info on grub control and just about anything else you might like to know about lawncare.

A.J.

Thank you for the reply.

I am getting more convinced that it was grub. I think I will put down some seeds on infected area this spring and will overseed entire lawn (~17000sqft) in late August.

I got to read MSU website about grub, but what should I do in July? Also, how do you prevent grubs coming back?

I am not sure whether I want to use Bayer 24 hour grub killer thing. I believe that is what you called "nasty" chemical. I think it will kill all the insects down there, like earthworms which I want to avoid. Is there something that I can do to minimize the damage this year?

Thank you.

Here's my grub damaged KBG lawn in the summer of 2006:

{{gwi:85809}}

It looks very similar, if not the same.

If I have grub problem (and it looks like I do), should I see more damage by now, or when?

What I am thinking now is that I put down grub killer in early-mid July and overseed in late August, hoping that next year would be green.

The question whether I want to put down those 24 hour grub killer chemical to minimize the damage this year, or not. So, the question above: whether the damage for this year is already done or more to come?

Thank you.

No, you're in S. Lyon, and I'm in Flint. Give or take thirty miles, we're neighbors. I was in Howell yesterday.

1. Put down some fertilizer (just fertilizer, not w/ weed killer) as apparently you have not, lately.

2. You can buy some KBG seed, from Lowes or HD, and spread it around. Spring is fine, here in Michigan, where same would not be fine, if we lived in Kentucky or Virginia. Or even southern Ohio.

3. Go get some liquid bug killer, and plan on mixing it according to directions, with your hose end sprayer, in three weeks, or on Memorial Day weekend. Or, in the alternative (you're not going to do both), go buy some Grub X, but you're not going to spread it until Mem Day weekend.

That should be enough for you to do, for now. The fertilizer is most important (your grass couldn't even recover from a bad rumor, much less bugs or disease), and the seed will grow, as all seeds do, if you keep them moist, and they have a well fertilized place to grow.

That sod you put down has spent its entire life being coddled and cared for. It sprouted, because it was moist, it was fed (with Milorganite, from Lowes) every three weeks, a light application, but no application was missed. The food was regular, every three weeks. A light-nitrogen shot, like Milorganite.

Then that sod took a turn for the worse: it got delivered to your house. No more regular feeding (which is most important: you already know that KBG is a 'heavy feeder'), and I'll bet you mowed it short, too.

Fortunately, this can be fixed. Get started, and keep us advised.

Thank you for the reply.

Well, upto last year, the lawn was doing fine. I used to a regular here and that helped tremendously. I got my deep watering going with mowing high, regular feeding and even organic fertilization at some point.

I got busy last summer and that was what happened.

Anyway, I found the website from Cornell University saying most damage by grubs is done in fall and only a little more damage will be done in spring, I opt to wait till early July to kill both eggs/lavae and adult beetles.

I was hesistant on fertilizing this year since I was not sure whether it was due to fungus, in which case I should avoid fertilization, at least those affected areas.

Anyway, I think I got my gameplan: fertilize as usual, apply grub killers in earl July, overseed with nice KBG blend from either online or fine local store and do the regular maintenance hoping they don't come back.

Thank you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Grub lifecycle

Philes didn't intend to suggest buying bluegrass from Lowes or HD.
He was just momentarily confused and forgot to type the "do not" part.

(your grass couldn't even recover from a bad rumor, much less bugs or disease)

*I* heard his lawn was seen at the Kit-Kat Klub with a fistful of five dollar bills...

Yep, feed it. You can reseed now, although you may have some summer losses, but that's better than a weed-choked area all summer long. You'll want to seed more in fall.

Right now, any grubs may not have come to the surface yet (particularly if soil temperatures aren't above 50 or so). Also, in May they're enormous and hard to kill. You'd practically have to nuke the soil to get them, and even that wouldn't be certain.

Ride it through. When you see the beetles (if they are JBs that are your problem) around the porch light in May or June, then it's time to put down a grub retardant. Unless you decide to use Milky Spore, which can go down now but takes time to build in the soil.