Pittsburgh
Doesn't look like anything wrong with that grass that can't be fixed pretty quick. looks like your grass was cut when it was long, no problem, then when it was short, we had a dry spell for a month. It gets brown like straw under the green grass.I'm from Coraopolis, 8 miles west of Pittsburgh. Water the worst spots if your not allowed to water then fertilize, preferably with a liquid fertilizer at this time. I hope your not going by the saying on this board that it is wrong to fertilize in the spring. Do you only eat in the fall??? Seriously though you don't have any big time problem.If you don't want to fertilize the whole lawn, try a 10 foot square patch where you rake lightly, water and spray fertilize, or use milorganite. Bet in a week or so your problem is gone. Keep in touch. Lawndivot

It is tough to tell from those pics. When poa trivialis gets more mature, it's stalks get pretty darn thick. Right now it looks like immature poa trivialis. Definitely not poa annua. Is it brown like that because you had a dry spell? Do you have areas like that with thicker stalks?

LawnDivot, it's never been individual opinion nor general consensus not to fertilize in spring.

Pittsburgh, I really don't think that is Poa trivialis for two reasons. One is you would not yet have experienced temps that kill it. It thrives in this spring weather and dies in the heat of summer. The other reason is when it dies, it thins out and lays down. Ordinarily, it would not be so bushy, erect, and tangly as in those photos.

Sorry, hopefully someone can help with whether or not it's Poa annua. I've never seen it die out and never saw pics of dead PA either. Afraid it would have helped us much better to have seen pics while it still had seedheads - if it ever did have seedheads, that is. If it didn't, it's not Poa annua either.

Everyone keeps talkig about seedheads with poa trivialis and annua. I honestly never saw any significant seedheads. Yes we had a bit of a dryspell but what is puzzling is how the grass is longer when you run your hands through the spots. It is growing quite differently than the grass surrouding it. I have 2 spots that are really bad and the rest are smaller spots all with the same MO--longer, yellowish grass that seems to be growing in differeent directions. It wants to mat itself down. The spots started in an area at the front of my ouse where it gets early morning sun then shade. HOWEVER the spots are multiplying away from that area and the run along my fence. I have now gotten 2 spots in my fenced in backyard. I am going crazy....Could this be a fungus? I have done so much research my family is starting to forget who I am (I am the lady on the internet). HELP!!!

It does not look anything like poa annua. I am still going with poa trivialis. If you only have two bad areas, try rounding that area up and reseeding. For small areas, rip out as much as you can--poa trivialis is fairly easy to uproot given that it has shallow roots. It's MO is just what you describe--fans out and low. It will spread if conditions are favorable. Mature stalks get markedly thicker. Only time I've seen it seed is when I've let it grow well over 8".

I doubt very much that it's a fungus, especially if it browned out with the dry spell that you had. Over here, we had almost a week and a half of no significant rain. My lawn was starting to go into dormancy (with temps rarely above 70*F even!) and both poa trivialis and annua had major setbacks! A lot of the poa annua is dead but I fear that much of the poa trivialis is only injured.

Pittsburgh, I don't see any fungal activity or characteristics that I am familiar with, but that doesn't mean no disease exists. I don't think it's trivialis but others think it is. I can understand your frustration but we can guess at it all day.

Because of your name, I'm going to guess you are located in Pennsylvania. Here is a link to the Penn State Cooperative Extension Service for you to locate the office near you. Take them samples w/roots of these affected areas, and they will be able to identify/diagnose whatever it is. Don't be afraid because doing that is very much a part of their job. Also, just in case you don't know what type of grass you have, they can tell you that also. Just take them samples w/roots of the unaffected areas.

Please correct me if you are not located in Pennsylvania and tell me where you are, and I'll link you to the cooperative extension office in your state.

If that's Poa trivialis it's really immature, which is odd in and of itself--the triv we have now seeded out and grew in last fall and should be reasonably mature.

If your weather is like mine (warranted, Pennsylvania is four hundred miles of Bridge Freezes Before Road signs so there's some variance) it hasn't had time to burn out yet. We had a two week dry spell, but the temperatures were reasonable and way too low to burn out triv. That was here in the Lehigh Valley. Your temperatures were lower.

The brownness (if that's a word) of the grass worries me a bit. Diseases aren't something I'm good at diagnosing, but that sure doesn't look like anything I'm familiar with. Bestlawn says not, and he's a lot better at this than I am. I'd follow his advice.

Alternately, just kill anything that's there using the Baking Soda formula (4 teaspoons per gallon of water, water pretty liberally). That shouldn't hurt the grass but will kill any fungi there. A day or two later, use Roundup on those spots (and a bit wider to kill any stolons) to kill out the plants (or dig them out if you prefer more organic methodology). Let it sit until fall and reseed those spots then. Yeah, it's ugly. I gots me 400 square feet of a bucket o'ugly at the moment.

If it's fungal or triv, that will take care of it. Other diseases...eh, not so much.

UGH! Thank you for all the advice. Yes, I am located in the Pittsburgh area. Why are things so complicated. I have gotten numerous replies and I am not sure what to do. Is there an extension office in the Pittsburgh area? I haven't checked the site that bestlawn sent me yet. I guess round-up might be my only choice on the 2 real bad spots and pulling out on the not-so-bad-yet spots.

thank you all.

To me, it doesn't look like a weed at all - just damaged grass - most likely an isolated fungus. Before you go the roundup route, you could try a quick rehab. Take a minute and rake up all the brown grass - and bag it. Then sprinkle some cornmeal over the areas and water well. Cornmeal is a mild fertilizer and natural fungicide.

If you don't see improvement in a week or 2, you can always roundup and reseed.

bill--but what about the grass growing in different directions and wanting to mat down?

where can i purchase cornmeal???

To me, most of the matted grass looks like fine fescue, but most of the grass looks immature. In thin areas, it has a tendency to lay down. That is probably what let the disease get a bit of a foothold. When it mats down, it holds moisture and prevents air circulation. That problem can be compounded by things like being right next to a fence or under a low tree - which also reduce air circulation.

You are only going to need a pound or so of cornmeal, so you can get it at the grocery store. It will be near the flour and sugar.

Trust bill. He knows of what he speaks.

thank you again..i am going the cornmeal route. i will keep you all posted.

Pittsburgh1328
Nothing complicated about growing grass. People make it complicated by getting advice from people who don't have a clue. They mean well but are too free with advice that isn't needed. Like I said water your lawn lightly after doing some rakeing then lay down fertilizer of your choice. Bill said he would use corn meal, I prefer Milorganite. I am betting you have neither a fungus or poa anna and trivialis. Eiher of them are very rare around here.
If I were you 1328 and needed some help I would listen to everyones suggestion and then ask for a picture of the persons lawn whose advice I wanted to follow. If that person had a nice lawn he/she would be happy to send you a picture of their lawn. Then you could make a better decision. Some people refuse to send pictures but let the advice flow. I have a little bit of what is worrying you in my lawn and last week did exactly what I suggested for you to do.Today I mowed the lawn and it is beautiful again. We live a few miles apart, is it possible you have the same thing in your lawn that I just remedied in mine.
Bestlawn, how fast you forget. I guess if you say it has never been individual opinion or a generaral consencus that you shouldn't fertilize, or seedin the spring, I must be lieing right? I got a lot of pictures , in fact I sent you one a couple years ago but never got one in return.
lawndivot12

Oh good grief. Who said anything about seeding???

I said no one here suggests not fertilizing in the spring. Yes, most, including myself, always suggest not fertilizing in summer. There is a difference. That is not what you accused.

I couldn't care less what you think or what you try to make this poster think. It is her lawn, not mine. And, if you'd like to check this thread, you will learn I no longer have a lawn. No secret at all. That has no bearing on the fact that I maintained a beautiful one with the benefit of everything I learned. And pictures? I never took any - not of my lawn or of myself. I don't take pictures despite intending to. Sooooo, my mother didn't get a pic. Nothing makes you special.

Pittsburgh, try this article on lawn diseases.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lawn diseases

shouldn't be seeded in the spring or fertilized in the summer.

I have no disagreement with this. Just sayin'.

But (there's always a but)...I tend not to follow this advice myself. It works for me. Your mileage may differ.

If I do seed in spring (lightly), it's in late February or early March to give it a chance to develop roots before summer. I wouldn't dream of seeding after St. Patrick's Day, so if there's heavy snow cover then it sits and waits for fall.

I do feed (organically and lightly) once a month in summer, with three to six pounds of Milorganite or soybean meal per thousand square feet (depending on the weather). If we get a good period in there, the grass has the resources to restore itself without struggling.

If not, that June-August feeding cycle of 9 to 18 lbs/K square foot takes effect in August once the rain resumes. Then I nail it hard September-November for winter.

Overkill? Abso-freaking-lutely. The lawn and gardens are my primary hobby; I love spending time out there working away. And I do post plenty of photos. Except for the occasional issue...no comment...I think it looks pretty good.

I'd never recommend that to anybody else (if they're as into it as I am, they're already doing it anyway and wouldn't ask). When queried, I tell 'em to put down Milorganite in May, August, and October.

thank you everyone--i just found out today that my problem is creeping bentgrass--any suggestions on how to get rid of this ugly grass??

you have all been helpful (i think)--some of you are way to sensitive....

(i think)--some of you are way to sensitive....

This is our lawns, there IS no such thing as TOO SENSITIVE.

:-)

We argue mercilessly about chemicals, compost tea, organic methodology, timing, etc. Most of the argument is friendly.

Most of the time.