Ooops.... with only a week to go, the only thing that would give you green grass is installing new sod. If you don't literally mean "1 week" then you could plant some rye grass. It only take 4-5 days to germinate, but it will take at least another week or so more before it looks like actual grass.

For most of the areas, you can still see some green peaking through - at least that is the way it looks in the pictures. It very well may rebound on its own eventually if you just keep it well watered. That probably doesn't fit with your timeline, but it does mean you wouldn't be completely screwing the next owners by spot seeding rye.

"you wouldn't be completely screwing the next owners by spot seeding rye."

what is the downfall of seeding rye? is it a short lived grass? I'd ideally like to get our house on the market by next Monday, but seeing where I am in terms of packing, I'm not sure that's gonna happen. Crazy thing is, is that my DH has always prided himself on how great our lawn has looked - of all times for his maintainance to go awry! :$

Well, there is annual rye and perennial rye. The stuff they sell in most of the "Quick Grass" or similar bags is annual. It will live for a year at most. If your permanent grass mostly recovers in the next month or so, that wouldn't be a bad thing. If all those patches really are dead, the new owner will probably be on this board a year from now talking about mysteriously dying grass.

"but it does mean you wouldn't be completely screwing the next owners by spot seeding rye"
Yes you would.

When I hear people complain of a dry spell, it kinda tells me they don't want to water the lawn, but watering is your only hope. I'm not really clear if you're saying he used two different kinds of herbicide or not, but I don't know of a selective herbicide (chickweed/clover cocktail) that kills cool season type turfgrass, nor does 2 4-d. If you are saying he mixed two different kinds, then perhaps they were not compatible and did kill the grass. If he didn't mix two different kinds, perhaps he applied too much, which yellowed the grass but it's not dead. The yellowing in this case is only temporary.

Another thing I'm not sure I understand is the sense of urgency I am picking up from you. Perhaps you haven't heard, but houses aren't selling so well or so quickly these days here in Michigan. Based on the current market, it will be 9-15 months, depending on the area. So, I don't know what putting the house on the market has to do with you packing. But then, maybe they're selling like hotcakes in your area that I don't know about. At any rate, I can't help thinking the grass has plenty time to recover. I wouldn't risk a splotchy lawn because I'm feeling desperate. It won't look any better than it does now.

bestlawn-
are you saying that planting rye is NOT a good idea?

We are packing up most of our stuff to put into storage so that when we show the house it will look as empty as possible. We are going to be building, which is why we have a storage unit. I realize that the housing market is not great here in MI but our house is located in a great area and we are pricing it extremely competitive so we do not anticipate it taking 9 mos to sell. Curb appeal is important and having a blotchy lawn certainly doesn't increase the chances of selling a house.

My DH used both 2 4-d and the Ortho Weed-b-Gone for chickweed and clover. He thinks he mixed the ortho stuff too strong. I wish our grass was just yellowing. I watered the snot out of the lawn 2 days ago when I first noticed it and it only made the healthy grass greener and the dead spots look worse. The grass is definately dead in those areas. We are also not ones to NOT water our lawn - we have a water bill to prove it! :)

I still cannot believe how bad the lawn looks and all b/c of the pesty little clover my DH wanted to get rid of :(
I told him that after this little catastrophe I'm ready to go organic when it comes to lawn care!

Yep, I'm saying it's not a good idea. At least not planting rye in the dead spots. If you're going to do it, overseed the whole lawn with the rye so it all blends in better. The rye very likely will be a different color from your existing grass and a different texture, too. Doing just the spots will look like a maze disaster. And doing the whole lawn, I'd make it annual rye only with none of the perennial type mixed in. This will ensure no rye returns next year and the wonder that is your bluegrass lawn will have filled itself in, leaving no clue of hubby's booboo.

Okay, I'm glad to know you irrigate and I won't ask to see the water bill LOL. So, our dry spell is of no consequence. Just treat the grass as if nothing happened and continue to mow high, at least 3 inches, and water deeply, only 1 inch per week, only once a week. When temps rise above 90° and no rain in sight, give it a sprinkle to cool it off. If we experience a heat wave and our dry spell continues, divide that one inch in half and water half an inch twice a week. This will keep it from going dormant and keep the upper shoots growing so it can fill in these dead spots. As soon as you can, apply 1/4 inch layer of peat moss. My personal preference is Canadian Peat. It will also help it to fill in, as peat moss is good growing medium. My bet is you'll see results in two weeks, and the lawn will have restored itself in about a month.

I realize that doesn't fit into your time frame, but I think it's best. The reason is trying to grow new grass (rye) this time of year. Summer is against you where that's concerned because you have to water too frequently to keep the seeds and new seedlings moist or they aren't going to germinate and grow. However, that much watering makes it very easy for disease to colonize in this heat. And you think you have problems now.........?

I meant to ask when was the last time you fertilized? If it was less than a month ago, please disregard my question. If it was a month or more ago, apply Milorganite now, but Milorganite only. No other fertilizer. Or apply Milorganite at one month's time from the last fertilization. So, if you fertilized 3 weeks ago, do it about a week from now.

bestlawn-
thank you so much for your response! Huge help!

In terms of the peat moss -how would you apply it and would you apply it over the whole lawn since we'll be overseeding the entire front/side yard (back yard is a bit too overwhelming)?

We fertilized either at the end of April or first of May. Would I be able to get that Milorganite from TSC or our local Farm Bureau Co-op?

A month is totally doable, not ideal, but tolerable. At least there's hope for it to look tolerable by the end of summer!

thanks again for all your help!

errrr
I'm afraid I confused you. My second paragraph was a different plan from the first. In the second, I hoped to talk you out of overseeding and explained why in the third paragraph. I'm awfully sorry not to have been more obvious with that. So, if a month is doable, please don't overseed, and I think that is best. If it isn't doable (read the third paragraph again), then overseed and you'll have a decent stand of grass in less than three weeks. Confirm for us if your final decision is to overseed so we can offer mowing instructions and watering program to get the seeds germinating and the new grass growing.

Peat moss isn't easy to apply in that it won't go through a spreader. You'll have to do it by hand, so that can be hubby's punishment LOL. Maybe he can recruit a couple friends or neighbor kids if you have a large area to cover. It tends to be rather clumpy, so I rub a handful at a time between my hands and let if fall as I walk across the grass. And yes, you can apply only to the brown spots if you want. If you decide to overseed, my suggestion is to apply all over since you're seeding all over.

Milorganite is processed in Wisconsin and is commonly sold in Michigan. Anywhere you find fertilizer, you can also find Milorganite ordinarily. I'm thinking in terms of Home Depot, Lowes, local garden centers, and Kmart & Walmart that have garden centers. They all sell it, but I really don't know about the co-ops since wide product selection is not their objective. I currently have a Costco membership and have had Sam's Club in the past, but I never even thought to look over either of their selection of fertilizers. Milorganite runs $9 for a 40 pound bag at the big box stores. It would be worth looking at the places you named since they'd likely sell it a little cheaper.

I meant to add (I do this a lot LOL) hardware stores also sell Milorganite. And, Milorganite is an organic fertilizer. Great start to begin a new way of thinking and turf management.

update: We decided to reseed the dead areas. We are using a "Sunny place" mix that has some rye in it but also some other hardier grasses. The perpetual watering program has begun (I can only imagine what our next water bill is going to look like!)
We also purchased some milorganite that we'll probably put over the entire yard in the next day or two.
I asked my DH when we moved to a farm with the amount of straw we have covering our lawn right now! lol
I'll have to repost a couple of pics in a couple of weeks - hopefully with some success story!
thanks for all of the help!

Planting cool saeson grass in summer? Good luck!

wait guys, I'm a bit confused, maybe I skipped a post. Peat moss on lawn? What does peat moss do to grass?

I use peat moss mixed with topsoil when planting.

ok, here is what we put on the lawn:

Sunny Place by Earth Carpet (I believe this a seed formulated from MSU)

Stress Tolerance

Withstands heat and drought
Extremely winterhardy
Disease resistant
Withstands low to medium traffic
Germinates in 14-21 days
Forms a thick, healthy turf in one season

Seeding Rate

4-5 lbs/1000 ft 2
175-220 lbs/acre

40% Kentucky Bluegrass (3 Improved Varieties)
40% Fine Fescues (Elite Creeping and Chewings)
20% Turf-Type Perennial Ryegrass (2 Elite Varieties)

Hopefully you all won't tell me this was a bad choice -but if it was, what is, is, it's already been spread. :( It's what the guy told me to use at the Farm Bureau Co-Op here. He told me to put down annual rye only if we were going to be moving at least a state away so that the next owners would have more difficulty hunting us down next year when no grass returned :)

I have no doubt they will, but nothing will make me understand anyone else responding to this thread.

He told me to put down annual rye only if we were going to be moving at least a state away so that the next owners would have more difficulty hunting us down next year when no grass returned

BWAHAHAH! I love that! I wish our folks had that kind of sense of humor!