Looks like Brown Patch or some other common disease. Too much humidity, excess moisture, warm overnight temps, and free Nitrogen contribute to this situation. A fungicide would be in order.

It can take a couple of years to get the lawn thick enough to squeeze out weeds. Keep fighting the good fight with those.

Just one other thought on the grass. When you checked for grubs, did the soil feel moist at all? Or was it dry? We had flooding here last year, but it still got dry enough during the summer that we had to water or everything would go dormant.

Since your lawn is young and doesn't look like it has much shade, it's just something to consider.

lamcon-I didn't take notice as the whether or not it felt moist, but we just had sprinkler on before I checked. One note, this house is on a double lot and the left side was never developed. It is so sandy that there is cactus growing over there. I wonder if this lawn needs to be watered every single day?? the previous owners had a company take care of the lawn but I remember my neighbor telling me that they watered all the time.

reelfanatic-I would agree except that it has been cool here, very rainy (not drizzle, heave downpours) and cool. This morning my husband left for work 5:30AM and it was 55 degrees! seasons are changing...
Would it hurt to apply a fungicide if there is no fungus?
thanks for your responses.

The only problem with applying a fungicide is that you could kill off some of the good stuff in the soil which will lead to other problems later. Corn meal is often an approach to dealing with fungus.

Our spring and summer have been very odd here too. Weird year all around. I'm sure all plants and grass are trying to figure out what to do with all the extremes.

dd70,
To answer your last question first, I doubt many here can help with the info provided. We will need more. The lawn looks like it does either from a disease or bad cultural practices. It appears to have been over fertilized to me, but it could also be a fungal disease as that is pretty prevalent in the mid atlantic this year. In either case, you will need to reseed this fall it appears.

Please let us know how much water you are applying. Have you actually measured using the tuna can method? Shallow watering could be the reason for the weed invasion. You should water generally 1" per week (includes rain) all at the same time and early morning is best. If you are watering 15 minutes daily when you get home from work then that is a wrong technique. Please let us know how much and when you are applying water.

When you reseeded in April, how much seed did you apply, of what type and how much fertilizer have you applied this Spring, and of what type? Did you get any germination?

What height are your mower settings and are you bagging or mulch mowing?

I don't know of any magic cure for your lawn at this point. These things take time, unless you want to resod it, but I think you said in your original post that was not doable. Here are some things you need to concentrate on this summer to prepare for a fall reseeding. Get a soil test done including % of organic material. Knowing your soil's Ph and what nutrients it needs will go a long way to growing healthy grass. You also need to do a soil structure test. If in fact your soil is sandy then adding organic material is the best way to get it to hold water better. How compacted is your soil? Can you take a standard 6" flat tip screwdriver and push it into the soil easily? If not you should probably plan to core aerate.

Are any other plants in your landscape showing signs of disease? Any black spots or wilting on shrubs or flowers? Do the trees appear healthy? Do you get a good breeze through your property? Air circulation can help or hinder a disease.

What can you do right now? Not a whole lot other than practice the basic cultural process (water 1" per week and mulch mow with a sharp blade at the highest setting). I'm guessing that most of your existing grass is fescue and once damaged it won't come back. You'll need to reseed. I wouldn't worry about the weeds for now, at least they are green. Get some tests done so you know what your soil needs and go from there.

If it has been raining almost every day and you're also watering, I'm going to guess that you've got some kind of fungus. You need to let the soil dry out to about 4 inches deep before watering so that the grass can develop good roots and so that you don't get lots of weeds germinating.

soccerdad-we core areated and then applied scotts fine fescue and applied scotts starter fertilizer around first week of April some of it germinated. There were still some bare spots so about 5-6 weeks later we filled in with more seed and more starter fertilizer. It wasn't looking so good and the weeds really sprouted so within the past 6 or so weeks my husband put down scotts plus 2, twice. I dont know how much seed was applied but the fertilizer was at recommended setting. We really didn't water the month of June, there was no need to, if any only to wet the grass to put down the weed and feed. Here is where I'm conflicted..we have such sandy soil everyone says it needs alot of water..is an inch a week enough? Most of my neighbors have very nice lawns and they water every day. I have never measured but i will do so tomorrow. My husband mulch mows at 3" and as of right now the few plants we do have are only a month or so old and doing great. we have 1 oak tree and it looks fine. I guess it was a little over-fertiled but we were trying to green it up. I guess we will just have to rake it out at the end of summer a put down better seed, get on a good watering and fertilizing schedule. I just hope it's not a disease.

d d , you are making a number of ascertians that I think are making you do things that will not prove of benefit.

First, you associate water as a saviour, something the grass needs and needs lots of. If a pint works well, then a quart will do better and a gallon will just be the cat's meow.
That's wrong....very wrong.

Grass is no more than a bunch of small plants that grow together and they need nourishment just like other plants....but when too much is too much.....it cant help.
One inch per week is recognized as the total volume needed for a lawn to live successfully.
Too much is as bad as too little; what happens is, the water doesn't stick around, the roots are deprived, they grow weak and short and the sun then has an easy time to bake the soil. Too little or too much...it works both ways.

Your lawn cries out for aeration....from your pictures there does seem to be a lot of thatch....dead material between the blades. When thatch builds, it deprives the soil of necessary oxygen and water.
Even tho you water it, and rains have been overflowing, unless the ground absorbs the moisture, it cant do any good.

Without explaining what aeration is comprised of....do read articles on 'why a lawn should be aerated".
There are many methods and tools employed to effect good aeration....so read about it.

Your lawn needs something to make the soil want to take in moisture and retain it.
You say your soil in your vicinity is mostly sand....and when you think about....how good does sand retain moisture.

So you have to do something to make your soil want to take in moisture and keep it....yet allow good drainage.

In that there is an easy and effective way to achieve this.
Organic matter.
Organic matter comes in many forms...and only by injecting something of this nature into the soil will it keep moisture.
Peat moss, newspaper, hay, straw, compost, topsoil, triple mix, loam, and yes....sand. Grass clippings---you don't have any I knwo, but clippings have a lot of nitrogen from fertilizer given, that should not be wasted. But, clippings have a lot of things wrong with it...and should be given to a compost pile first.

Sand used in gardens is not the beach kind...it is a coarser granular type...buy it at a quarry or soil dealer that specifies it is builder's sand.

This giving of compost though can be a budget killer---it is not cheap. Compost is material that is allowed to break down by microbial action....and should not be used unless in a completed form.

Since your lawn is in such bad shape, I suggest you think to do it over....rototil the ground and inject much organic material.
Much of the material can be inexpensive...peat moss, newspapers, old hay, old straw (straw and hay are grown and therefore have seeds and unless its at least a year...two years better--it can drop seeds and result in giving you a barnyard)

Put down at least 2"....but 6" is better of topsoil. Rototil it all in, rake level to ensure good drainage, then put down sod or seed. The organic material you add should be at least 20% of the volume mixed in. Do not, if it becomes available, add more than 20% compost to what is already there. More is too much.
When you buy seed, buy the best type you can afford...it will pay dividends. Poor seed will not grow in the best of soil---but good seed will grow in the worst of soil.

In your area of New Jersey a combo of 40% Kentucky Blue, 40% perennial ryegrass and 20% fescue makes a good tough grass for your area.

Its summertime now....the heat of which is not conducive to making good lawn---the heat can kill the seed and what sprinkling you do will dry out quickly.
So, keep what you have and shake your head, but think to do your lawn in the fall when cool temperatures return.
Grass grows much better at that time because there's less competition from other plants. Sprinkling water over it will not be lost to evaporation and if you follow good principles of grass making, you should have a pretty good starting lawn sometimes this fall.

Starting: Be sure to use a "starter" type fertilizer when you first lay your seed. It can help speed up and protect germination.

Next spring, put down 2" of compost (or topsoil) over the area and let your grass grow up and through it.
Repeat this every year, fall and spring, 2" layer over your lawn....at least for the next 4 - 5 - 6 years.
Making this a regular routine can help your lawn stand up to adversity better.

Generally, a fungus will show as a reddish or red-brown spots or sections on the stem with part of the stem green. You may in fact have that problem. But I think your bigger problem is the wrong type of grass and too much fertilizer. Fine fescue is best for shady areas. If that part of the yard is full sun you should consider a tall turf type fescue or kentucky bluegrass.

Planting grass in the Spring leads to the type of results you got. Patience is a virtue when trying to grow a plant. Too much food can make a plant sick and weak and susceptible to disease rather than the expectation that it will make it grow and be healthy. I suspect that the application of the herbicide in the scotts fertilizer did not help the new grass either. The better application is on established lawns. Anytime you aerate or otherwise bring new soil to the surface you can expect weeds. They've been laying dormant for years waiting for their time to sprout. Nurture the grass first then fight the weeds.

You may well have sandy soil at the coast that requires more frequent watering. Grasses generally only need 1" of water a week and generally the practice is all at one time. Your soil type and local climate can certainly overrule the generality. That is why it is important to know your soil structure especially at the root zone (4-6" deep). Any good local nursery can help you with a soil test or there should be a local extension agent for the county that can help. Search the soil forum for the structure test. It is pretty simple and the same samples can be used for both. The right grass type and the proper watering for your location will be a big step forward in a nice lawn.

Jeannie, you make laugh!

> "Put down at least 2"....but 6" is better of topsoil."
> "Next spring, put down 2" of compost (or topsoil)"

So you suggest this gal raise her lawn 8" above the sidewalks. That's nice.
----------------------------

I'm surprised that nobody is picking up on the clues from the OP.

"fine fescue"
"starter fertilizer around first week of April"
"5-6 weeks later [snip] more starter fertilizer" (that's mid May)
"my husband put down scotts plus 2, twice" (before the forth of July)
"My husband mulch mows at 3"

So since April, more than likely have 4Lbs of nitrogen applied ... on fine fescue ... which thrives on half.
It thrives on half of everything, that other grasses do.

With fine fescues you
a.) limit traffic to half the normal use (and it won't even like that much)
b.) fertilize half as much / half as often as other grass
c.) irrigate half as often as other grass
d.) mow fine fescue half as often as other grass - in fact, the taller the better with fine fescue.

Good catch, Gary. That's way too much nitrogen for fine fescue. I wouldn't use more than a pound of N per 1000 sq ft per year. I don't use any fertilizer on my fine fescue (except what the dog gives it).

By the sound of it we overfertilized and overwatered a lawn that was already in poor shape. We thought it would help and it just made it worse. Maybe we should call a few professionals to come take a look.

I went to seed superstore website and for a sunny lawn they recommend this: For a sunny lawn (4 hours or more of direct sunlight daily) in Zip Code 08724 we recommend:

SS1000 : This superior quality blend of five of the top tall fescue varieties in the most recent national trials is the finest tall fescue blend available anywhere. Contains equal parts Rebel IV, Inferno, Padre, Justice, and 2nd Millennium.

Well, when we seeded the entire front in 07' we used:
blue/rye/fescue mix, which seems to be the popular mix around here. When we overseeded this spring we used a fescue.

I think I give up for now and will call a professional in for an upclose look and a plan. The sticker is on the irrigation box of the company who took care of this yard for the previous owners, I'm sure they will have some insight. I imagine we will be raking it all out again come the fall. sigh...

Calling a pro now will not benefit you at all.
Seriously, that is only closing the barn door after the horse got out! You can spend your money wiser than that.

Stop messing and screwing with the lawn for now. Let nature do its thing. Let the lawn dry out and all that fertilizer go down!

1. Raise your mower to its tallest setting. Mow when the fines fescue is 5+ inches tall.

2. Sprinkle the lawn (not soak) when it needs water. The lawn will tell you when!
Look for signs of drought stress. The leafs will fold and look wilted. The leafs will turn a blueish/gray color.

3. Limit the traffic.

4. Once it recovers, then go to normal irrigation of a deep, infrequent soaking.

5. Take the Weed N Feed and throw it away!

6. Send Father in law and husband to a baseball game or something, when they start talking about lawns.

7. If daytime high temperature are to remain under 80 to 85 degrees for a few days, treat weeds with a herbicide (weed killer). Bayer All In One Weed Killer is a good choice. Spray after dinner time so you have the cool evenings on your side.

8. Take that name and phone number of that lawn company down and put yours up there. You'll be the resident lawn pro when you read this forum and follow the advice here.

And with a little luck from mother nature - all will work out fine and you can evaluate the outcome around Labor Day. Then you can decide if seed it needed.

Gary-LOL....I like your advice the best! And this is just what I'm going to do. Thanks.

Hello,

Reading this post with great interest...how did it turn out and who's advice did you take?

Thanks!!

Elle,

This thread has been dead for 4+ years. Hard to say what happened to the lawn originally. But all that fertilizer was the nail in the coffin. They needed to quit messing with it, get a soil test then go from there. The lawn in the pictures is a total loss. Its needs to be redone top to bottom. And with all that thatch, its obvious why a reseed would not hold even if they did everything else right.