Thanks to all of you for the input. I'm loving getting all these opinions and helpful info. Okay, I wouldn't say "greasy" but more matted together. It has now had 2 relapses which coincide with the weather (hot/humid)....and now the cotton stuff seems rampant in the a.m. Also the activity seems to be in the denser areas of grass (it was seeded VERY tightly). I did a huge 2 hour research of this site and learned a lot! THANKS!!!! I think cornmeal will be great in general, but I'm worried about the 2-3 week startup time before the beneficial T. fungi develop. Does anyone know if baking soda (the 3 oz/gallon) works immediately? I'd be willing to that route--I even bought a sprayer today. Perhaps then I could use the cornmeal---say 2-3 weeks post-baking soda? Also should I apply the baking soda in the early hours or in the evening? How long before application should it be mixed? So guys...HELP ME...what should I do? Go the chemical fungicidal route (which my heart is telling me NO because of my KIDS and also that it is not even 100% effective) OR I could wait it out with the cornmeal (all the while watching these cotton balls on my yard) OR I could try the bs route...which hopefully isn't bs!! What would you do if it were your lawn that you had slaved-over and nurtured from seedling to grass plant for the last 6 weeks??? And would baking soda hurt such a young grass? And would 3 oz be approx 3/4 cup per 1 gallon water?? THANKS in advance! You all are great. I wouldn't be as obsessed about this if I hadn't invested so much emotional energy in growing this grass---not to mention the monetary investment too....Sigh.... Kelly

Once you are happy that the lawn has been saved from the fungus, I would suggest reinvigorating the soil with a very light dusting of compost. There are tens of thousands of beneficial fungus species needed in the soil. When you apply the fungal suppressants mentioned above, especially repeatedly, you can deplete the populations of the beneficials. However you can quickly restore any damaged species with compost. You don't need much. I would suggest 1/2 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet. Put that down about 3 weeks after your last app of the fungicide. At the same time you could feed those microbes with organic fertilizer like alfalfa pellets at a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. That should bring you back to a good starting point in the fall. By the way, no argument for sodding in the summer - maybe not ideal, but it is better than seeding. Once the roots knit into the underlying soil, you'll want to back off on watering frequency until you get to once a week. Then you'll be watering for as long as it takes to get enough water for the rest of the week. For some people that is 20 minutes, for others it is hours and hours. It depends on your sprinkler system or hoses/sprinklers. Make the transition gradually to give the roots time to grow in and take advantage of the deeper watering. Then after the temps cool down, you can back off further on frequency toward a minimum of once a month.

>>The fertilizer I used was 18-0-18 so do you think 10 pounds for 4000 sq ft was the correct amount? 10 pounds per 4K is 2.5 pounds per thousand. That's 0.45 pounds of nitrogen (and potassium, but that doesn't matter so much). It's on the low side. 5.5 pounds per thousand square feet, or 20-22 pounds on 4K, would be the amount to target 1 pound of nitrogen per thousand. For a feeding in the lull period, though, 0.45 pounds of N is fine. The grass isn't particularly demanding in mid to late October. When you winterize, plan to target 5 to 6 pounds per thousand square feet, though. That feeding goes directly into carbohydrate storage after processing. One thing. Potassium's pretty harmless, but there's no need to pay for it or use it if your potassium levels are good. If you're not sure, or if your soil test shows a good K level, purchase nitrogen fertilizers that have numbers like 29-0-5. They tend to be cheaper per pound and don't add things your soil doesn't require. However, even potassium overapplication isn't much of an issue until it gets extreme. A pound or two of potassium per thousand square feet per year isn't extreme. >>I'm going to try the soybean meal and cornmeal next Spring - what does it specifically do and what am I replacing by using it? (The cornmeal is good to help prevent fungus right?) Each organic has its advantages and disadvantages! Corn meal or cracked corn (I like cracked as it flows more easily, but my local grain mill's idea of corn meal is powder-fine) are a poor feeding of the lawn at 1.65-0.65-0.40, but help with fungal resistance for the season. Corn can be applied in fantastically high amounts as a soil conditioner without doing damage and without generating nearly as much stink as other things will (due to the low nitrogen levels). Corn was my go-to when I was adding organic material to the lawn. At the time, it was very cheap, and I regularly dropped 60 pounds per thousand. Soy is a fantastic feed at 7-2-1, but at the amounts used it's not as good a soil conditioner (it works as well, by weight, as corn, but you use a lot less weight). Application of 15 pounds per thousand square feet four times yearly will feed your lawn completely with no other feedings (except winterization, which is special) required. Soy has no other specific advantages, but since it's the heaviest hitter in terms of protein (which means nitrogen), it tends to be the primary feed used by organics people. Soy will replace the feedings you're currently doing if applied in early to mid May, August first, September first, and October first. Your late summer and fall dates may back up a little bit from mine as your climate is a bit colder. Southerners use cottonseed meal instead of soybean meal. Same difference. Alfalfa might be nice once per year in mid September at 10 pounds per thousand. If you wish. It contains growth hormones that will encourage the root density of the lawn to increase. Don't overdo alfalfa as too much in the way of growth hormones actually stops growth. Milorganite is a nice fill-in if your lawn's color is paler than you like. It has good nitrogen levels, some phosphorus, and at 4%, a ton of iron (iron is a minor element and not used in large amounts). Constant use can raise iron levels in the soil and even out the color so it's always the darkest green it can be for the season, weather, and watering levels. Most other things that you can get, like oat hulls, rice hulls, brewer's grains, and so on are comparable to corn in terms of nitrogen and good as soil conditioners if you can get them cheap. Used coffee grounds. These are comparable to corn, although they're exceptionally attractive to worms. Their advantage is that most Starbucks' and many other coffee shops save their spent, pressed grounds for people who want to use them in composting or soil conditioning. Call around and you can sometimes get loads of these for free. Compost is great, and a wonderful soil conditioner, but essentially does nothing to feed the lawn. Worms like it, and it also puts back bacterial and fungal species that have been wiped out by chemical use or flooding. It's not on my recommended list due to the weight, cost, and the fact that you can do all of this with other stuff--but there's an exception to that rule, which doesn't apply here.

I have used the Scott's Starter Fertilizer that comes as a hose attachment bottle and it works very well. I covered the new seed with burlap and was amazed at how quickly it came up. The instructions say to use it after the seed sprouts, but I found using it right after seeding works well. Getting back to the problem, I have a fungus problem every year!!! I treat in late May and when the grass gets stressed by July sun and heat, I get small and large areas that are affected. I then have to wait until September and hope loosening the soil and seeding takes before the colder weather hits. I have been putting up with this for a good 40 years and REALLY need some help.