Thanks, for the replys guys. I'm talking TTTF, full sun, water heavy once a week (if needed), and soil with some clay in a fenced in back yard. In the last 3 years, I've overseeded/reseeded heavy with Southern Gold, Southern Belle, Rebel III mix, Rebel IV mix, Exeda, Scotts Pure Premium, and Lesco Transition. I core aerate 2-3 times a year. I fertilize 3 times in the fall and once in the spring and have moved to mostly organic stuff, as I focus more now on feeding the soil rather than feeding the grass. I don't bag, and I mow high (3-5 inches -- I like it tall) depending on how the grass is doing, time of year, etc. I've been adding bags of composted manure and humus here and there in the low spots for the last year. This year when I started seeing signs of fusarium blight popping up, I put down some of the Scotts Fungus Control, and it stopped it in its tracks. I've had to do that twice. I'm being vigilant, because conditions here are right for another flare up. I've also got some Eagle 20EW but haven't used it yet. I hate putting these kinds of things down, because I think they kill beneficial bacteria and fungi that help the organic fert do its job. But, I'd rather go chemical than end up with dirt and dead grass instead of a lawn. Most of my research indicates that what I'm fighting is a soil borne disease that is exasperated by soil agitation and hot/dry conditions. Me and my family not using the lawn isn't going to happen, so my current plan is to cover what I feel are the trouble spots with compost in the fall. With all that said, what I want to know is if there are any other people who have been through the same thing and gotten it under control, and if so, how (and, what grass seed seems to be the best for something like this)? The NTEP site is great, but I'm looking for practical implementation not theory. Thanks.

Nice to hear, I have another one now I just recently bought in Va when I went on vacation there. The only other S.Mag I've seen in my area is a rich peoples area, it's where the Drs, Lawyers and Indian chiefs live, someone there has 2 fairly large S.Mags there, and when I went to the compost/leaf dump center, someone had dumped some cuttings from S.mag trees. They are very rare here, but, I would imagine that those in the rich neighborhood may have seen them and possibly a few people have planted them, unless those prunings were from those 2 trees I saw. They may have planted them small, because they weren't conicle like many nursery grown large transplants are shaped USUALLY. For all I know maybe a nursery near us is planting them, but, one of the largest around doesn't have them, I already nosed around there. Anyway, rmencel, it's great to have something so Tropicalesque, in our zones that needs no protection.

Should be seedlings (seed-raised plants) available from native specialists in the region, such as one linked to above. These will vary in characteristics, with perhaps many in the batch not being as ornamental as named selections chosen for desirable attributes. If you want to have things like thick, deep brown fuzz beneath the leaves or extra large flowers (that appear sooner than 10-30 years after planting) look instead for liners (small specimens in band pots) grown from cuttings of a superior named form. These should also be available somewhere in the multi-state area, this is a very popular species of tree.

Does Detroit count as around Chicago? Similar climate, a little cooler in the summer, a little warmer in the winter, thanks to the moderating effect of all of the Lakes. Chicago has nothing to moderate the artic cold or summer heat when it pushes in the from the Plains, except perhaps right on the Lake Michigan shoreline. I have three of them, a Bracken's Brown Beauty, an Edith Bogue,and a Little Gem. They survive. They do not thrive in the sense that they will never be what they would be south of the Ohio River. They are stunted and probably won't ever get over about 8 to 9 feet tall, since that is the limit of my ability to protect them. They tend to get winter burn on the foliage even with the protection of a leaf shelter, and then partially defoliate with some tip dieback. They look ratty in early spring and I feel sorry for them. However, they have an amazing ability to regenerate quickly, put on a lot of new growth, have those wonderful glossy leaves with velvety brown backs, and best of all, put out the most wonderful, fragrant flowers from June through September, a couple at a time. They look fantastic from May through December. They are worth all of the trouble as far as I am concerned, just to have something so beautiful and special. Probably I fall into the category of a plant abuser with this, but I just love them.