My question is this: Should I attempt to rake up the thatch, or should I let nature take its course?

I'm not all that knowledgeable on St. Aug, but I'd say no. Don't disturb the new growth just yet.

Technically, that's not thatch, it's dead grass. It'll rot off all by itself, eventually. Once the grass re-establishes there, if you want to rake a bit then I'd say go for it. Just not while it's trying to come back and be a nice lawn for you.

I agree with morpheuspa, you don't have thatch and don't rake.

S.A. produces thatch under high fertilization and irrigation, but 2 months is not enough time for Thatch to build up.

Put a light layer of compost on those areas once the leaf blades start to fill more.

Have you fertilized your new sod yet?

Will the areas of a S.A. lawn that look dead come back or should they be filled in with stolons? My lawn is only 4 months old and spots have started to thin out. Several neighbors have several spots that are completely brown. I'm lucky so far but don't know how long my luck will last.

Will the areas of a S.A. lawn that look dead come back or should they be filled in with stolons?

Eventually they will fill in. You could put compost on the areas to help speed things up.

My lawn is only 4 months old and spots have started to thin out.

Are these areas in shade?

Skoot_cat,

As far as fertilizer goes... I brought in about two inches of compost when I tilled and leveled the yard prior to laying the sod. I also put down Scotts starter fertilizer per the instructions on the bag.

Since then, I've decided to try the organic approach since I have a dog, a 2 year-old, and a 5 year-old. This past weekend, I spread soybean meal at the rate of 20# per thousand square feet.

I had already considered putting a light layer of compost on the dead spots. I was just concerned between that, and the layer of dead grass, the new growth beneath might become smothered.

Thanks for everyone's replies. I'll keep you posted and post pics if I ever get around to taking some.

(And morpheus, how is the new front yard going? I was really enjoying your post along the lines of, "Now the Nervousness Begins," but it seemed to have died. I haven't had a chance to browse around and see if you had any updates on the progress.)

I wouldn't ever try to dethatch a St Aug lawn. It fills in with little runners right at the surface. A mechanical dethatcher would tear the heck out of them. You will probably want to rake up some of the dead blades eventually (just for appearance) but you can just use a standard leaf rake for that. In the meantime, I would leave it alone. The dead grass is holding in moisture better than bare ground, which should encourage it to fill in better.

Wait until the grass blades have grown some in the dead areas before applying compost. You don't want to smother it.

Since then, I've decided to try the organic approach

Congratulations! It sounds like you are off to a good start with your (Organic) lawn. The 2" layer of compost is the best thing you could have done.

You will be very happy with the results. I've been maintaining my S.A. for 3 years with excellent results. It takes time, be patient. FYI there is an Organic Lawn Care Forum on this site with a lot of knowledgeable people. If you haven't already, read the Organic Lawn Care FAQ. (link below)

Also, what are your mowing/watering practices?

Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Lawn Care FAQ

I love the organic forum. Reading through months of postings is what convinced me to give the organic approach a try.

My watering and mowing schedules are pretty much indicative of what I've learned here. I mow twice a week which takes the grass from about 5 1/2 down to 4 inches. I leave the clippings, which is probably the best advice I've taken so far. My back yard has had nothing done to it this year, yet it is the fullest and greenest I have ever seen it, with tons of new growth. And it seems to retain moisture a lot better this year.

I water one inch as needed. Typically that's every 7 - 10 days, but this week has been in the low to mid 100s, so I've watered twice as the yard has begun to wilt.

So, I think I'm doing everything by the book, and the lawn appears to support that. Thanks to everyone for all of the advice!

Here are some pics - assuming I've figured out how to use Photobucket.com. You can see a few spots of the dead grass that prompted this post. Also, in the last day or two, I've noticed quite a bit of darkening. From the SBM?

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I have several areas where up to approximately 40% has died.

Can you tell me where? I cant see it from the pics.

Yeah, my neighbors across the street say the same thing when they're standing in their yard.

You can see a couple spots right at the bottom of the first picture. There's a big one right in the middle at the bottom, and another right along the driveway in front of my wife's feet.

In the second picture, the little bits of brown you see scattered throughout is all dead grass. But as I said, all of the dead spots now have new growth coming through, so it's not nearly as noticable as it was a week ago.

All in all it's really coming around - especially since the weather down here has dried out some.

At the very least you may want to put down some cracked corn or some type of corn meal just to prevent some fungal disease from all of the wet weather that you have been having. approx 10 lbs per 1000 ft.

The areas around the driveway and side walk are always tough areas. The sun heats the concrete and in turn drys the soil faster than the rest of the yard. I have the same problems.

Put compost along the driveway and sidewalk areas at least yearly.

In the second picture, the little bits of brown you see scattered throughout is all dead grass.

Your grass is just transitioning/thinning. It was grown in full sun at the Sod Farm and now transplanted in a shady area. S.A. does not grow as thick/dense in shade as it does in full sun. This is perfectly normal, don't' worry it will be fine, just slightly thinner than full sun areas.