Did you feed it in late spring and again on Labor Day or so? KBG is really nibbly grass.

Not that there couldn't be a problem, but this is a place to start. Let us know; if not, no problem, there's still plenty of time--but if I do the fertilization plan, I'd probably fold a few feedings in faster than strictly recommended!

thanks for the response. late spring they put down some starter fertilizer I believe. nothing since then.

should I still be using starter fetilizer?

Without a soil test, I'd go to a high nitrogen fertilizer instead. Something like 29-0-3 (just an example) where the first number is much higher than anything else.

Since you haven't fed in fall, feed as soon as you can at bag rate. In three weeks, do it again if it's been raining reasonably regularly.

If the grass has just stopped growing three weeks after that, feed one last time. If it's already going into dormancy, skip it.

Next year, feed on Memorial Day, Labor Day, October 1st, and when growth stops (if it's later than October 20th or so). Skip the last feeding if growth stops earlier than that.

If by the end of this season it still looks very bad, a soil test is in order.

will do. thanks!

So it turns out Scott's lawn service has been putting down a liquid fertilizer which is 17-0-4. Attached is a pic of that my grass looks like. I'm thinking the soil test might be my next move.

Somebody suggested that the tree in the backyard might be sucking so much water from the soil that I need to water more than normal. But we've had a lot of rain and neither it nor my watering has seemed to improve things

>>So it turns out Scott's lawn service has been putting down a liquid fertilizer which is 17-0-4.

So they claim. So they claim. If you're sensing I doubt very much that they ever put enough fertilizer down, you're right.

Is the shade always very deep there? You can't grow grass without an absolute minimum of 4 hours of sun per day, 6 is better, 8 is optimal.

No this was late in the afternoon. But there is a good bit of shade in the yard. However the grass in shadier spots don't seem much worse than the sunnier areas.

I Plan on overseeding with a shade friendlier seed blend.

So you think Scott's is scrimping on the fertilizer? Is it just the condition of the lawn that leads you to say this or is it a common occurrence.?

This post was edited by chris_chicago on Wed, Sep 17, 14 at 22:34

No comment, let's just put it that way. :-)

Red fescue (it's green, not red) performs well in shade, as well as many other grasses. KBG isn't great unless the area is full sun, and even there it tends to perform better in all day sun with only, potentially, a break between 11 and 2 or so at the most.

I'd feed at half rate right now and see what the response is.

will do. I appreciate it