There is good info in all these messages, but I can see where it might be getting confusing. Don't know if this will help but I'll give it another shot. If you do not have a brick making plant within 2 miles of your place, then please do a jar test. Voice of experience again here. When people do the jar test, more often than not they come away understanding they do not have clay but something else. We happen to have a brick making facility about 50 miles from us, but that clay is an outcropping. There is no clay around here for hundreds of miles - except that one spot. We have soils around that act like clay because they have too much magnesium (Epsom salt) in them. Jerry Baker was a really nice guy, but if everyone did what he suggested, half the people would have dead grass and half the people would be happy. I believe you are verging on the half with dead grass. His potions and sprays work better on shrubs, in my opinion, than on lawns. Lawns are very heavy nitrogen feeders. His system does not focus on that. It turns out lawns feed best when the soil chemistry and the soil biology are at their best. Soil chemistry can only be improved after a good soil test which shows you the amounts of P and K (N is always deficient), pH, and the levels of the micronutrient chemicals in the soil. The micros will tell you why your soil acts like clay. It could be you need Epsom salts, but Jerry Baker could not possibly know whether you do or not. If you already have too much magnesium, then Epsom salt will drag your soil into a much worse condition. And too much magnesium mimics a hard clay soil. The micronutrients from the test will also tell you what needs to be improved in YOUR soil. You can usually find those micronutrients on eBay or at the grocery store. Believe it or not the beer, ammonia, soap and sugar is the best thing you've done so far. Do that again and you won't have to aerate. You have two different kinds of grasses in your lawn. You have the fescues, which grow in clumps, and you have something that is a spreading type of grass. Kentucky bluegrass is one that spreads as is creeping bentgrass. Many people mix fescue and KBG because they both take similar care. Bentgrass, on the other hand, takes different care so it is usually considered a weed in a fescue lawn. I am thinking bentgrass might be what is causing your issues. Why? Because KBG would be up tall by now. Bentgrass grows low. Your best bet in determining your grasses is to take samples to a local nursery familiar with the different types. This would NOT be Home Depot, Lowe's, or Wal-Mart. Look for a nursery that has been in business for 30 years or so. The fact that the dog pee spots are doing much better is a very strong indicator (a dead giveaway) that your soil is weak on nitrogen. It could be you fertilized before your roots were ready to take up the nitrogen in the spring and it has since washed away with rainfall and all the irrigation you're using. I'm going to suggest you continue to thank and admire Jerry Baker for bringing you closer to your garden, but for lawns, I'm going to give you the wisdom of my years and years on this forum. Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an hour in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds. Mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. Bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses are the most dense when mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. Dense grass shades out weeds and uses less water when tall. Dense grass feeds the deep roots you're developing in 1 above. Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 4 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above. When I came to GardenWeb I was not on board with these three key elements of lawn care. I learned them here and share them with people who are not likely to hang out here for 10 years. I like organic fertilizer for a couple reasons. First is it really works. For unknown reasons my lawn stopped responding to chemical fertilizers after several years. Organics worked right away. Second reason I like them is I can fertilize with organics all summer long without fear of burning the grass. It just gets better. Third reason is it is very hard to make a mistake with organics. Using too little is about the only mistake. Using too much is only better for the lawn. Fourth reason is my garage no longer smells like chemicals. Fifth, it is probably much better for my dog than chemicals. Proof of that seems to be growing but I'm not expert enough to give a good argument. If you are interested in learning about the modern approach to organic fertilizer, go to the Organic Gardening forum and find the FAQ. The Organic Lawn Care FAQ is at the bottom. It was compiled from questions asked/answered here and on other forums.

Garret, the mix you speak of using is not appropiate for your tree if it is the one that I think it is that holds water far too long and break down only after a few weeks.. I have used it and killed a many plants with it, especially citrus. Just a heads up. I would use a mix that contains very few fine particles and that is very porous. Even one part of that mix to 2- 5 parts of perlite would be better. You know your area more than any of us and you would be able to judge whether your mix is drying out in a timely manner and whether or not that same mix is allowing the roots to breathe by good gas exchange every time you water. One that allows you to water more frequently without fear of root rot and salt deposit build up which is likely the demise of your tree. The root rot caused from too much moisture for too long and the salt deposits that is. A mix that will not compact and suffocate your roots causing you to have to start all over again and possibly loose another tree. Right now, your tree is VERY weak. You take your chance in using a wick in the hopes of that your mix will drain better and dry out more rapidly. OR, you can always risk repotting it, sort of a 911 thing and hope it perks up right away and that it does not shock your tree after what it's going through. I mean a full bareroot into a much better mix. You live down south like that? You have the advantage of much nicer weather and warmer days than me. Your sun also works much harder than mine. Why would you need supplemental lighting? Your sunny days in that tent, which I assume is very bright should be sufficient enough. Mike:-) This post was edited by meyermike_1micha on Wed, Jan 16, 13 at 15:49

Jeannie, check around the base of the plant. Look at the stems where they enter the soil and look for minute damage. Maybe shine a flashlight down under the plant at the base of the stems for a good close look. Sometimes chewing insects will feed right at the soil line, often at night and we don't notice them or the damage until the plant begins to react. If something has chewed around the base of the stem, the stem can't take up moisture, quickly wilts and dies. The brown stem looks like it also has a bit of powdery mildew or some type of fungus growth. This might be because the stem was under stress already and weakened, allowing this to quickly take hold or it may have taken hold after the stem died. This is just a guess but for a stem to die this quickly, while other parts of the plant look healthy, this is what I'd look for. If you can't see anything unusual, try sprinkling a bit of white flour on the soil around the plant right next to the stems and see if that allows you to spot anything suspicious the next morning. :-) Good luck. Mary

In sandy and calcareous soils, foliar applied fertilizers are 4 to 20 times more effective when compared with soil applied fertilizers. (Lingle & Holmberg, 1956.) https://citrusagents.ifas.ufl.edu/archived_presentations/fall_prg2010/Citrus%20Agents%20Web%20Site%20-%20Nutritional.pdf Citrus foliar fertilization has been an industry standard practice in citrus groves for over 50 years. https://crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/trade_journals/2014/2014_April_citriculture.pdf Where soil PH is too high or too low, resulting in 'lock up' of nutrients (frequently micronutrients) in the soil, foliar application of those nutrients will ensure rapid response in the trees and prevent growth from being restricted. Effect of irrigation water acidification and soil pH on citrus nutrient availability https://citrusresearch.ifas.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/7.-Morgan-Expo-2019.pdf Four winds growers sells over 50 varieties of citrus nationwide. Here is what they say about misting, "In winter months, heated rooms may need additional humidity. Placing the pot on pebbles in a saucer will elevate the tree above the drainage area, and improve airflow and humidity for citrus. Misting citrus foliage with a simple spray bottle is another way to help citrus cope with insufficient indoor humidity in winter." If you have new leaves and new shoots it is really beneficial to mist those. Because of the VPD they loose moisture much faster than mature leaves. Flowers are also very susceptible to losing moisture and misting can help them set fruit.