From the looks of the green stuff on the dirt, I'd say your stuff is WAY TOO WET. Damping off THRIVES in wet, cold conditions with no air flow. Move them somewhere they can get some arm, dry air, or put a fan on them. I've heard that you can make garlic tea and completely SOAK the affected plants and soil to kill the damping off fungus, but have never tried it. Abby

Thank you again everyone, based on how the lawn looks today, just one week after my panic photos, the problem was very likely nitrogen starvation, just like you all said. I tried to take some pics this morning before work, but the light was wrong and they don't really show the contrast I am seeing. I mowed later in the day (for the third time) and that helped accentuate the contrast, but then the light was wrong. Will try again tomorrow. But anyway, those yellow spots have mostly gone from yellow to at least light green, and the rest of the yard has exploded. I expect that those weak spots will be virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the lawn next Friday, or at the latest the following Friday. So thank you all again! And Philes, I still plan to try your test strip next week (two weeks after most recent fertilizer application) to see just how low I may still be in nitrogen. I really like that idea. Will report back on that when results manifest themselves (one way or another) and look forward to your recommendations then. Oh, and I had planned to let the soil really dry out like you suggested, but mother nature thwarted me - for the first time in months (except for one day of unremitting rain early on) I have had significant rain over the last few days. Sigh... Anyway, from now on I will only water when the grass shows signs of needing it, and then only enough to provide 1 inch of water, and then hold off until the next time the grass shows signs of needing more. So I don't expect to be watering more than a few times for the rest of the year. Thank you all again! Paul

I love wintersowing! Lol. I tried it this winter but with very old seed and got okay results. I can't wait until next year when I try with fresh seed. My parents aren't very rational sometimes. If they have their minds set on me not putting on a fan for seedlings, they're going to stick to their guns. If one reason they give for me not having a fan is made void, they'll come up with another, and another... Yes. It is pretty odd. But it's a whooooolllleee other issue that no one would want to get into here! As per my original post, I have tried chamomile tea, cinnamon, hydrogen peroxide and other home remedies but no luck. I have heard of No Damp but haven't tried it yet. It'll probably be the next product that I try. I really wish I could find something systemic though that won't cost an arm and a leg. I can't afford to pay what commercial growers pay for Banrot and the other things they order for damping off.

Hardening off the plants is really just to get them used to the immense change going from Fluorescent lights to the intense light of the Sun. If you take a plant raised inside and put it directly out in the sun, you can literally watch the leaves wilt. It might be a surprise seeing how short of a time it takes to completely ruin the plant. We're talking minutes, not hours. I spend about 10 days to acclimate them to the morning sun. I don't give them any direct sunlight until it's been 5-7 days. I always plan it so that I can watch them very carefully the first 5 days. I typically start on Wednesday. I want to be able to keep them outside when I'm home from work that weekend. I have not kept good records of my hardening off scheme. I just make sure to peek at them frequently to make sure they're ok. At the same time, I want to get them used to the life outside as fast as I can. This should be pretty close to my hardening off schedule: * day 1: 1 hour before sundown (in shadow) * day 2 : 2 hours before the sundown (in shadow) * day 3: 3 hours before sundown (in shadow) * day 4: Saturday: Getting more aggressive. Keeping them in the shadow during the day. Plants are outside most of the day. I make sure to watch them pretty carefully since the intensity of daylight even in shadow is many times more powerful than the indoor lights. * day 5: Sunday: Shadow most of the day, start introducing evening sun. Checking plants frequently. * day 6-7: Monday-tuesday: Taking them out in the sun after coming home from work. Outside in shadow when I'm at work. * day 8-9: increasing the exposure to day-light sun. * day 10: Plants are able to tolerate morning sun as well as daylight sun. Putting the plants where they'll life the rest of the summer. I am sure that there's going to be various opinions on what's best and how fast. But in the end, the only important factor is to ensure the plants safety so they don't experience months of setback, or in worst case dies. The more time you can spend with them during this time, the better. I am pretty sure that the ones with the most plants in this forum, will take a week off their regular work to ensure the hardening off is done right.