You are right about the root system of your Maples competing with your lawn for water and nutrients. I have a very healthy Fescu blend growing under and around sugar maples. First, put a mulch ring around your maples. It could be a circle, oval, kidney or any shape you desire. It should be at least one half the diameter of the drip line. Secondly, add organic material by mulch mow all your Autumn leaves into your lawn without smothering it. Pile chopped leaves up 6 inches thick in the mulch ring. Plant some shade loving plants there. Lilies of the valley work good. Fertilize and water inside the mulch ring well. Water your lawn evenly, deeply, but no more than once a week considering rainfall. Fertilize your lawn evenly but not excessively. Most of the lawn fertilizer should go on in the Fall. If you have access to compost then top dress once a year in the summer. Consider using organic fertilizers. Bill Hill

Hi John, thanks for responding. I did think initially that it was something to do with the hot weather, but I am still leaning towards the leaf spot / melting out. In one of the areas it started a month or so ago before the hot weather really kicked in. I did see some information about the possible alleopathic affects of PRG on other grasses, but I'm not really sure how that would impact the fine fescue that I have already or any new seed I might overseed with. It seems like a lot of store bought mixes include PRG along with KBG or fescues. If PRG was that bad I don't know why they would include it in the mixes. Then again I know store bought stuff is not always the best. Does anyone else have any thoughts on what would blend well into predominately fine fescue lawn?

We inherited a few patches of fine fescue on our property that grow in shade under the north side canopies of large crape myrtles on an otherwise full sun lawn. It is an interesting ground cover and we recently made a few transplants to have it growing in some other areas under trees. Our impressions: Pros: - moderately spreading so it is less likely to develop bare spots like tall fescue, will fill in removed patches - will tolerate moderate foot traffic Cons: - will not spread into full sun and grow well there (can be considered a pro due to limited invasiveness but will be a problem for a larger mixed shade/sun area) - will not grow well in frequently flooded soil - not likely to achieve the appearance of a formal lawn even if mowed

Ah, New Jersey soils. Gotta love them. Or not... Exchange Capacity 5-ish: Sandy, which is pretty typical for NJ. Raise your organic matter levels if you can to slowly and slightly lift this, and increase water retention in your soil. pH 5.0: Very low, borderline what I just call "awful." We'll fix this under calcium, magnesium, and (a little) potassium below. Organic Matter 3.1%: In the Fair range, and not a problem, but given your low EC I'd raise this. Always mulch mow, mow all your fall leaves, steal neighbors' leaves, and so on. Toss your morning coffee grounds on the lawn. Whatever source you can find that's very cheap or free is great. Sulfur 14: Normal. Phosphorus 536 (354 adjusted for sample depth): High, but not at all extreme--the target would be 200 for the adjusted. This won't be a problem, but don't use starter fertilizer or other high phosphorus fertilizers. You don't have to avoid all P sources, though, and minor ones are certainly not a problem. Calcium 33%: Very low, which is setting off your low pH of 5.0. My target here, for a low EC soil, would be around 70%. We use Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime to adjust this as other limes contain elements I don't want to add (at least not in this way), or work too slowly. Recommendations below. Magnesium 9.9%: Normally, I'd call this close enough and move on, but with your lower pH I wouldn't mind boosting it a little bit (your very low EC also influences this decision and moves the optimal band closer to 12-13%). I am not at all concerned that this will tighten your soil, it's sand already. We use Epsom salt from your grocery or local drug store to fix this, and the store brand is fine. Scented or unscented, it doesn't matter. Recommendations below. Potassium 2.8%: On paper, it looks OK because there's no calcium in the soil to kick the potassium. This will drop--fast--when you lime, and the soil shows a significant shortage. We use potassium sulfate to fix this, which you can get from landscape or garden stores, or they'll order it for you. It's also available online. Minor Elements: Boron 0.26: While not the most important element, I'll always work to move your lawn into the most optimal range on everything. Me? I'd fix this. We use Milorganite as a carrier and 20 Mule Team Borax as the boron source. You can purchase 20 Mules at the grocery store in the laundry section. In a wheelbarrow or the like, dump the Milo. Spraying very, very lightly with water (I use a spray bottle like the kind people use to damp their clothes when they iron) will help the boron stick. Add the recommended amount of 20 Mule Team Borax and stir, spraying occasionally to get the stuff to stick to the Milo. Then apply over the recommended area. So if going for bag rate Milorganite (1 bag per 2,500 square feet), you'd add 10 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax. Recommendations: October 1: Feed the lawn normally with a high nitrogen fertilizer. October 15: Apply 9 pounds per thousand square feet of Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime. November 1: Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet of Epsom salt. Recommendations, 2017: April 1: Apply 3 pounds per thousand square feet of potassium sulfate. April 15: Apply 9 pounds per thousand square feet of Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime. May 1: Apply 4 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite carrier. September 1: Apply 3 pounds per thousand square feet of potassium sulfate.