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1st-Year Marathon Sod Not So Happy

Ryan Farrell
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago

I had my yard landscaped late last Summer, in part of which we laid a small patch of Marathon sod. The grass looked healthy and green all through Fall, Winter & early Spring. But within the past 1-2 months the hotspots/dryspots have been increasing and seem to be spreading. We have had some excessive heat waves here in Southern California this summer, but I've made sure to keep the grass watered. The neighbor's yards are still fairly green, and don't appear to have any such hotspots/dryspots as we do.

Speaking of which; water restrictions are in effect here, so I have the sprinklers come-on at 6am & 6pm - three days a week (Tue, Thu & Sat). I checked the sprinkler sprayers and these hotspots seem to be getting only a tiny bit less water since the spray shoots over, but I regularly hit those spots with the hose daily to ensure they're also well soaked.

I also tried using some amends to shade these hotspots, didn't seem to do much.

Any ideas? This is my first time paying for laid sod and I've not been too impressed. Not even a year old yet and already drying-out and dying?



Comments (33)

  • TS Garp
    7 years ago

    My guess is people with more experience than me will jump in and say you are watering way too much. Your schedule sounds like what you would do to freshly laid sod. You could take some up close pics and maybe someone can tell you have a fungus issue (from too much watering).

    I would start watering (once in the morning only) only when the grass shows sign of drought, not every two days. Then water deep (google tuna can one inch water test).

    Others will say to do a soil test. You can get one interpreted here but a cheaper method is to go to a local university agricultural extension office. They might even look at a sod sample for you.

    What type of grass does your neighbor have and what are their watering habits?

    If you are allowed to water daily in the fall, then you can always overseed later this year, but you'll have to make sure you manage the fungus issue if it exists.

    I'm no expert so I'll shut up when they chime in. Lol


    Ryan Farrell thanked TS Garp
  • reeljake
    7 years ago

    Fescue is southern California. Wrong grass

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  • hawksster .
    7 years ago

    Yep, trying to keep that grass alive is causing you to water at night, which puts you at risk for diseases, thus killing the grass. It looks like the grass around the gravel path is possibly diseased. Better pictures will help someone smarter than I tell you for sure. If you could provide a city/zip code, in addition to info suggested by TS, that will also help provide more precise input.


  • Ryan Farrell
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    TS Garp - I'll try the tuna can method, and try toning-down the watering schedule - only water in the mornings, 3 times per week. Attached is a close-up photo.


    reeljake - What? Thanks so much for your extremely unhelpful comment. This is Fescue grass. This is Southerern California. What is wrong?

    hawksster - I'm open to suggestions for "better pictures"

  • j4c11
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Take a close up picture of where the dead/brown area meets the green. Capture part of the brown and part of the green. The blades should be clearly visible like this:

  • Ryan Farrell
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Better?


  • Ryan Farrell
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    A few more:






  • danielj_2009
    7 years ago

    That first of 3 close ups is excellent. Low contrast because there is no direct sunlight. This site shows curled leaves like yours and says it is brown patch. I don't know myself as I'm no expert. Seems like these fungi are sometimes hard to nail down. If it has been hot and you are watering a lot then you may well have brown patch. Also, it looks like this started at the border with the stone path, which is going to be extremely hot in the summer sun.

    http://www.centralsodil.com/lawn-problems-brown-patches/

    Ryan Farrell thanked danielj_2009
  • j4c11
    7 years ago

    That's some odd looking fescue.

  • hawksster .
    7 years ago

    reeljake - What? Thanks so much for your extremely unhelpful comment. This is Fescue grass. This is Southerern California. What is wrong?


    RJ is saying that many people in CA (self included) have been fully sold on Fescue grass. Fescue is a great grass for cooler areas. If it gets over 85 degrees fescue takes a dump really quick if it's not well established, well fed, and well watered. Even in ideal conditions a sustained hot spell in the 90's combined with dry conditions will stress the hell out of fescue. If you are a fescue dealer this is great for you, but not the customers. It's a fairly well established conspiracy imho.

    Ryan Farrell thanked hawksster .
  • Ryan Farrell
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    danielj_2009(6b) - Thanks for the input. It appear your link is bad though. I changed the schedule today to only water in the mornings, 3 days a week.

    j4c11 -It's Marathon I Sod. So if that means fescue or not, you'd know better than I. And I attached a pic of what it originally looked like last year when we started noticing changes in the color/brown spots.

    hawksster .(9b, Lathrop) - Thank you for the clarification. I always prefer to use my words, rather than leave people scratching their heads with meaningless, ambiguous statements.

    This is good to know about Fescue - our landscaper mentioned nothing of the sort - of course. But we'll share the knowledge with other friends/family that have discussed getting this type of grass out here.

  • danielj_2009
    7 years ago

    Ryan: the link works for me. Maybe try cutting and pasting it?

  • j4c11
    7 years ago

    Getting back to the problem at hand, if you're watering twice a day 3 times a week and then watering manually daily just to make sure it's good and soaked, then the most likely culprit is fungal disease. Hard to say now since it's dead. Does your neighbor have the same type of grass? If so, sounds like the fescue can make it just fine with proper care.

    That thick metal strip separating the gravel from the lawn also concerns me, I know my lawn dries out along cement areas first but that metal may be driving heat deeper into the ground exacerbating the problem. I don't know if some sort of insulator material between it and the soil would help. You could use a meat thermometer stuck about half way into the ground to take the temp mid-day and see if there's any significant temperature difference next to the metal vs in the middle of the lawn.

  • reeljake
    7 years ago

    I sincerely apologize for my unhelpful comment & I'm shocked at how much confusion 'is' & 'in' have caused. Hawksster said it much better than I did. Marathon fescue is about the worst possible grass to plant in a hot sunny climate like southern California. This frustrates us who try to help people with their lawns because there's not much we can say or do to help

  • Ryan Farrell
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    danielj_9 - Got it. Worked this time - maybe user error on the 1st go. ;)

    j4c11 - Only watering 3 times per week now - not sure about the neighbor's grass. I doubt they have Marathon/Fescue. I wondered the same about the strip, although it's just plastic landscape edging, not metal. But the gravel path & surrounding areas definitely heat-up a bit.

    reeljake - No worries whatsoever! I've just come across some surprisingly snarky & rude people here, that seem to be waiting for those that are "asking the wrong questions", so they can 'scold' them accordingly.

    I completely get it now about the fescue. But in the present, what's done is done. So I'm inquiring as to better inform myself about my options....you know, moving forward.

  • reeljake
    7 years ago

    If it was my lawn, I would be searching for a source of Bermuda or St. Augustine sod so you don't have to replace it every year. Otherwise you'll be stuck in this cycle of dead fescue. You can dump all the fertilizer, water & compost you can find, but it won't solve the problem. You could try to overseed the fescue with Bermuda, but it will take a while to look good

  • hawksster .
    7 years ago

    Reeljake is the Bermuda whisperer.

    It pains me to say, but I agree with assessment. If you have shade (car shadow, shadow from house, etc) St Augustine may be the better alternative. Bermuda loves direct sun and heat. The shade tolerant bermuda (Celebration) still needs buttloads of sun compared to St. Augustine. Watering is the same for both of them. dchall is the go to guy for St. Augustine input if you have questions.


    DO NOT overseed with bermuda, it will take forever to fully fill in. Plop down some sod and be done with it, if you choose to go that route.


  • dchall_san_antonio
    7 years ago

    Oh, so you live in SoCal. That must mean you live at Big Bear Lake, because that's about the only place Marathon would work. If you live between the altitude of 50 feet and 7,000 feet, then you have the wrong grass. I've lived across the LA area from the beach to the low desert and still have relatives in Riverside and Hemet. Marathon is everywhere, as you well know. It works west of the 5 and 405, but east of those roads, it doesn't. I'm about half convinced that the reason California is in a drought in the first place is all the Marathon planted there. It used to be just irresponsible for landscapers to use that grass, but now it might be verging on criminal.

    Your most recent picture shows the grass dying adjacent to the rocks. Just to rule out bugs try this: put a piece of paper on the dead part of the grass. Then wipe your hand across the grass away from the paper. If you have chinch bugs they will flick onto the paper. Chinch bugs love warm soil and will get a start next to the curb, street, or rocks.

    Really need to know where you live in SoCal to suggest the best type of grass. If you live in Bakersfield I would suggest one thing. If you live in La Jolla I would have another suggestion. In fact if you live in West Covina or Pomona I would have different suggestions even though they are close to each other but separated by an important hill. The alternatives are St Augustine, bermuda, or a variety of buffalo or other prairie grass. It depends on how much shade you have an how much maintenance you want to do every week/month.

    The best garden pictures are taken on a cloudy day or in the shade. That's what someone was explaining about the low contrast pic you posted way above.

    Ryan Farrell thanked dchall_san_antonio
  • Ryan Farrell
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    dchall_san_antonio - Thanks for the great info. We're located in Rancho Cucamonga, West of the 15, along the 210. The last picture I posted was from last year when the grass was much greener, but we noticed the brown patches beginning (the earlier posted pictures are recent). We completely redid the front yard last year with drought-tolerant landscaping, got rid of an entire yard of dead grass and dirt. We opted to add this small little patch of green grass/sod to the design, so the little-ones still had somewhere to roll around/sit on. Ironically sounds like the grass they pushed-on us was far from 'droughtscape' friendly.

    We haven't had a cloudy day around here in a while, and there's little-to-no shade in this little lawn area. I'll do my best to get another shot for you. Will also do the bug test. Thanks again dchall!

  • Ryan Farrell
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Landscapers replied -

    "Yes, Marathon sod does not do well in excessive heat. St. Augustine and Bermuda grass tend to be more drought friendly. I highly recommend fertilizing lawn every 3 months, it will definitely help with excessive heat. Please look for Marathon fertilizer at your local landscape supply store."



    Any thoughts on fertilization?

  • j4c11
    7 years ago

    Someone - can't remember who - once told me you can grow fescue in the California desert no problem.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    7 years ago

    You can grow Marathon in the desert if you mist it lightly every day to keep it cool and deep water weekly to keep the roots moist. I've seen it in Indio, but that's a crazy way for a home owner to deal with a hobby.

  • reeljake
    7 years ago

    Misting & deep watering would get you locked up in the pokey & beaten with a rubber hose by some eco conscious convict... That wouldn't be necessary with the right grass. And no pictures of tree hugging convicts J4C11!

  • j4c11
    7 years ago

  • Ryan Farrell
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Anyone have any comments about the 'fertilize heavily' advise?

  • danielj_2009
    7 years ago

    Ryan, I don't know your plans, or if this is the full extent of your lawn, but it seems to me that with such a tiny patch of grass why not just kill it off and redo with the proper type of grass? I'm assuming that dchall is going to recommend something different.

  • hawksster .
    7 years ago

    If you dump a bunch of fertilizer on a possibly diseased, heat/drought stressed lawn in the middle of Summer it may not do so well.

    I recently replaced a fescue lawn. St. Augustine & Bermuda were suggested. After weeks of attempts I could not source St. Augustine or bermuda sod. I ended up seeding bermuda (never do this if sod is available). This change has helped me regain my sanity. Bermuda is the right grass for our weather. It's 90 - 105 since I started & this grass don't care. It's been 6 wks now & I water 0.25" every 4 days - far less than the recommended 1" per week, and that's with crazy sun & heat. My grass is moist to the touch, never experienced anything like this with the fescue. The bermuda, I fertilize heavy every 2 weeks, it's a different grass and obviously loves the abuse.

    I just don't find myself worrying about my lawn like I did previously. The correct grass for the environment improved my QOL. My bermuda takes time to fertilize and mow to maintain a low profile, but it's still less than the time/mental energy I had with the fescue.

  • houses14
    7 years ago

    Hawksster,

    No bermuda sod is available where I am at. What kind of bermuda that you seeded and where did you purchase from?

    Thanks in advance!

  • hawksster .
    7 years ago

    There are probably a dozen sod farm/suppliers near between LA and San Diego. Most of them carry bermuda sod, some carry St Augustine. St. Augustine has lower maintenance than bermuda and will not invade EVERYTHING like the bermuda. Bermuda will "walk" across your gravel/driveway/sidewalk & invade all of you other landscaped areas (and your neighbor's). Bermuda needs to be kept in check but it has great recovery from damage from pets, kids, etc.

    I got Yukon Bermuda from Hancock in Florida. If you have the patience and 2 years of free time, then go ahead and seed. Otherwise sod is the way to go.

    Since you have access, you should really look into St Augustine. It was my 1st choice when alternatives to fescue were suggested to me. dchall is going to be your best source of info for all grass types, including St. Augustine and the other alternatives he suggested. I can provide you with tons of info on what not to do in establishing your bermuda lawn and reeljake can provide info on multiple bermuda sod varieties.

  • houses14
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Between princess 77 and Yukon Bermuda, which one has finer blades?

    I like the fine blade grass.

    I have 1.5 acres of land, could not afford sod.

    Thanks

  • hawksster .
    7 years ago

    @ Ryan, sorry for my previous response, I thought it was yours but it was houses14.


    @ houses14 could you start your own thread please so we don't continue to take this one on a tangent? There are few bermuda folks here that will provide input.



  • reeljake
    7 years ago

    New thread would be good. P-77 would just be cost prohibitive for that much area, but it's the top of the line for seed