Perhaps the most effective and fastest way to deal with fungal disease, including pythium, is a fungicide called Heritage G. It's granular, so no messy liquids, and lasts 3-4 weeks between applications. You can find it online, Lesco also carries it. It isn't cheap, about one hundred bucks for 30 lbs, but it's rate is 4 lbs./1000 square feet, so if you have a small yard it will last you 2-3 months. Home Depot carries two turf antifungals, but they are marginal at best. If you don't want to go the chemical route then just cut out the area of disease to prevent spread, unfortunately the fungus is in the soil, so it can affect your seedlings at any time.

Well, no one seems to be recommending a kind of fescue for brown patch resistance so I did some reading. I also got the VA Tech recommendations on grass seed. In picking some varieties that are both brown patch resistant (according to NTEP) and good for VA planting (VA Tech list), I came up with this mixture, which I've ordered through superseedstore, which had varieties I was looking for and allowed me to select the mixture: 30% Justice, 20% Magellan, 20% Tarheel II, 20% Rebel IV, 10% Nuglade (KBG). I still have questions on the order in which to do things. Should I do the lime now, a month ahead of planting? Would it be better to aerate before or after liming? Is it too early to aerate if I'm not going to plant until Sept. 15? When should I put the cornmeal on? I have some patches of brown grass that are a yard in diameter, and I'll be raking the dead grass out. Is it okay to do that now or will it let more weeds grow in August? I've been handpicking the weeds that have popped up in the dead spots.

Well I have a few more questions - I think I do need to relax a litlte but I was trying to get the whole history there! Anyways - hard to tel from the overall picture - but right now we have a TON of weeds on the hilly areas that took a lot longer to fill in. I tried pulling some by hand but didn't make much progress - there are literally probably in a give 3x3 area probably 5-6 crabgrass growing. I know they are annual and will die but should I be trying to pull out at least the biggest offenders? A few more very specific questions: 1. How often should I be watering? Right now I have 14 zones, i am running each zone for 30 minutes. I run zones 1-7 on one day and zones 8-14 on the opposite days. IS this too often? Shoudl I only be watering every 3rd day? 2. In the backyard, my grass is barely growing at all. We had a very heavy rainstorm a few weeks ago and I think all the nutrients were washed from the soil. I literally have no growth at all back there. Should I put some fertilizer down; or is that too risky in July? 3. When should i overseed the lawn? IS it OK to try and patch areas now that are completely bare? I had been scraping the surface, putting down the seed, and then putting peat moss on top previously. 4. After the sprinkler system install I have really nice "lines" going across the lawn where they dug the trenches. The earth is elevated at these parts. How do I flatten out my lawn again? Does this just take time; or should I try rolling it? (keep in mind lawn is only 10 weeks old) Thanks -

Even though chinch bugs go after stressed lawns during drought, many times too much nitrogen will compromise the immune system of the turf and invite them to a feast. This time of year is not the time to apply nitrogen fertilizer, even organics such as Milorganite; too much N will aggravate the situation as to bugs and fungus, especially Brown Patch. Also, Flea beetles are mistaken for chinch bugs but are solid black and shinny and are appear to jump around (they are harmless to the grass). Chinch bugs adults are dull black with white markings that cross on their backs. With all the water that's going on, the roots are probably rotting off due to disease and lack of oxygen from the soil being so compacted. Once the soil is allowed to dry for several days, go with 2 days per week as someone suggested but be alert to shut off the sprinklers when an adequate rain of at least 1/2 inch occurs. There is a ban on nitrogen and phosphate-containing fertilizers in the summer months anyway. If you dyi, try applying a chelated trace element spray. My best advice is to hire a well-recommended licensed lawn professional to inspect the lawn and make the proper treatment.