Fungus or Heat Stress

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
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nursericky
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Fungus or Heat Stress

Post by nursericky » September 3rd, 2020, 11:03 am

Image

In the Spring I had my yard regraded and new KGB sod put down. Along the house the sod died so I pulled it out and added a little garden. The grass hasnt been doing well in certain areas and has become patchy. Is this from fungus? Heat stress? Poor watering? How can I bring this back to life?! Thanks!

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MorpheusPA
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Re: Fungus or Heat Stress

Post by MorpheusPA » September 3rd, 2020, 12:42 pm

From the tightest closeup, I still don't see any fungus, but I do see the characteristic patterns of dormancy, and very dry grass (for new sod, I hate to say it, but it is possible that it's dead). The pattern does continue away from that generally dormant area and I see spotty dry bits well out into the lawn, but those are undoubtedly going to recover on their own. Watering would help, but it won't take much and (as I mention below), I see rain in your forecast.

Also, really cute dog.

Sod can be a bit touchy its first summer, particularly against a house if, as it looks like, the sun reflects right onto it. It gets extra heat and more than 100% full sun.

First, water that deeply. Put down an empty tuna can (several are better to make sure all of them in the area get a full inch of water) and water until the tuna can(s) is/are full. Short-edged glasses are OK if you don't have a tuna can.

We do that because it takes far longer to get an inch of water than people think it does, and to restore dormant grass takes a lot of water and damp conditions.

I'm going to make a recommendation for the blasted area only here that would break standard watering, so don't think this is usual, but it's only for one to two weeks--keep it moist. Not wet, soaked, squishy, or puddled. Just moist at the surface. If you push a finger into the surface, you should feel something like a damp sponge. Your finger shouldn't come back soaking wet, except just after a watering.

When it gets a little dry, water it again. Figure that's going to be every other day to every third day, for a week, if your weather is rather warm. So 2 to 3 waterings. If it rains, you're golden and don't have to bother--your forecast says light rain on Sunday, and Tuesday to Thursday, so you should be OK for the most part.

Cooler temperatures do help, and your temps are falling into range where dormant grasses will come back.

If the grasses aren't restoring in two weeks, check back with us. You may need to re-sod in those areas--but you still have time to do that this year (fall sod is just fine, it can be done pretty much right up until first frost).

General care--the rest of that grass really wants to be fed, I can see a lot of color variance and a bit of nitrogen shortage from the tones (that's my first guess, anyway). Feed that with any good fertilizer, as per bag directions, if you didn't do it recently. Skip the dormant area and save that fertilizer for later. If it recovers, you can feed it then--right now, it would simply be a waste.

Normal fertilization dates are Memorial Day, Labor Day, October first, and--if you can and if the grass is just about to stop growing--November 1. I'm not sure about that last one in Chicago.

mdxers
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Re: Fungus or Heat Stress

Post by mdxers » September 3rd, 2020, 2:07 pm

Good Luck. I feel your pain. This was a bad summer for us too. We haven't had rain for months and have had some triple digit weeks. The Fescue lawns look good but not out KBG lawns.

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MorpheusPA
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Re: Fungus or Heat Stress

Post by MorpheusPA » September 3rd, 2020, 2:20 pm

Agreed. I sound very Debbie Downer there, but it's not like any of us had a great year if we weren't irrigating. A lot.

Here's my well-established, perfectly-treated, but not irrigated Kentucky blugrass lawn at the end of July. It's dormant, stressed, or at the edge of dormancy. Don't feel singled out, we all had problems.
Image

northeastlawn
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Re: Fungus or Heat Stress

Post by northeastlawn » September 3rd, 2020, 5:12 pm

MorpheusPA: Just curious to compare my experience from last year, how long does that take to get back to normal?

Will that get back to normal by the fall, or does it take until next spring before the KBG is back to growing well and spreading?


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MorpheusPA
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Re: Fungus or Heat Stress

Post by MorpheusPA » September 3rd, 2020, 5:48 pm

Except for about 75 square feet (out of 10,000), it's back to normal now. The bit by the driveway that gets completely blasted will be back by October. That bit in the photo that's right at the bottom of the image is now spotty, but mostly back already.

This image is from August 22, before even more rain and cooler temps. At some point here I'll retake the photo; the traditional date is around Labor Day anyway.
Image

nursericky
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Re: Fungus or Heat Stress

Post by nursericky » September 12th, 2020, 10:54 am

With the cooler weather and rain lately, grass is coming back slowly. Small pieces are coming up in the bare spots. I may have to reseed a bit in the spring. Any other suggestions? Aeration and dethatching in the spring? I did put Melorganite on the front yard... will wait a week or 2 then do the back... I dont want my dogs on it eventhough it says pet safe. Thanks again!

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MorpheusPA
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Re: Fungus or Heat Stress

Post by MorpheusPA » September 12th, 2020, 3:34 pm

Milo's completely fine for pets, and mine tend to nibble at it a bit. I do try to discourage this. I even use the stuff indoors on my potted plants--I currently have massive fungal growth on my corn plant where the Milo is decaying, about three feet behind me as I type this. This sounds disgusting but is fine and and is simply a part of life. It causes no issues. Except that the corn plant is starting to grow rather quickly in one last burst before fall.

I wouldn't bother to aerate or dethatch, it's unlikely the grass requires either, and don't reseed in spring. It's doomed to failure. Feed well on Memorial Day and wait for August 15th to reseed, after another summer. At that point, new seed has all of fall to establish itself, as well as the next spring to strengthen those new roots for the upcoming summer.

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