Returning brown spot in front yard

[starpartyguy]

I live in central Pa. and have a TTTF lawn that is doing very well. I have owned the house since 11/2017 and found the lawn a mess of clover, wild violets, and bare spots. In the summer of 2019, grubs destroyed 1/2 of my lawn, front, back, etc. I have a topic on the recovery efforts.

But the area pictured just keeps turning brown. I used Scott’s Grub control during 1st week of May, putting down 3 bags for 12k of lawn. I don’t think it’s grubs. Too early.

The area was part of a septic system/sand pile. But that was removed 15-20 years ago. People here tell me every lawn was dug up and replaced with connections to the sewers.

The ground seems heavy in clay that’s to dig. I tried using a soil loosened product that helped but it goes away after a while.

I plan on planting a baby blue spruce or some other evergreen tree. But that won’t cover the entire area.

One option I was considering is digging up all the brown area, mixing in some good compost, and reseeding.

Thoughts?

Tom Picciani

[JeffreyLebowski]

Could be crap dirt. Septic contractors sometimes bury the entire leach field right back in the same spot where they dug it out. It could be full of stones and other junk.

Did you try a soil test or fungicides?

[starpartyguy]

I do soil testing annually but across entire lawn. I’m leaning towards crap dirt too. Compost is pretty cheap around here and I can get it on 1 cu ft bags. Otherwise I have to get 2 cubic yards for a minimum delivery.

I think I can do the repairs in July. Getting 2nd cataract surgery in a week and I can’t lift for 2 weeks after surgery. But I think repair with organic matter is the best approach at this time.

[MorpheusPA]

Stick a long-handled screwdriver in there and see if you hit rock, concrete, or crap. Or at least a differing consistency than in other soil.

Given the shape and size, I also lean toward something in the soil.

Good luck with your surgery! Both my parents had it. Dad before it was cool. Mom more recently. Both sailed through with no problems. Dad could see in the UV afterward, Mom got the UV-blocking lenses and can't.