Can you help me rescue my yard?

Question

My grass is dying... in patches. It hasn't been watered too much, but it hasn't been overly dry here. I'll give it a really good water a couple of times a week... but it doesn't perk up after I water it. A neighbor of mine was told that his yard had some sort of fungus, and mine looks like a more advanced stage of his yard. Crabgrass is growing, even in the dead patches, so I know that it wasn't like someone came and sprayed Round Up or something on it. Do I have to throw in the towel and dig up the whole yard or can I save it?

Answer 1

The easiest answer is - COMPOST! It doesn't matter what the problem is right now, something is wrong in the soil that made the grass susceptible to bugs, diseases, whatever. If you don't fix that first, you'll end up continually fixing one problem after another. I've been on that roller coaster -- what a night mare!!!

I had to convert to organic gardening because I got back-sprayed by insecticide while spraying my roses, and became very ill. One month later I found out that I was pregnant and the doctor convinced me the chemicals had to go. I thought I was doomed -- I bred and sold roses and had thousands of dollars worth of plants and a huge yard. To make a long story short, by the 2nd year of no chemicals, my plants had NEVER looked better and been more productive - except my yard. I had paid Chemlawn to come spray their chemicals and take care of it. I was constantly being told to keep the kids and dogs off the yard because of weed killers and insecticides that had to be used. Once I saw what compost did for my other plants, I decided to try it on the lawn. I never would have believed it if someone had told me it could make that much of a difference, especially because I only had to put it down once a year(some articles tell you twice, but I had great results with only once a year). It was almost immediate too -- very green, and it got dense not just tall. It stayed greener into the winter, survived the first ice storm/snow fall in Houston that I'd ever seen in my life time, only to bounce back and green up several weeks earlier than any of my neighbors yards! People had always stopped and asked about my exotic plants and roses, but now they were stopping to ask me how I got that beautiful dark green lawn!

Sounds like your yard is unhealthy, and bugs and diseases are drawn to weak plants like a bear to honey. Healthy lawns are very resistant to many problems, even over and under watering and especially to weeds. The best way to a healthy lawn is with good quality compost (if it's less than $4/bag, it's not good compost, the exception being the compost that some responsible cities and towns now make available to their residents at reduced prices). You don't have to worry about "numbers" as with fertilizer, you can't get too much, it won't burn, it doesn't stink, it won't make you sick or contaminate the water, etc. To learn about compost and how/why it works, read the articles at this site - http://www.natureswayresources.com/resource/infosheets.html. If you're skeptical, then just do a small section with compost so you can see for yourself. Try it on some of the worst places and see what happens. I'll bet that it will have your neighbor asking you what you did to get that beautiful yard!

My first load cost me a fortune, but it was the best invesment I ever made. I soon learned to make it myself, and now use earthworms to make compost too (that is really good stuff!), and best of all -- now I make almost all the compost I need (now I live on 4 acres, have a 1/2 acre front yard and over 200 potted plants - I use A LOT of compost) and it's FREE!

Answer 2

We bought an older house, and the in-ground sprinkler system was shot, so as a result it turned into a hayfield pretty much (but there are patches of green).

I'm watering every day now, three times a day, for short bursts of about 6 minutes each, and the grass is starting to spring back!

Maybe water it 3-4 times a week to get better results. I've heard it's best to water in the morning or evening, but do it so that the extra water will evaporate quickly, as water sitting on the grass can contribute to disease.

Answer 3

You didn't specify what type of grass you have. I have St.Augustine, and it has two insect enemies and one fungus enemy. Brown patch is the fungus, and is usually not a problem unless it has been very wet for an extended period.

The insects that like St. Augusting are grub worms and chinch bugs. Grubs are usually a problem in the spring, and chinch bugs are the main enemy in late summer. Both are very aggressive and can wipe out your lawn in just a couple of weeks.

The good news is, they are easy to kill. You can buy powdered types of lawn chemicals, or solution type.

I find my insecticide of choice is Dursban, sold by Spectracide. It comes in a concentrate that you can add to a garden sprayer that connects to the end of your hose.

This Dursban comes in various concentrations, but I usually put about a 20 percent solution or higher into my garden sprayer, because the the water that comes from the hose, will dulute it further.

Apply it to the entire lawn and repeat a couple of days later. Try not to apply it if it looks like you're going to get a lot of rain. It will wash away.

Remember, get after the bugs quickly. They eat fast.

Answer 4

Our yard had a fungus, it looked like a round place where dead leaves gathered, then the grass would die out. We used a chemical on it and it helped. Good Luck!

Answer 5

I gave up and taking estimates on the new yard. Your sprinklers may not cover your yard uniformly (one of my problems). You may have some grass problem if the grass blades look rusty. In this case cutting the grass very short and spraying with fungicide helps. There could be other issues: pests, like grubs, can be munching on the grass roots; may be lack of fertilizer; aeration sometimes helps as well.

Answer 6

It sounds like you might have lawn pests. Often, parasites live in the soil and will kill your grass. One way to test is to pour a soapy water solution on a portion of the affected area. If pests are present, the solution will cause them to surface. If they are, you can treat with appropriate chemicals.

Answer 7

Take some of the affected grass to your local Home Depot. Their garden center should have at least one certified Nursery Specialist. They will be able to tell you what needs to be done. Without looking at the damage, it is not possible to diagnose and recommend..