That looks like a fungus from too much water.

 

Great...is it at all possible that this will repair if I let it dry out, or is a chemical absolutely necessary at this point? Thanks for your help here, g-man.

 

It is a young grass without competition. I would let it dry first, but keep an eye on it and be ready to apply chemicals if it gets worst.

 

What kind of grass do you have? It looks kind of like bermuda.

Would you mind updating your location with a city and state so we could possibly help you better knowing where you are geographically?

 

The original post says "4 weeks old fescue".

 

The original post says "4 weeks old fescue".

Thanks :thumbup: I don't know how I missed that :shock:

 

It is a young grass without competition. I would let it dry first, but keep an eye on it and be ready to apply chemicals if it gets worst.

Will do. There has been a lot of rain over the last three days, but the forecast is 70s and 80s with low humidity for the next several days. Between these favorable changes in weather conditions and a cessation of watering on my part, perhaps the little babies will pull through. I suppose it is about time that I encourage deeper root growth by changing to a biweekly watering schedule. Thanks again, g-man.

 

What kind of grass do you have? It looks kind of like bermuda.

If that is bermuda, then I'm done. Finito. Fin. Grande finale. I already have enough bermuda that I am trying to control. What a cruel irony for planted fescue to come up as bermuda.

Would you mind updating your location with a city and state so we could possibly help you better knowing where you are geographically?

Took care of that; thanks!

 

I already have enough bermuda that I am trying to control.

Could you explain this? You had Bermuda in this area? Bermuda is part of the ironborn in game of thrones: "What is dead may never die, but rises again harder and stronger".

 

On the eve of applying my first round of Ornamec, the comparison to the ironborn sharpens my sight of the enemy.

(sorry to mislead: No, I never had bermuda growing where the fescue is growing. What is shown in the pictures should be 100% fescue. I have bermuda happily and gluttonously proliferating in other parts of my lawn--and it is my sole mortal enemy. Death and death only.)

 

The grass perked back up once the rain stopped, though it never did completely green. However, we've just had intermittent, heavy rain for the last several days.


That happened in a matter of days.

Here is a close-up after a particularly hard rain today.




Sure looks like a fungus. Sure looks dead. At least I'm having better luck with a thermal blue test patch elsewhere.

 

Ok, get ready, this is going to be bad news.

I'm sorry to say this, but you don't look to have a lawn. It looks like a failed renovation. When I look at the first image you just posted, it has at least 3 different green plants growing. One of them might be a fescue. One of them is not a grass. And the 3rd one looks like a grassy weed or a warm season grass (I consider Bermuda a weed).

Could you post more pictures of your yard? I'm just trying to gauge how extensive the problem could be to recommend a course of action.

 

Maybe damping off. https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/diseases/damping-off/

 

Hey g-man,

I think your assessment of the lawn is correct. I knew that things were not going well, but hearing from someone with expertise confirms my impressions.

All of my pictures are of the lawn freshly mowed-when it looks best. I'll try to get some new pictures tomorrow to give you a better idea.
But yeah, it is a mess. I believe I have a mix of fescue, fine fescue, clumping (ky31) fescue, crabgrass, Bermuda, clover, banana plantain, and several other grassy weeds. Possibly nutsedge. In addition, I'm pretty sure that the fungus is a widespread problem throughout the lawn.
My plan was to get whatever I could out of my fescue reseed from several weeks ago. I am also trying to eradicate the current Bermuda invasion. I'll take weeds any day over Bermuda. No Bermuda.
In the coming week I had planned to give the lawn a dose of milorganite (its first dose) and put down a grubworm preventer.
In August I was planning to do something about the weeds - Tenacity might be the best choice, but I have also been looking at something simpler to use, but with wide coverage (perhaps a Bayer or Ortho product). If the fungus is still around in August, I might apply Heritage or Scott's fungus control (granular is just easier on 18k sqft). Then reseed and apply starter fertilize in early-to-mid September. I've been reading NTEP reports and forum material to narrow down cultivar choices.

The best thing to do is probably to nuke the whole lawn and start fresh in the fall…but I'm just not ready to do this.

I'll welcome any suggestions. Pictures soon.

 

Maybe damping off. https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/diseases/damping-off/

It very well could be. I haven't checked out the roots yet, but that would be a smart thing to do.

 

Side 1





Back









Side 2






(The discolored areas are dying Bermuda. Rejoice for the small victories)



Front

 

Ooh, did I mention areas of soil compaction? Sporadic moss growth? Probably forgot to mention likely alkaline soil-exact number not yet available.

 

Hmm. There are some pretty bad areas. A reno of those areas might be cheaper than trying to salvage.

I would skip the Milo. It doesn't look like it needs it. You should deal with the fungus now.

 

Spring planted fescue in the transition zone doesn't have much chance. Even well established fescue suffers with brown patch when it's hot and humid and fescue just does not like our hot summers. I suggest not trying to save it (with fungicides, etc.). The little roots will not make it in 95+ weather day after day. In August you could spot spray weeds with glyphosate and overseed toward the end of the month. Save the Tenacity for seeding and follow-up after seeding. You do not have to completely renovate if you don't want to. You could evaluate the situation later in July and decide what to do (renovate or overseed).

 

Thank you both for your suggestions. I knew that I was likely playing a losing game when I reseeded with fescue, but I was banking on a stretch of cooler weather. I did not anticipate the high humidity and that, when combined with overwatering, probably did the most damage. I should have probably elected weed control as the priority back in spring. Beginner's errors.

I've been trying to be mindful of selecting brown patch resistant varieties of TTTF for my reseed. Given that 1) TTTF is prone to fungal diseases and that 2) the humidity gets pretty real down in Tennessee, it does raise the question of why more people aren't trying KBG in Tennessee--not that elite KBG would solve everything. Some of the cultivars did well, however, in Knoxville during the NTEP trials. The quality rating of Midnight, for example, is comparable to some of the high-performing fescues (IF, IF, IF it is legitimate to compare the data this way). I have read, however, personal testimonies about how difficult it is to have success with KBG in places like NC, TN, and GA.

 

Also, I suppose that I was leaning in the direction of applying a fungicide sooner rather than later, as suggested by g-man--if not to salvage the grass, then to improve the health of the soil.

Is there a reason that I would NOT want to apply a fungicide now? For example, will applying a fungicide inhibit my lawn's ability to 'naturally fight off' infections in the future?

 

Yes! Fungicide will harm your mycorrhizae.

Have you read U of Tennessee's publications on turfgrass selection?

https://ag.tennessee.edu/turf/Pages/Turfgrass-Selection.aspx

 

An article on the mycorrhizae:
http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/Mycorrhizae.pdf

 

My recommendation on fungicide is based on your statement to save what you have. The areas that look decent and salvageable then use it if needed. The areas that are lost, don't waste more money and dont harm the good fungi.

As far as what grass to grow in your area, viginiagal nails it. Look at your local university for recommendations. I would not do kbg in the south without more experience and in ground irrigation.

 

Yes, fungicide is the way to go when you want to save the grass (though I refuse to use it myself). It sounds like the grass is going to die anyway (short roots, hot weather). I was reacting to your idea that fungicide might help the soil. It's a last resort kind of thing to save grass from disease. It has harmful effects on the soil. You weigh one thing against the other and make a decision.