Dead spots on my grass? (1 Viewer)

[Earl J]

I keep my lawn well watered during the day (morning cycle 5 minutes, evening cycle 5 minutes). Last week I noticed that brown spots are starting to pop up. It's not like a big area that is browning out, just random spots that are a bit smaller than a football. I checked my sprinklers and they are working fine. I also noticed that only my lawn is doing this because all my neighbors aren't having this problem. The weather has been in the 90's lately but if that was a factor, I'd think my neighbors would be having the same problem.

Should I increase the watering times? Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[Micah Lloyd]

Do you have any dogs (urine burns)? Is it on the front yard? backyard? both?

 

[Earl J]

actually, I do have two dogs and they both run out to the front yard sometimes and relieve themselves. About 4 months ago, we had our back yard worked on which included sprinklers and grass. I couldn't understand why the grass was always browning out back there. I figured it must have been the sprinklers, but I guess I'm wrong.

Any ideas about where to let the dogs do their "business" from now on?

 

[Tom Fynan]

If the spots are perfectly round, you may have a fungus or mold infection, from either watering too much, or too late at night so the water sits on the grass too long, letting mold spores germinate. If the patches are irregular, you might not be watering enough, or you might have a dog that has adopted your lawn as his bathroom.

Tom Fynan

 

[Micah Lloyd]

If your dogs pee in the front yard then all the dogs in the neighborhood will want to, also, whenever they pass by.

The best thing to do is flood the area right after they pee to dilute the urine. It takes vigilance! Otherwise you can teach them to go only in a certain area. There are products you can buy to help with the diet - don't know much about them, though - and there is debate on whether they work or not. (Further debate on whether the diet really has anything to do with the acidity of the urine...)

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Insects also cause this type of problem. If the spots are irregular in shape try laying down some fertilizer/insectiside combo via a spreader. (Do the whole lawn, both to evenly spread the fertilizer and to prevent the bugs from just migrating to a clear spot.) Scott's makes a good product for this application, designed for use in hot weather and guaranteed not to burn if applied as per the instructions. I put some down earlier this summer, but can't for the life of me remember what it's called. Any good gardening center or home improvement store should be able to identify it, or a similar product, for you. When I used it I also mixed in some anti-fungal stuff. Between the two products the problem seems to have cleared up.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Earl J]

Thanks for all of your advice. I'll try the fertilizer/insecticide combo first but I think Micah may have hit it on the nose. I might have to find another place for my dogs to urinate. I have no idea where but I'll think of something.

Thanks again!

 

[Todd Hochard]

Is that watering thing (morning and night, short duration, everyday) the common way to do it in CA? I'm just wondering, because someone else in CA mentioned the same thing in an earlier thread.
In FL, that's a big no-no. Sure fire way to ruin your turf. It promotes shallow rooting, and evening watering promotes overnight fungal growth. The mantra here is "Water deep, not often." I go 2x-3x/week (rain sensor prevents if sufficient rain has fallen), and lay down about 1/2" each watering, starting at 4am (about 20min/zone).

Is it different for CA, due to the lack of humidity?

Todd

 

[John Garcia]

I'm going to have to go with the dog urine answer also. Quite common, and based on what you said, would have been my first thought also.

 

[Jared_B]

Todd,
That's exactly what I do here in Seattle. I doubt it should be any different in California. Short watering will promote shallow root growth, and shallow roots are much more susceptible to drought. Californians should be very concerned about that.

 

[Scott Dautel]

Here in the mid-Atlantic states, we are in the midst of the worst drought I have seen in my lifetime. I was going to start a thread about the unusual small patch of grass on my brown, parched tinderbox I used to refer to as a lawn. But alas, it turned out to be the mailman, passed out in the front yard from the 105F heat index, which has continued, unabated since July 1.