Brown patches in the grass of my yard - what should I do???

[ajay_gupta0512]

We just bought a new home in Dallas, TX in April 2004. I water it once every 2 days through the automated sprinkler. I also applied Scott's Weed-&-Feed to it in July and then in Aug and then got it professionally put last weekend in Sept. Still, the grass in various parts of my yard is turning brown or light yellow - seems like burnt or dead. Is it a fertilizer probelm OR watering problem.. Please suggest ideas..thanks

[dogwind]

Welcome to the Dirt Doctor lawn forum. My guess is you have a fungal problem. Watering so frequently may be the cause. When you water, water deep, (apply 1 inch) and infrequently Let the top few inches of soil dry out before watering again. Most people here advise only one inch per week (all at once) during the hot dry part of summer. This time of year, water less. Treat your fungal problem with horticultural corn meal applied at 20#/1000 sq. feet. Wait 3 or more weeks for that to start to work. Finally, read the sticky posts about specific grass types at the top of the forum, and read the organic lawn care FAQ. Then come back and tell us if it's working for you.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

Hi Ajay and welcome to the Dirt Doctor ORGANIC lawns forum. If you're going to be happy around here, you're going to have to forget the chemicals and learn how to raise your turf organically. Check out the FAQ at the top of the page and follow these three steps toward great a lawn.

1. Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an hour in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds.

2. Mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. Bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses are the most dense when mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. Dense grass shades out weeds and uses less water when tall. Dense grass feeds the deep roots you're developing in 1 above.

3. Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 4 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above.

So to answer your question directly, it is both the chemicals and the watering that are the problem. I agree that you have a fungus. The corn meal is the solution unless you have already tried to use a chemical fungicide on it. In that case you'll have to accept your brown grass probably until next season, because nothing but corn meal will cure it before it goes dormant.