The Grass Doctor

sod lawn showing browning and thinning throughout. is this a fungus? how do i treat it?

i have a sodded yard and for the past 8 weeks it seems to be struggling. in many areas there are green and brown blades of grass and the grass appears to be thinning. one spot is almost completely bald and can easily be pulled out. when i first noticed the problem i thought i was underwatering so i have been watering the heck out of it for the past 2 months... no response. i recently purchased Bayer fungus control and applied it about 10 days ago. seems to have worked moderately, however, hard to tell since i now mow the yard extremely high as fearing mowing to low was part of the problem. i also now bag the clippings as i heard that can contribute. it is noteable that the sod is only a year old and since installed has never been aerated or thatched. i fertilize it pretty regularly as advised by scotts 4 part plan. also, i live in the northeast so with the fall weather i am concerned as the grass should be thriving right now. my backyard is seed and is doing fine.pleasehelp

Public Comments

1. Hi: There are a couple of possibilities for what is going on. Are there any big trees around where the grass is thinning? Above ground tree roots are a major reason why some seed and sod doesn't take well. Also, what type of sod is it? You are in a northern climate which if I remember, has had good rain this summer. Do you have irrigation or using sprinklers? It would be good if you aerated your lawn and then possibly over seed and fertilize before your ground freezes. I reecommend to my clients a slow six month nitrogen relase fertilizer in spring and fall. This helps the root systems. It sounds also like some of the root system may not have properly taken hold over the past year. This sometimes happens with certain types of sod. I hope this has helped some and if you need any other help with this topic or other landscape solutions, please feel free to contact me at my website. Let us know how you make out. Take a look at my website and see if any of the articles will help you for this problem or any other one that may arise. Kimberly http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.com
2. Check the soil for bugs
3. I think you need a trip to your local garden center. NOT HOME DEPOT. Sod isn't cheap.