Misc Gardening Thread

[Metwannabe]

@SD I've got these large circular areas in my centipede grass where the grass does not grow, started noticing it last year and seems a little more prevalent this year. One large area is around a tree but it's actually outside the shade of the branches and is about a 2 foot wide strip that encircles about 2/3 the tree. I've got a couple other circle dead spots too that aren't as large, one looks like a big zero in my yard. I'm sure it's some sort of fungus issue, is there a treatment and if so after treatment have to re-seed or plug it to have any chance of coming back? I know I really need to have soil samples I guess

 

[SD]

@SD I've got these large circular areas in my centipede grass where the grass does not grow, started noticing it last year and seems a little more prevalent this year. One large area is around a tree but it's actually outside the shade of the branches and is about a 2 foot wide strip that encircles about 2/3 the tree. I've got a couple other circle dead spots too that aren't as large, one looks like a big zero in my yard. I'm sure it's some sort of fungus issue, is there a treatment and if so after treatment have to re-seed or plug it to have any chance of coming back? I know I really need to have soil samples I guess

You can get a fungicide but it's not as easy to get it to work on centipede. Are these areas poor draining, exposed to extra nitrogen, compacted by something?

 

[Metwannabe]

You can get a fungicide but it's not as easy to get it to work on centipede. Are these areas poor draining, exposed to extra nitrogen, compacted by something?

No drainage issue and not exposed to extra nitrogen..... the property was woods before we moved here 22 years ago and I've always wondered if the decaying matter in the soil had any effect on it. We cleared the land off in 2000 and they removed all stumps and as many roots as possible but I still think were deep roots/stump bases, etc that have decayed over time, it's been so long shouldn't be an issue now I wouldn't think though.

 

[Metwannabe]

@SD I should take pictures but the below image (not my lawn) is exactly what it looks like, so a fairy ring I guess?

 

[Tarheel1]

@SD I should take pictures but the below image (not my lawn) is exactly what it looks like, so a fairy ring I guess?

Looks kind of like a fairy ring, fairy reign usually have mushrooms in the circle

 

[Metwannabe]

Looks kind of like a fairy ring, fairy reign usually have mushrooms in the circle

Yeah funny thing is we get mushrooms in our yard in circles or right in a line like someone planted a row but it's not in these circles of dead grass. Also, that usually when it's much wetter than it is now.
Anyway I'm contemplating digging up those rings, removing all dead grass, about an inch of so of soil and filling it with good topsoil, then reseed and see what happens. Lot of work but might be about only thing can do ?‍

 

[Thor]

Yeah funny thing is we get mushrooms in our yard in circles or right in a line like someone planted a row but it's not in these circles of dead grass. Also, that usually when it's much wetter than it is now.
Anyway I'm contemplating digging up those rings, removing all dead grass, about an inch of so of soil and filling it with good topsoil, then reseed and see what happens. Lot of work but might be about only thing can do ?‍

I've been able to remedy one with aerating really well and fungicide

 

[Metwannabe]

I've been able to remedy one with aerating really well and fungicide

Which fungicide did you use?

 

[Tarheel1]

I've been able to remedy one with aerating really well and fungicide

Yeah, I’m not the best with turf grasses, but I do believe the fairy ring, is a fungus, it just somehow materializes as a ring of dead grass

 

[Thor]

Which fungicide did you use?

Fairy Ring

The content on this page is derived from an Extension Factsheet. You must login at https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/fairy-ring-in-turf to edit this content. Only the following authors should have access to make changes: Lee Butler (Entomology & Plant Pathology) Jim Kerns (Entomology & Plant...

turf.ces.ncsu.edu

Good write up. It may have been the aerating and watering that really did the trick accordingto the above. Basically I stopped the spread then the turf was able to fill back in by the next season. I used propiconazole that I had around from some brown patch.

 

[Metwannabe]

Fairy Ring

The content on this page is derived from an Extension Factsheet. You must login at https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/fairy-ring-in-turf to edit this content. Only the following authors should have access to make changes: Lee Butler (Entomology & Plant Pathology) Jim Kerns (Entomology & Plant...

turf.ces.ncsu.edu

Good write up. It may have been the aerating and watering that really did the trick accordingto the above. Basically I stopped the spread then the turf was able to fill back in by the next season. I used propiconazole that I had around from some brown patch.

Also confirms my thoughts earlier about the dead roots, etc probably left in the ground when land was cleared when we moved there.

 

[SD]

@SD I should take pictures but the below image (not my lawn) is exactly what it looks like, so a fairy ring I guess?

This same thing happened in my parents centipede. I'd probably aerate and check the rest of the lawn for thatch to see if you might need to give the rest of the lawn a good dethatching. You can put down scotts disease ex or bayer advanced fungicide it'll likely take multiple apps to fully remedy the problem. Also lawn fungus is highly adaptive so if you use one product now you need to switch to a different active ingredient next time or it'll get resistant and you are wasting money.

Adding: if you are going to fertilize make sure you use the fungicide with the fertilizer app or before. Lawn fungus gets excited about nitrogen if you don't block it with fungicide it will go bonkers and proliferate through the lawn and be spread by the mower blades and discharged grass, I learned this this hard way

 

[Metwannabe]

This same thing happened in my parents centipede. I'd probably aerate and check the rest of the lawn for thatch to see if you might need to give the rest of the lawn a good dethatching. You can put down scotts disease ex or bayer advanced fungicide it'll likely take multiple apps to fully remedy the problem. Also lawn fungus is highly adaptive so if you use one product now you need to switch to a different active ingredient next time or it'll get resistant and you are wasting money.

How much you charge to come take care of my lawn? I'll hit kylo up for a loan, thanks

 

[SD]

How much you charge to come take care of my lawn? I'll hit kylo up for a loan, thanks

Man I'm still recovering from my fungus attack last year and the recent cool. I spent too much time this weekend aerating and removing thatch. Not sure if I'd want this as job lol

Last questions do you ever water when it gets dry and if you do you have well or city water? I think the drought at the end of last summer set up a lot of spring issues this year.

 

[SD]

Yeah funny thing is we get mushrooms in our yard in circles or right in a line like someone planted a row but it's not in these circles of dead grass. Also, that usually when it's much wetter than it is now.
Anyway I'm contemplating digging up those rings, removing all dead grass, about an inch of so of soil and filling it with good topsoil, then reseed and see what happens. Lot of work but might be about only thing can do ?‍

Couple things about this the fungus lives in the soil so even if you rip out a half inch it still might be in the profile below that and it still may be present other areas in the lawn so it can easily be brought back into that area. I hate to sound like a salesman for the local sod farms but honestly if you go the removal and replace route you might want to look into a sod. When you look at drought and disease resistance natural centipede and bermuda are the worst, seed is in the middle, sod is the best. You can probably get 10 rolls of tifblair centipede from super sod for less than $100 to cover your issues. If I could do it all over again I would sod my yard vs seed I would also probably go with zoysia over bermuda/centipede

 

[Metwannabe]

Man I'm still recovering from my fungus attack last year and the recent cool. I spent too much time this weekend aerating and removing thatch. Not sure if I'd want this as job lol

Last questions do you ever water when it gets dry and if you do you have well or city water? I think the drought at the end of last summer set up a lot of spring issues this year.

I generally do not water but I have well water. Centipede hates drought but it tends to come back fairly quickly one it gets rain. I've probably not done the best job caring for it over the last 22 yrs ?

 

[Tarheel1]

This whole grass discussion is reason enough to go au natural and let your yard become a prairie or desert! Too much time, money and chemicals, to try and keep a perfect lawn

 

[SD]

This whole grass discussion is reason enough to go au natural and let your yard become a prairie or desert! Too much time, money and chemicals, to try and keep a perfect lawn

It's not that bad if you do the right things. Unfortunately automated sprinklers and 27-0-4 fertilizers exist and caused mega issues

 

[Tarheel1]

It's not that bad if you do the right things. Unfortunately automated sprinklers and 27-0-4 fertilizers exist and caused mega issues

Yeah, it’s like anything else, it’s easier to keep in tip top shape, once you get it flawless! But there’s a lot of work involved and weeds can take over, seemingly overnight! When I had a lawn, keep everything short and it looks great! Until the Bermuda went dormant and it was still 90% green , because of dandelions!??

 

[Tarheel1]

I’ll stick to a few annual pots of flowers and I’m good. Found some cool stuff this weekend around here! They do annuals hard and heavy up here!