One spot in lawn

[RxPain-]

I’ve tried multiple things on this spot of the lawn thought putting sod would do the trick. Planted it 2-3 months ago and it looked good been watering finally cut it and now looks dry and dying. Other spot in back did same and looks to be dead. In Alabama with Bermuda 419

 

[oneeye]

I'm so sorry you have this problem, and I feel for you Rxpain. Pythium Blight, and it's a bad bad thing! Once you have it, anytime the the right conditions arise, it blossoms again. There are a lot of products that say they can stop it, but its a downright lie. I have not seen any kind of product that will get rid of this disease for good. I've seen a lot of homeowners spend a lot of money on fungicides, new seed, new soil, sod, and fertilizers. Can you imagine spending $5000.00 on a new lawn full of sod only to get what you are getting now, the following year?

The stories I could tell you about Pythium and TARR disease costing so much damage. One homeowner had her topsoil removed and replaced with fresh topsoil and replanted with new sod and infected the next year. The problem is the spores can come in your yard off of mower wheels, bottom of shoes, or a pet but mostly just live in the soil. Weather conditions plays a big role in helping it bloom and spread spores everywhere. The spores are looking for a weak host that has no vigor. Overwatered bermuda, that's new, or over fertilized old grass make a perfect host.
The only real way to not have it, is by reversing the conditions that the spores like. The yards that have been fertilized for the last 15 or 20 years "every single year" , "3 times a year," are the ones that get it and can't get rid of it. I had a couple of yards that used organic composted treatments and had no problems. To be honest I have made a lot more income due to the fungus and learning about it was well worth the time.

 

[RxPain-]

Well wasn’t expecting that bad news. I’m in a new house so lawn is about 18 months old. New sod is about 2-3 months old. It is fertilized 3-4 times a year. So you are saying the only way to get rid of it is quit fertilizing and use compost? Should i expect it to spread? It’s only been in that one spot. How long do i need to do this and not fertilize? Is there anyway to test it?

 

[oneeye]

Only use fertilizer one time a year when the weather conditions are warm and dry. Use only a little fertilizer, and just enough to get by for a growing season "single application at 1/2 the rate". When you drop fertilizer on the ground more than one time a year, it causes problems in the future. For the the organic yards I used 1 inch of composted manure and top dressed the lawn. Also I used a poultry mix fertilizer one time, and that was it. It was slow and It took a good while before everything kick in, but when it did, it was nice and I got a lot of compliments. I'm so glad I reached you on your first year living there, so you can turn the conditions around early. More food doesn't mean more grass.

 

[oneeye]

Another way to deal with fungus like TARR is to split your fertilizer into 2 different applications. Use a 21-0-0 at 1/4 the rate of "anhydrous ammonia nitrogen, and then add poultry mix with organic nitrogen at full rate a couple of weeks later. That way the fertilizer doensn't aggrvate the soil conditions and the grass still looks greener. . Then leave it alone for the rest of the year and repeat the following year.

 

[oneeye]

I know a lot of people will be offended when I say don't use a lot of synthetic fertilizers, because they have been doing it for years. But when they get a grass disease from messing up the soil its usually too late to fix it. Stop using anhydrous ammonia nitrogen more than one time a year if you care about your soil, grass, and the environment.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I live in central Alabama and it it fungus time for my burmuda due to the humidity and temperature. I can mirror @oneeye 's comments. The use of whole ground cornmeal can help to the extent that trichoderma impacts that particular fungus. It impacts pythium in the garden. Well fertilized burmuda also attracts grubs and armyworms this time of year.

 

[The Zen Master]

Is this fungus something regional or, anywhere a person can grow Bermuda?

 

[DirtMechanic]

Is this fungus something regional or, anywhere a person can grow Bermuda?

Anywhere. The moisture and heat are the key.

 

[Chuck]

Anywhere. The moisture and heat are the key.

And the key for avoiding fungal problems is to have a healthy stand of grass. This involves using zero chemicals and synthetics. It involves using prophylactic organic methods. By using simple easy and cheap methods one will never have fungal problems in any type of grass.

 

[Chuck]

I’ve tried multiple things on this spot of the lawn thought putting sod would do the trick. Planted it 2-3 months ago and it looked good been watering finally cut it and now looks dry and dying. Other spot in back did same and looks to be dead. In Alabama with Bermuda 419View attachment 66209View attachment 66209View attachment 66210View attachment 66211

It is probably correct in what @oneeye says about you having these fungal diseases but let me offer another explanation and that is shallow soil. This happens a lot in Texas where the underground bedrock comes up near the surface or there are other large rocks near the surface. It also happens that when building the structure and before the fill dirt is applied per specs, the builder dumped old concrete or bricks or some other non-biodegradeable substance and then covered it up with the fill dirt. To find out for sure just dig a 1-foot deep hole and if you don't find something then this isn't the answer. But it does happen.....a lot.

 

[DirtMechanic]

And the key for avoiding fungal problems is to have a healthy stand of grass. This involves using zero chemicals and synthetics. It involves using prophylactic organic methods. By using simple easy and cheap methods one will never have fungal problems in any type of grass.

How would one organically ensheath prophylactically speaking a target plant? Fungally? Bacterial biofilm?

 

[Chuck]

How would one organically ensheath prophylactically speaking a target plant? Fungally? Bacterial biofilm?

Are you asking how to protect a plant from fungal diseases? If so, then the answer is simple. You keep the pathogen away from the plant by providing the plant with an environment not conducive for the pathogens growth or survival. And the means by which to do this is by using cornmeal and molasses prophylactically or BEFORE the pathogen arrives. For instance, the OP and his grass showing those fungal areas. If he would have prophylactically used cornmeal and molasses over his lawn regularly the pathogen would not have had a chance to infect his lawn in the first place. By increasing Trichoderma numbers dramatically it would have stopped the pathogens before they had a chance to multiply.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I was interested in the idea of sheathing a plant biologically as it relates to airborne or splash vectors. Even something like dried milk film is along those lines, but specifically something a bit more rainfast is what I was chasing.

 

[Chuck]

I was interested in the idea of sheathing a plant biologically as it relates to airborne or splash vectors. Even something like dried milk film is along those lines, but specifically something a bit more rainfast is what I was chasing.

Liquid seaweed makes the "skin" of a plant much more resistant to injuries and pathogens. This is why liquid seaweed is a great control of spider mites. This is also why it is of great benefit in the control of early blight. With the use of applications of liquid seaweed, cornmeal and molasses it greatly reduces early blight in tomatoes. I don't know what liquid seaweed does with grass as I have not experimented with it in that manner, but, I would have to assume it would have the same effect.