Why does this part of my lawn look so bad? drought?

[seiyafan]

We could use a little history to help with the diagnosis.

About how long have you lived there and has this area always been different as we see it now.

Tug on some of the grass to see if it pulls easy. If it does grubs have cut the roots.

Soil - all soil doesn't retain moisture the same. To your knowledge was this area ever filled in with soil from another area?

Great question. I moved here about three years ago. Since the seller left the house on market for about a year the entire front lawn is pretty much either brown or covered with weed. I applied weed killer in spring and planted seeds in the fall. The next year condition has improved but the left part is still problematic. I remember at one point the mowing guy came then left and told me there was no point to mow a desert. In Fall I topdressed and overseeded the entire front yard (took me two days to moved about 3 cubic yards of soil with a shovel, lol!), but hard work paid off, a month later the entire yard turned green! I pretty much had the best looking lawn in the neighborhood in October. Then came last winter, the lawn was covered with snow for about 4 months. When the snow finally melted away I discovered that much of the grass on the left side didn't grow back, I am not sure if the cold has killed it or not. That's what I know about this area from the very beginning.
This fall I am going to focus on just the left part. I am pretty sure I will get good results going into the winter but I am afraid the same thing will happen next spring.
How deep should I topdress? half an inch?

 

[SeniorCitizen]

So if I'm reading this right, rather than tugging on the brown grass to see if grubs killed it or checking soil moisture and even going to the extent of doing a soil test you are going to repeat the same mistake and expect different results?

 

[seiyafan]

Thanks for your input, I will investigate.
But if it's due to soil issue would that mean I need to remove and replace the top 6 inches or can I just add topsoil on the existing lawn?

 

[seiyafan]

Here are some pictures I took today, how does it look? It had light rain yesterday that's why the soil was still moist when I took the picture around noon time. The grass was very hard to pull out when I tugged.









By the way, I start seeing light green color grass growing on the front yard, are these crabgrass too or fescue?

 

[possum]

The weeds coming up are crabgrass or another grassy weed like them. We have crabgrass here this year more than normal. Lots more than normal. That is mostly why we are mowing every week in the summer heat. The more I see your grass it looks like the typical problem with Blue grass seed. It fails to grow in fast enough and seed already in the ground or in your seed you planted gets up first and chokes the bluegrass out. That is also where winter kill often comes from. Bluegrass gets up to late and to weal to survive the cold. That grass really looks like one of the rye grasses after it hits hot dry weather.It could be rough bluegrass as well but hard to tell in a photo. Use a seed that has very little seed in it other than bluegrass or try another type of grass.

 

[seiyafan]

I applied Crabgrass Pre-emergent in late April when the temperature was about to reach 50 degrees, but much of the lawn hadn't turned green yet, I wonder if that choked the newly planted grass from last fall.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

Very strange I must say.

I recommend taking one of those samples to your county extension service to see what they say. Someone specializing in turf may even want to come look at your lawn.

 

[seiyafan]

Could it possibly be a fungus issue?
I am going to bring a sample to Cornell University Cooperative Extension on Monday.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

Could it possibly be a fungus issue?
I am going to bring a sample to Cornell University Cooperative Extension on Monday.

That's a real good idea. You'll be more likely to get your answer there. I'm at a complete loss and have never seen anything like it.

Keep us posted if you can find the time.

 

[seiyafan]

While I am waiting for the person who does soil analysis to be back next week, I did compare soil samples at the root area from the troubled area to a good area. The trouble area had sandy soil mixed with some tiny gravel, whereas the good area had loamy soil and also darker in color. Could this be the culprit?

If this is indeed the culprit, what would be some of the ways to improve soil condition that can be done with one person? Like dump more topsoil over the troubled area?