Please Help!

Hi all, this is my first post on the forum so be gentle:wink:

I only have a small lawn (see pics) In the recent months I have noticed large brown/yellow patches developing. I have treated the lawn with a weed and feed product, I regular water it, (dont know what I am going to do with hose pipe ban) I have not cut the grass for a week now so you can see in the images how long the healthy grass is compared to the bad patches. Any good advice will be appreciated.I should add I cut the lawn with a rotary mower and do not use a strimmer.

Thanks

Alan

 

The main suspect would be compaction as the majority of the patches are in the vicinity of the stepping stones. What type of soil are you on and has it ever been aerated?

Also the lawn looks fairly even from the photos but are these areas on small raises and slightly higher than the rest of the lawn and therefore being effectively cut lower? In the 3rd photo the grass surrounding the patches looks longer.

 

Hi Axel, thanks for your input/advice. Well ..no the area is pretty flat and when the grass is cut it all looks even. As for what type of soil:o sorry cant be of much help but..it is not clay at all. Colour of the soil is near black. I live in the northwest. As for areation I have got to be honest and say once in the last 5 years. do you think it would be best to wait until late Autum to airate, and brush silver sand in or??

Thanks

Alan

 

I don't think your grass looks too bad at all Raptor - in fact, very nice.
I can see the yellow patches and understand your desire for perfection.
You say you treat the grass with a weed and feed product.
I think maybe uneven distribution is the reason for good and bad patches. The green parts have had more and the yellow patches less.
Sulphate of Ammonia brings the grass up lush and green but get the distribution wrong and you get thick lush patches in amongst poorer patches. You really need to measure the grass out by the square yard, weigh the fertilizer for amount to the square yard and distribute accordingly.
Total fiddle faddle - but if it's perfection you're after - that's it.
That's my take anyway and as I said I think your grass looks nice as it is.

 

Thanks Alice, but to be honest with the lawn been so small the yellow patches really hit you, I will give it more feed when due and make sure I measure properley.

Alan

 

Hi Alan,

Just cut a small piece of turf right in the middle of one of the patches, about 2" deep by 4"x4". It will easy go back with little damage.

Have a good poke around in the soil. Im hoping you you wont find any white grubs curled up in to a C shape, if you do they are Chafer grubs.

They eat the grass roots from underneath causing the grass to firstly turn yellow, then to brown as it slowly dies.

If left, the brown patches turn bald and moss will start to take hold.

If Chafers you can treat with Nematoids, which you can get from g/centres.

Hopefully this is not them, but this year and last year there was explosion in the nubers I found on my customers lawns.

Cheers Hostaholic.