# Whats wrong with my lawn?



## Exraided (Jun 23, 2021)

So today I get off work walked to the backyard to inspect the sod/grass as I always do and I noticed a spot which literally appeared over night. The sod has been doing fine for about 2 months now so what can the problem possibly be? I'm located in Northern California.


----------



## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

What did you do to correct the earlier problems? SOD HELP!!


----------



## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

Did a dog piss there?


----------



## Exraided (Jun 23, 2021)

chandler48 said:


> What did you do to correct the earlier problems? SOD HELP!!


Nothing I ended up replacing the entire thing


----------



## rogerwh (Mar 1, 2021)

The only thing I see is the ugly fence around it.


----------



## Exraided (Jun 23, 2021)

Old Thomas said:


> Did a dog piss there?


No the area is fenced off


rogerwh said:


> The only thing I see is the ugly fence around it.


Yea I don't like it either but I have 4 large dogs and in order for the sod to have any fighting chance at rooting/establishing the fence stays.


----------



## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Sorry....IDK but it does not llook that bad to me.

Any chance of a pic of the doggies.....?


----------



## Unassailable (Aug 14, 2021)

I didn't read through your other post but this looks like brown patch or an animal pooped there. I've been through it all with my grass. Fall is another prime time with diseases.


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Where in Northern California are you, in general? You could be in Eureka with humidity and cool temps or Sacramento with dry air and hot, hot temps.
Edit - I see we went through that already in the other thread.





__





Will a Brown Patch Kill New Sod?


Will a Brown Patch Kill New Sod?. A variety of factors can cause a brown patch in new sod, depending on the growing conditions and type of grass. Warm-season grasses turn green in the spring and summer months and include Zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica), which is hardy in U.S. Department of...




homeguides.sfgate.com





Theoretically your soil could have been contaminated. I don't know what happened to your other sod.
Edit - I guess you didn't find out the reason for the last sod having brown patches.









SOD HELP!!


I'm a bit confused and at a lost on why my new sod look like this. Just prior to mowing it, it was completely green and looked healthy no brown or bare spot in sight that is until I started mowing it was when the problem revealed itself. The grass could not have been that long to where it...




www.diychatroom.com


----------



## Exraided (Jun 23, 2021)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> Sorry....IDK but it does not llook that bad to me.
> 
> Any chance of a pic of the doggies.....?


Yea sure Here is Chucky, Molly and Eeyore along with Chuckies puppies and my daughter. The dirt area you see is where I laid down the sod which you see in the picture


----------



## Exraided (Jun 23, 2021)

So I decided to dig up a corner and this is what I found I don't know what the hell it is a caterpillar of some sort and is it harmful to grass?


----------



## Exraided (Jun 23, 2021)

Nik333 said:


> Where in Northern California are you, in general? You could be in Eureka with humidity and cool temps or Sacramento with dry air and hot, hot temps.
> Edit - I see we went through that already in the other thread.
> 
> 
> ...


What exactly do you mean by contaminated?


----------



## Unassailable (Aug 14, 2021)

That looks like a junebug larvae. Yes, they eat roots of plants. But, usually numbers are low enough they are not a problem. 

Not sure what prep work you did prior to laying sod but what people are telling you is your soil or sod may have a disease and or fungus already established. Just changing your sod won't do anything because it will just get infected again. 

In your picture of the dogs, that area looks compacted. Did you till and add a few inches of topsoil?


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

The soil could be infected with fungus due to the high humidity ( for California & the unusual heat) or you could have grubs or sod webworms carried in the sod.



https://www.thisoldhouse.com/pest-control/21277893/how-to-get-rid-of-lawn-grubs








Sod Webworms / Turfgrass / Agriculture: Pest Management Guidelines / UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM)







www2.ipm.ucanr.edu




Their young look more like your photo than the adults. I see the moths frequently.

@Unassailable would be the expert, here, esp. since he lives near the water like you.


----------



## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Exraided said:


> Yea sure Here is Chucky, Molly and Eeyore along with Chuckies puppies and my daughter. The dirt area you see is where I laid down the sod which you see in the picture
> View attachment 667507
> View attachment 667508


 EXRATED......THANKS FRIEND....!!!!!!

I'm jelous...

But, I'm starting a dog sitting service.....but I have to do it cheaply...

I'm only going to pay people $25/day to take care of their dogs...


----------



## Exraided (Jun 23, 2021)

Unassailable said:


> That looks like a junebug larvae. Yes, they eat roots of plants. But, usually numbers are low enough they are not a problem.
> 
> Not sure what prep work you did prior to laying sod but what people are telling you is your soil or sod may have a disease and or fungus already established. Just changing your sod won't do anything because it will just get infected again.
> 
> In your picture of the dogs, that area looks compacted. Did you till and add a few inches of topsoil?


Yes I tilled steer manure and perlite the area about a foot and a half deep. Then topped it with Scotts Lawn Top Soil about 2 - 3 inch. If the grass ends up dying I'm gonna take a break from this whole sod thing starting to get expensive each pallet of sod cost me a little over $600 this is the second time plus the cost of all the soil and ammendments and tools spent well over 3 grand.


----------



## Exraided (Jun 23, 2021)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> EXRATED......THANKS FRIEND....!!!!!!
> 
> I'm jelous...
> 
> ...


Nice. 

Funny you say that because whenever I take my dogs for a walk neighbors and people are always asking me if I'm a dog walker and I would humor myself thinking, "These are dogs, and yes I am walking them." 

They automatically assume that I have so many dogs that I do it as a profession little do they know that they're all mines.


----------



## Unassailable (Aug 14, 2021)

Exraided said:


> Yes I tilled steer manure and perlite the area about a foot and a half deep.


Was it dried and composted steer manure? Hot or uncomposted manures can contain bacteria still. In the future, if you do this again. Just stick to screened topsoil. It's about $20/yard and contains everything the grass needs for a couple years. Skip the perilite on sod, too.

FWIW, you may never have a perfect lawn with dogs and tall fescue. The dog pee will burn the grass anyway. You may just want to do a biannual fungicide/preemergent program and call it good. Don't bother with herbicides unless you have a serious problem as you'll just kill off the good insects too.


----------



## Exraided (Jun 23, 2021)

Nik333 said:


> The soil could be infected with fungus due to the high humidity ( for California & the unusual heat) or you could have grubs or sod webworms carried in the sod.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the response. 

When I was doing the ground prep tilling the dirt I didn't come across not one worm type critter but what I did find a lot of were earthworm, lots of them I was pleasantly surprised, oh and a lot of those pincher bugs you know the one with the pincher on its rear end.


----------



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

If there's a next time, try seed! 😄


----------



## Exraided (Jun 23, 2021)

Unassailable said:


> Was it dried and composted steer manure? Hot or uncomposted manures can contain bacteria still. In the future, if you do this again. Just stick to screened topsoil. It's about $20/yard and contains everything the grass needs for a couple years. Skip the perilite on sod, too.
> 
> FWIW, you may never have a perfect lawn with dogs and tall fescue. The dog pee will burn the grass anyway. You may just want to do a biannual fungicide/preemergent program and call it good. Don't bother with herbicides unless you have a serious problem as you'll just kill off the good insects too.


It was the manure from Home Depot. I figure I would till it with the native dirt to add all the good bacteria and nutrients to bring life to the dirt.


----------



## Unassailable (Aug 14, 2021)

Got it. Yes, most of their bags are composted manure.


----------



## Exraided (Jun 23, 2021)

Nik333 said:


> If there's a next time, try seed! 😄


Oh you don't even want to know, already made an attempt at it on a different part of the house. Long story short it grew in very nice, but after my kids played in it, it pretty much died that very day.


----------



## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

One of your earlier pictures looks like there is a weed there which you could simply pull out.

A June bug larva is in the grub category. You may need Grubex (tm) or something similar.I am not sure how Grubex works but I have seen other brands of products with thstructions to use triple the spreading rate in fall and spring because the grubs are too big to kill using the spreading rate for summer.


----------



## Exraided (Jun 23, 2021)

Thanks to everyone for the quick response and advice, will definitely implement them and see what happens.


----------



## christoff (Feb 26, 2008)

Agreed, that's a grub!


----------

