[hawglvr]

Need some advice ! Purchased a new home taking it over in July 2017. Hired Superior Lawn service (1-800-Pest Control) to take care of my lawn. After the winter, the lawn is still very brown in places and is looking horrible. Misco who laid the sod came out and stated it needed fertilizer, so Superior fertilized it in March 2018. Superior in Feb 2018 stated my lawn was not being watered enough (1 hour per each cycle) but the supervisor over road my guy stating I water enough. Now in April 2018 Superior states it is watered too much and the roots cant take root, but the supervisor stated he is coming out again to determine if the water is correct. A guy from True Green came out and stated we have a Chlorisis Fungus eating our lawn. Deans came out and stated it needs pesticide and fertilizer. Mico who laid the Sod will not come out again unless I give them $65 to take a look. Now the manager of Superior has blamed our lawn not taking root on the guy who mows the lawn. Told by Superior we may need to replace our sod in places. (we haven't even made it here one year and need to replace the sod) ?

Any suggestions ?

[HiHoSteveO]

You are overwatering.

Ten minutes per zone, 2-3 times a week, (I think only twice a week is technically allowed) depending on rainfall, should be more than enough. If it rains a lot (pardon the pun) as it does during daily summer thunderstorms, even that is too much. This also depends on the type of sprinkler heads you have.

Your lawn is dying from root rot. It is brown because it is dying, not because it is too dry, but because it is too wet. The roots can't take in the fertilizer because they are rotting. Yes, you may need to replace some areas. Over watering also invites disease and insects.

Look for yourself... Which neighbor has the nicest lawn? Now go to this link.

https://accessmygov.com/OnlinePaymen...pe=10&uid=2523

- At bottom of page enter just your street name (not your whole address)

- Click YOUR address

- Halfway down that page, click "View Additional Account Info"

- Now check out the graph at the bottom of the resulting page. Then look at your "nicest" neighbors water use graph. Very likely that you are using far more irrigation water - if the lots are of similar size.

To adjust your irrigation timer, don't depend on landscape people. They're not paying for the water or the replaced sod.
Adjust it yourself by learning how it operates. Your owners manual is online as well as YouTube videos.
Pay special attention when adjusting to understand the "Solar Sync" portion which cannot be overridden by that bypass switch, nor would you want to anyway. Your irrigation timer (Solar Sync) sets a new watering percentage as needed every night.

It will take time for your lawn to come back, but adding slow-release granular fertilizer and not overwatering should do the trick!
Good luck.

[thetruth]

Originally Posted by hawglvr

Need some advice ! Purchased a new home taking it over in July 2017. Hired Superior Lawn service (1-800-Pest Control) to take care of my lawn. After the winter, the lawn is still very brown in places and is looking horrible. Misco who laid the sod came out and stated it needed fertilizer, so Superior fertilized it in March 2018. Superior in Feb 2018 stated my lawn was not being watered enough (1 hour per each cycle) but the supervisor over road my guy stating I water enough. Now in April 2018 Superior states it is watered too much and the roots cant take root, but the supervisor stated he is coming out again to determine if the water is correct. A guy from True Green came out and stated we have a Chlorisis Fungus eating our lawn. Deans came out and stated it needs pesticide and fertilizer. Mico who laid the Sod will not come out again unless I give them $65 to take a look. Now the manager of Superior has blamed our lawn not taking root on the guy who mows the lawn. Told by Superior we may need to replace our sod in places. (we haven't even made it here one year and need to replace the sod) ?

Any suggestions ?

ZOYZIA goes dormant for the cool weather so it will appear to be dead. That is, well, unlikely. We all, including me. argue with NATURE.

If, you tell your lawn care people to apply fertilizer they will AND THEY WILL GLADLY CHARGE YOU FOR IT. Look up INSTRUCTIONS for the care of EMPIRE ZOYZIA and follow it. What it will tell you is to use a N-P-K (nitrogen phosphate, phosphorus) ratio of 1-0-1. TRANSLATION
10-0-10, 15-0-15 are the same ratio. It will tell you not more than 1 lb nitrogen per 1000 sq ft. It will tell you to use SLOW RELEASE nitrogen-most commonly the bag will say sulpher coated urea

One hour per cycle really does not answer the question.
It is not a matter of time but how much water. You can measure that by putting out shallow dishes and measuring the AMOUNT of water being applied. Half to 3/4 inch is what the instructions say. You mention SOMEONE saying fungus. THIS IS FLORIDA-everyone has fungus and everyone has insects SO IT IS A SAFE GUESS. What matters is do you have enough to be a problem. Applying too much fertilizer, over watering will cause fungus. Fungus attacks all that new soft lawn growth that YOU are forcing.

You have a NEW LAWN. Translation, they laid sod on top of the sandy clay soil we have. If, you are familiar with sod it is grass where they cut off most of the roots and turn it into a sort of carpet that they lay down. It takes about a year for it to properly root in. Till you lawn roots in-likely, you can simply pick up your lawn because it has little or no roots beyond the inch that came with the cut off sod that was laid down. You should run your water for about 1/2 inch three times a week-THAT IS LEGAL, OK, WITH A NEW LAWN.

RELAX-YOU CANNOT PUSH MOTHER NATURE-YOUR LAWN CAN'T READ-OH AND IT DOES NOT CARE WHAT YOU WANT.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by hawglvr

Hired Superior Lawn service (1-800-Pest Control) to take care of my lawn. A guy from True Green came out and stated we have a Chlorisis Fungus eating our lawn. Deans came out and stated it needs pesticide and fertilizer. Now the manager of Superior has blamed our lawn not taking root on the guy who mows the lawn. Any suggestions ?

We solved the "blame game" by having one full-service company do our mowing, weeding, trimming shrubs, etc.
They also have a license to spray for pests, which they do regularly.

[tomwed]

How do you test soil? I know you can sent it to the university extension but that could take weeks.

For zoisia what readings do you need to know? ph? nitrogen? compost or whatever it's called? moisture?

What's the ideal numbers?
[For example, Zoysia Grass (aka Zoysiagrass) thrives in slightly acidic soils with a pH of between 6.0 and 6.5. If the soil has a higher or lower pH, then the Zoysia turf will be thin, pale and weed infested. 1 down 3 to go]

Is digital testing using probes just as good as the kits?

Is there still expert volunteer help on mondays with gardening at the police annex?

I did some research and learned that the reason acidic soil is called sour is because before science was used people tasted the soil. [that may be common knowledge]

[hawglvr]

Thank you very much for the info. I noticed that I have been using 17,000 gallons each month compaired to the guy across the street who uses 7500 gallons. I will find a lot my size in the area whos grass is nice and see what they use. Thanks, Ron

[thetruth]

Originally Posted by tomwed

How do you test soil? I know you can sent it to the university extension but that could take weeks.

For zoisia what readings do you need to know? ph? nitrogen? compost or whatever it's called? moisture?

What's the ideal numbers?
[For example, Zoysia Grass (aka Zoysiagrass) thrives in slightly acidic soils with a pH of between 6.0 and 6.5. If the soil has a higher or lower pH, then the Zoysia turf will be thin, pale and weed infested. 1 down 3 to go]

Is digital testing using probes just as good as the kits?

Is there still expert volunteer help on mondays with gardening at the police annex?

I did some research and learned that the reason acidic soil is called sour is because before science was used people tasted the soil. [that may be common knowledge]

RE; DIGITAL METERS
They are available at all different price points. The ones sold for a few bucks at stores like Lowes, Home Depo, Walmart are not very accurate. You could calibrate them against known substances and then improve accuracy. The chemical kits are far more accurate if as directed you use them with distilled water. In most of the villages we have sandy, clay filled with LIMESTONE. Take some of your soil? put it into a clear glass and add vinegar. You will see it fizz as the acidic vinegar dissolves the limestone.

WHAT TO DO? I would have a professional soil test done to tell you what you have. If, you question any of the INEXPENSIVE DIGITAL METERS, you are right to do so.
If, we agree that those meters are not to be trusted, buying one is of no value.

I am a big believer in adding organic matter to any soil.
Our soil and I expect your soil is very low in organic matter.
Put a handful and into a clear jar or glass and let it settle you will see what you have-cost zero. Our lawn is 5000 sq feet. We added 70 bags of manure to it by drilling with a 1.5 inch auger bit down 6 inches and filling each hole with manure-A LOT OF WORK. THAT IS 70X50=3500 POUNDS.
Black cow the only poop with it's own ad campaign is a quality product. It does not smell at least no much and the price seems to have dropped.

On my improved soil, we use less water and less fertilizer.
yOU CAN GROW GRASS ON CEMEMNT AND SOME OF US ARE. IF, YOU IMPROVE YOUR SOIL IT IS FAR EASIER TO GROW A BETTER LAWN WITH LESS WORK.

[tomwed]

Originally Posted by thetruth

RE; DIGITAL METERS
They are available at all different price points. The ones sold for a few bucks at stores like Lowes, Home Depo, Walmart are not very accurate. You could calibrate them against known substances and then improve accuracy. The chemical kits are far more accurate if as directed you use them with distilled water. In most of the villages we have sandy, clay filled with LIMESTONE. Take some of your soil? put it into a clear glass and add vinegar. You will see it fizz as the acidic vinegar dissolves the limestone.

WHAT TO DO? I would have a professional soil test done to tell you what you have. If, you question any of the INEXPENSIVE DIGITAL METERS, you are right to do so.
If, we agree that those meters are not to be trusted, buying one is of no value.

I am a big believer in adding organic matter to any soil.
Our soil and I expect your soil is very low in organic matter.
Put a handful and into a clear jar or glass and let it settle you will see what you have-cost zero. Our lawn is 5000 sq feet. We added 70 bags of manure to it by drilling with a 1.5 inch auger bit down 6 inches and filling each hole with manure-A LOT OF WORK. THAT IS 70X50=3500 POUNDS.
Black cow the only poop with it's own ad campaign is a quality product. It does not smell at least no much and the price seems to have dropped.

On my improved soil, we use less water and less fertilizer.
yOU CAN GROW GRASS ON CEMEMNT AND SOME OF US ARE. IF, YOU IMPROVE YOUR SOIL IT IS FAR EASIER TO GROW A BETTER LAWN WITH LESS WORK.

thank-you for taking the time to answer my questions

How far apart were the holes?

Do you thatch? How high do you set the blade? I'm finding contradictory information.

[thetruth]

Originally Posted by tomwed

thank-you for taking the time to answer my questions

How far apart were the holes?

Do you thatch? How high do you set the blade? I'm finding contradictory information.

You have to be a bit nuts to do it. BUT, to answer your inquiry about every 6-8 inches. IMPORTANT-do not drill more than 8 inches because you do not want to hit your buried sprinkler pipes.

RE: mowing height
You will see all kinds of different opinions on this as well.
Most important is that you do not remove more than 1/3 of the length of the grass blade. The posted information for empire zoyzia says two inches. The mowing guys with the riding mowers all use rotary mowers. Under the guard that you see is a spinning blade-actually several. We have all kinds of stuff in our lawns-sprinkler heads, doughnuts, plactice plates over plumbing etc. If, you insist on cutting your lawn at say 2 inches surely your mowing guy or you will be hitting stuff. Mine is cut at 3 inches.
Realize if you follow the rule of not cutting off more than 1/3 at 2 inches your lawn should be cut everytime it grows to 2.66 inches. At times, that will be several times a week.

Thatching your lawn? Yup, that too is debatable. Certainly not needed every year. You have a newly sodded lawn. Surely, there is no reson to dethatch it for at least two years-mine has not been done in four years.

[Michigan Farmer]

First of all unless you set rain gauges out to measure how much water you're putting on there is no way to tell if your'e getting too much or too little. I put .25" to .35" on every other day at 100% seasonal adjustment. You need find someone who is proactive, preventive, with insects, weeds, and disease. All 15 lawns I take care of get fungicide, insecticide, and pre emerge herbicide twice a year, March and again in June.

I've also found that Zoysia likes to be mowed at 3" and bagged, not mulched. Less than that burns it taller than that and you get a very bad thatch problem.

[Villageswimmer]

Originally Posted by hawglvr

Thank you very much for the info. I noticed that I have been using 17,000 gallons each month compaired to the guy across the street who uses 7500 gallons. I will find a lot my size in the area whos grass is nice and see what they use. Thanks, Ron

I checked our bill from last month. For our typical-size interior lot, we used 3700. Our lawn looks pretty good. I irrigate manually only as needed.

[MorTech]

Yes, you are watering too much.

Basically what Michigan Farmer stated.

I suggest you just let your "solar sync/seasonal adjust" do it's thing and set your rotary zones to 25 minutes and spray head zones to 5 minutes and run them every other day. You can go to weather underground wunderground.com, put zip code in search and then select your "home monitor". There are many weather stations active in TV so select one close to your location. You can monitor rainfall from that station.

I fertilize with Milorganite mid-April and again mid-May. Don't cut lower than 2.5" and 3" is ideal. I scalp the lawn once when it starts raining in June to 1.5" to remove thatch.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by tomwed

thank-you for taking the time to answer my questions

How far apart were the holes?

Do you thatch? How high do you set the blade? I'm finding contradictory information.

I know this is a commercial site but they have a news letter that has a lot of good information.
Read Our Turf Talk Blog And Be In The Know | Sod Solutions

[tuctba]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

I know this is a commercial site but they have a news letter that has a lot of good information.

Read Our Turf Talk Blog And Be In The Know | Sod Solutions

I’ve seen many lawns this spring in both Pine Ridge and Pine Hills that just look terrible. My back lawn especially in Pine Ridge is one of them. I’ve been told it could be a fungus. The first year and half it looked great. I took this picture of a home in Pine Ridge. Is this a fungus! Not such a good advertisement. We had a home in Belvedere for 12 years and never saw this many bad lawns.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bogie Shooter]

Dean's should know that this sure looks like a fungus. The sod is probably shot and will have to be replaced.