I had ten pallets of Floratam St. Augustine installed about 3 and half weeks ago. Well as you know we've actually had some very heavy rains over the last week that seems to have over watered my new sod in certain areas, it was still drenched and soggy after two days since the last rain. In all those areas and few others where the turf is wet the grass has really thinned out and become very brown. I suspect I may now have a fungus problem.

Most of my grass is doing extremely well and lookin beautiful but I keep seeing more and more of these brown spots popping up. And it certainly isn't from lack of water. So I'm not sure what else it could be.

I've read that I can use corn meal on it. Is this advisable with such young sod as the King Ranch, where I got the sod says no fertilizer for 6 weeks.

If I may also a stuped noob question. Is putting compost down the same as fertilizing?

If dchall or anyone else have any advice I'd really appreciate it.

Yes you have a fungal problem. Corn meal is the cure that has worked repeatedly for me. The only year it did not seem to work was our last really rainy year. I used it several times and had brownish grass all the way into November. Now I'm thinking it was working all along but all that rain just kept the fungus restarting all the time.

I can usually find corn meal at Mumme's Farm and Ranch on 281 North. You want ordinary corn meal, not corn gluten meal. Those folks seem to have learned the organic lessons fairly well so if you ask for ordinary, you'll get plain corn meal. Let me know if you are closer to another side of town. There are other places to find it. The application rate is 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. You should get enough for 2 apps and apply them 3-4 weeks apart. Do the entire lawn. As you said it keeps popping up. If you only put it on the brown spots, next week you'd have new ones.

"No fertilizer" means the sod was fertilized right before it was packed way. That always happens. They are talking about chemical fertilizer. Corn meal is obviously an organic fertilizer. The two have completely different fertility mechanisms. You can use both at the same time if you want, but you're not in that situation.

Compost is not a very good fertilizer. It is great for restoring the health of soil that has been poisoned or severely underwatered for months and months. If you want to fertilize with organics, use real fertilizer. In San Antonio compost costs about 10x more per 1,000 square feet than real fertilizer and gives you about 1/10 the fertility effect.

Another thing you might see in your grass is yellowing in spots. That is caused by the heavy rains. There are only two cures for that. One is time (next spring) and the other is greensand. The app rate for greensand is 40 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Ironite will not work on our limestone soil.

I really do appreciate your feedback! I've been lurking here for over a year planning my new sod work and you've been a great resource!

I went to Fertile Garden off 1604 after work and picked up a forty pound bag, which wasn't enough to cover the whole lawn (mine is approx 4500 sq ft) so I just hand tossed it over the affected areas. I had gone there before I saw your post. I'll go back and get another few bags to finish the rest of my lawn and have enough for a second treatment as you suggesed. Looks like we are in for more rain the next few days. Sigh, never thought I'd not want rain. LOL

I'll keep an eye out for those yellow spots and pick up some green sand for iron if needed too.

When you apply the corn meal, do you hand toss it or use a rotary spreader? Seemed too fine for the one I've got. Maybe there is something better?

On the advice of the fertile garden people, I also picked up a bag of fertilizer while there. They suggested I use Texas Tee (might be their brand?) Is that what you would define as "real fertilizer" as you put it?

http://www.fertilegarden.com/ViewProductGroup.asp?ProductGroupID=158

Again, really appreciate your input.

Did I just waste everything I spread to wash off or does it soak into ground and do something?

Just curious what the function of the corn meal is? Since it is powdery does it function to dry the areas and prevent fungus spreading, or does it actually do something for the soil.

I guess what I'm getting at is should corn meal only be spread when there is no rain in the forecast?

Thanks

Texas Tee has changed their ingredients from when I tried it. They used to have an interesting mix of feather meal, grains, and blood meal. Not sure what they have now. Yes, it is real fertilizer. Still I prefer simple alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow) or corn gluten meal.

You did not waste your corn meal unless it literally washed out. Some yards become rivers in rains like that. For those who were not there, it rained 2.5 inches in about 2 hours.

Corn meal grows a fungus called Trichoderma (try ko DER mah). That fungus is predatory on other fungal species. It will populate on the corn and then continue on to kill the disease. Sometimes a second app really helps.

Again, thanks much dchall.

That is very interesting regarding function on the corn meal. Predatory fungus, on other lawn fungus, LOVE IT! Haha. I'll put out a second app of it this weekend.