Was it by design that you don't mention the type of grass you have. It certainly isn't Kentucky Blue or ryegrass...and I suspect its a type of southern grass....zoysia, or centipede maybe...

"Better things for better living ....through chemistry".

The old saying which identifies the company Du Pont...has certainly made life easier by its production methods.

Whether you believe in modern chemistry for help is up to you....you can pay for it now.....or pay for it later....
seems I've heard that saying before too....
is also your choice.

But with the size of acreage you have, it would definitely be an assist if you were to kill the weeds with the use of something that that company produces.

The clover, like any other weed, will die when confronting a weed killer....and not damage natural growing grasses.
Excepting for special grasses....such as Bemuda....a broadleaf weed killer will kill all such weeds without hurting natural grass. Bermuda grass will though be killed with such use.

The sedge grass, from what I read about it, is a very hard weed to reach due to its rhizome --underground growth and spread, nature.

Weed killers should be used by a method which induces the chemical to get down deep. This is accomplished by watering heavily first.....wait for a specified time, then apply the herbicide.
The watering first acts as a drawing tube to bring the herbicide down where it can do the most good.

It is often said that we should allow our lawns to grow to about 3" - 3 1/2" to shade out the weed seeds and over time can have an effect on the common broadleaf weeds that persistently grow in our lawns.
Your video though surely shows your lawn is much more higher than 3 1/2".....or is this a misconception on my part.
It certainly looks as though it needs a cutting.

Brown patches are always a risk after the lawn goes through a tough winter. Drought, as well as too much water applied, can cause short roots....which, when the first touch of summer heat touches it, it dies.
Most grasses that die simply because of summer drought, will come back as soon as cooler temperatures return.
But, if its due to too much or too little water, then replacing with plugs, or an over seeding, might be the only way to fix the patches.
Of course, a scheduled application of nitrogen fertilizer can cause such bare patches to fill in over a few weeks..

Well your first step should be ignoring most of Goren's post, as it is filled with incorrect information, and is of little help to you. Sorry Goren, you constantly post on this site and more often than not your advice is both terrible, as well as poorly written.

With regards to the weeds, use a liquid herbicide, applied via a tank sprayer or hose end sprayer. Weed B Gone Chickweed, Clover, and Oxalis killer will take care of the clover. Weed B Gone max will take care of most of the other broadleaf weeds in your yard. Nutsedge you can kill with Sedgehammer, or Ortho's Nutsedge killer, available at Home Depot. These herbicides are absorbed foliarly, not through the roots, so you don't want to apply these right before it rains. Read all labels, as some of these cannot be applied when it's too hot. Also they work best when weeds are actively growing, so if it's been very dry, then you should be watering regularly to keep them active before you apply the herbicide. Clover often needs two applications of CCO, so you might have to reapply two weeks after your first application. I assume your children will be home at that time, but if you follow the directions, and they don't eat the lawn/weeds, their exposure will be negligible, less than what they are exposed to when eating most fruits and vegetables you get at the store, but it's your call. You can also minimize weeds by applying preemergent herbicides (Dimension is the most popular) in late winter/early spring, and late summer/early fall.

Dead brown areas can be caused by a few things. Grubs are a potential cause. The test for grubs is to look for them. Grass in areas of grub damage usually pulls up very easily, and you will be able to see them in the soil. Grub damage generally takes a while to happen, it's not overnight, so in your case, it sounds like it wasn't grubs. Fungal diseases are probably the most common cause of dead patches of grass. It's a problem for anyone growing grass, from greenskeepers to homeowners. Good cultural practices can minimize fungal outbreaks, but with grass it's just a fact of life. To reduce fungal risk don't let the grass get too long, don't overwater, and don't fertilize in the summer. Lack of water is another cause, which can also show up in areas of soil that have rock/debris just below the surface. I suspect the areas near your walkway have very shallow soil since you have failed to keep grass growing there. You can test these areas by inserting a long screwdriver into the soil. It should go in fairly easily, if not then you might have issues just below the surface. Also areas near driveways, walkways, roads, etc get much higher soil temps, which often requires more irrigation in times of no rain. Another thing that can cause brown patches is grass going dormant. It usually happens mid summer, and with drought, so probably not likely since NJ has had plenty of rain this month, and temps are just starting to get up there. Also annual bluegrass dies off in summer, and poa triv turns brown and fades away regardless of soil moisture.

Your lawn looks to be a mix of different species, often called a northern mix. Probably perennial rye, some Kentucky bluegrass, maybe some tall fescue, and fine fescues. Mixed lawns can look nice, and they do have their advantages, but they can also look inconsistent, and respond to stress differently.

I recommend you get a soil test (basic soil test at www.loganlabs.com). This will tell you many things, including any soil deficiencies that negatively affect your grass. No more fertilizer (synthetic) till September. You can apply organic if you want during the summer, but I wouldn't overdo it. Water your grass when it needs it. Most grass can get by on one inch of water a week during the summer. If mother nature doesn't come through for you, then apply one inch in either one, or two applications (.5 inches every 3-4 days). If you have very sandy soil then you might have to come up with a different schedule since sandy soils don't hold water well. Your grass will tell you when it needs water by its appearance. Drought stressed grass gets darker and thinner in appearance as the blades close up to conserve moisture. Keep your grass around 3 inches long, mowing regularly when it reaches about 4.25 inches. Grass that's too short will be stressed in the heat, too long and it won't dry out thus increasing fungal disease risk. Also keep your blade sharp. There's really not a lot more to it, it's not rocket science.

Tiemco,

I will respond to your questions later today but first I want to control the brown spots if possible before its too late.

Yesterday I tried to see how easily the grass pulled up in the brown spots, and well, it wasn't too easy but also not too difficult. I'm not sure exactly how to test for grubs without ripping up a small patch with a spade.

I did find the following video on YT...should it be this easy? The guy basically scratches the turf and practically peels it back.

Here is a link that might be useful: identlfying a grub infestation

Or should it pull up almost like a shaggy carpet like in this video?

Here is a link that might be useful: grub test

Tiemco,

1. I definitely don't let the grass get too long, though in the early spring I tend to mow it shorter than I do in the summer. Could this be a factor? I usually stop mowing it shorter right as soon as temp hits 75F regularly and growth is not as quick between mowings.

2. To prevent thatching issues I hardly ever mulch when mowing. Usually I only mulch (or partially mulch using my chute lever) when its been less than 7 days between mowings. In the summer when grass goes dormant I tend to mulch more frequently. Any suggestions on this?

3) I definitely don't overwater however we did get a lot of rain in NJ in June.

4) Only fertilizer so far that I put down has been the Greenup in March and the Espoma Organic a few weeks ago.

5) Not an expert here but I think you're right that my lawn is a northern mix.

6) Will look into the soil test but won't these results change each time you apply something to your lawn?

7) Approx how long should I run my sprinklers in order to get the 1 inch of water per week?

Thanks again.

I doubt you have grubs, but if you did, pulling on a brown patch of grass would result in the removal of the whole bunch. It would be fairly easy to do, and you would probably see grubs in the soil.

1. I definitely don't let the grass get too long, though in the early spring I tend to mow it shorter than I do in the summer. Could this be a factor? I usually stop mowing it shorter right as soon as temp hits 75F regularly and growth is not as quick between mowings.

Again, fungus can strike any time, regardless of how high or low you mow. Some diseases affect the roots, some are foliar. Some are active in low temps (snow mold), medium temps, or high temps. The one thing almost all of them have in common is they generally appear in times of wet conditions. The northeast has had a lot of rain, and it is no surprise that you may have had a spot of disease. Most people mow a bit higher in the summer, which is fine, as long as you don't let it go to the point where the grass never dries out.

2. To prevent thatching issues I hardly ever mulch when mowing. Usually I only mulch (or partially mulch using my chute lever) when its been less than 7 days between mowings. In the summer when grass goes dormant I tend to mulch more frequently. Any suggestions on this?

It has been shown that mulch mowing doesn't lead to thatch. Thatch is more a function of grass type. TTTF doesn't develop thatch, KBG does, fine fescues do, etc. Mulch mowing returns nutrients and organic matter to your soil, which is good for it. I tend to bag mow because my lawns have shady areas, and I feel the clippings can increase my risk of brown patch, but in a full sun lawn I wouldn't really worry about it especially if you mow frequently.

3) I definitely don't overwater however we did get a lot of rain in NJ in June.

You can't control mother nature, although when I know it's going to rain for days on end I tend to mow lower than usual. Not scalping it, but cutting it so it won't lay down on itself.

4) Only fertilizer so far that I put down has been the Greenup in March and the Espoma Organic a few weeks ago.

March is a bit early for spring fertilizing unless it's organic. Synthetics force topgrowth, and March is too early in NJ to be pushing topgrowth.

5) Not an expert here but I think you're right that my lawn is a northern mix.

There is tons of info on how to identify grass on the web. Pull some blades that look different and compare them to what you see online.

6) Will look into the soil test but won't these results change each time you apply something to your lawn?

Not really. Most of the nutrients you are looking at are fairly stable in the soil. Nitrogen on a soil test is a worthless number, Logan Labs doesn't include it. Being on the east coast I would expect you to have acidic soil unless you apply a lot of lime, or the previous owners did. Unfortunately most people apply the wrong type of lime, which will raise pH, but will also tighten up your soil.

7) Approx how long should I run my sprinklers in order to get the 1 inch of water per week?

There is no real answer for this. It depends on your water pressure, what sprinklers you are using, and how long you water. The easiest (and cheapest) method is to put out an empty tuna can(s) in the lawn in every zone you water. Water for say thirty minutes, then check how much water is in the cans. Also an inexpensive rain guage can go a long way in determining how much you need to water to supplement mother nature.

Okay, so nothing I can do immediately to improve the brown patches I guess. The area in question is definitely in full sun for most of the day so I don't suspect moisture is a factor.

When you have a mix of grass types it is possible to get a disease in one type of grass and not the others. Since they are mixed, it can look exactly like what you see. I would be thinking fungal disease in those spots.

My favorite solution is ordinary corn meal at 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Tiemco can help you with a chemical fungicide if you want to do that.

How can it be a fungal disease if this is probably the sunniest part of my backyard, meanwhile the rest of my yard isn't having this issue? I mowed two days ago and it seems that the brown/yellow spots are getting bigger.

Remember all that rain you got last month? That's how you get fungus in the middle of the sunny areas. I have some, too.

I liked that grub guy link you posted. I liked it all the way up until he said to put down insecticide as a preventative next year. NEVER do that!! Grubs are rarely a problem for anyone. If you get them once, treat for them right away. If you get them again next year, you would be one in a million. But when you kill all the insects in the lawn with an insecticide, including the microarthropods deeper in the soil, you throw the balance of nature waaay off. Soils absolutely must have a complete population of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, AND micro arthropods to function properly. All the predators that normally come to your soil for a meal of bugs would leave your lawn. It's just not good. The best thing you can do for soil is to keep away from antiseptic products, fungicides, and insecticides. If you have to use one or the other, please minimize its use and recover with some excellent compost.

dchall,

So there's nothing I can do to get rid of the fungus? Shouldn't there be a way to test that it is a fungal disease? Will it recover anytime soon? Or will it now just go dormant? If this is a problem that requires intervention, what is the corrective action?

In regards to the insecticide, wouldn't it be in my best interest to eradicate disease-carrying insects like tics especially since my kids are outdoors a lot?

Why would I want to invite predators to my lawn to snack on insects? Aren't those two things that I don't want?

If I decide to apply insecticide, how to minimize use as you suggest? By reducing recommended application rates? Can you elaborate on recovering with compost...how soon, what type, how much, etc.