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arockerdude

My Kentucky Blue Grass / Rye Grass Lawn is Turning Yellow and Ora

arockerdude
14 years ago

My Kentucky Blue Grass / Rye Grass lawn is turning yellow and orange

Does anyone know why it is turning orange and yellow and if there is something I can do to help it? We have been getting a lot of rain and the ground is saturated. I did fertilize with some Nitrogen the other day to see if I could green it up some. Thanks Dave

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Comments (14)

  • bpgreen
    14 years ago

    Here's your answer:

    "We have been getting a lot of rain and the ground is saturated."

    When the ground is saturated, the grass suffers. It could be suffering from iron chlorosis as a result of too much water. If so, it's temporary and will improve once the soil dries out somewhat.

    If it goes on too long, you could get a fungus.

  • garycinchicago
    14 years ago

    >"If it goes on too long, you could get a fungus."

    First pic ... center towards the bottom where it is really in focus, there already is "leaf spot".

    Throwing nitrogen at leaf spot can do more harm sometimes. Better to apply a fungicide ASAP and then allow the lawn to dry out.

  • lawndivot12
    14 years ago

    First off that isn't Kentucky bluegrass, it looks like it is part blue grass and other strains of an old bluegrass called Kentucky blue 31. This seed was used extensively by highway departments to plant along roadsides hill sides etc. That white stuff might be a fungus already.. You will make it get green again but the yellow will always return. I used this on my hillside just for erosion but it will never make a good front lawn. If I were you I would keep overseeding with a good seed like Midnight and eventually get a nice lawn. I think your lawn is mostly tall fescue and that gets yellow. I hope I am wrong but don't think so. Lawndivot12

  • lawndivot12
    14 years ago

    Gags
    Kentucky 31 bluegrass is one of the oldest strains of any bluegrass on the market. I know it isn't Ken Blue. One reason it isn't bluegrass is that it is a tall fescue among others.This grass is much wider bladed than Kentucky bluegrass. Bluegrass makes a tight turf but if you kook closely the yellowed grasses are actually semi clumps and not actually a turf. The yellowed blades are the undesirable seeds in this picture.

  • arockerdude
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Oh it is definitely KBG and Rye. I hand pull every piece of Winter grass, fescue and weeds that I see. There is only one supporting fiber per grass blade. The soil is semi clay type and it is saturated and compacted. I also believe this is fungus and Iron chlorosis.
    I purchased this sod from the Sodshop.com They are a shop out of Martinez Ca. That sales Sod for the Mellow Turf Ranch In Patterson Ca. They call this sod Mellow Rye. It is a 80 percent Blue Grass 20 percent Rye grass lawn. For purchasing turf in the California Bay area the Sod Shop is the place to go. My Boston Terrier really does a number on the lawn and it tends to clump. The lawn is great during the Summer I get a lot of compliments and it is the best lawn I can find anywhere I go. I was just wondering if there was anything that could be done for it. Last Winter someone out here said to spray milk on it not fungicide so I donÂt kill the good bacteria. I did and it seemed to help. I do wonder if this lawn is an older strain of KBG and not as disease resistant as the newer strains. I am going to try and over seed with a newer strain of KBG. But IÂm not quite sure how to go about that. Do I sprinkle seed and then try and sprinkle top soil over the seed and existing lawn? And what time of year should I do it? Also where do you all purchase your seed and what KBG do you recommend? Thanks Dave
    Here are some pictures of the lawn during the Summer.
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    This is the guy that tears it up! My Boston Terrorizer!
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    One fiber only on every blade!
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    Only a couple years since planted here.
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    This lawn below is a Dwarf fescue lawn 10 minutes after I planted it at my brothers house. The blades are really thick! lots of fibers holding up each very thik blade.
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    The back lawn also 80 20 mix
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    Thanks for the help Dave
    I left a link below for more pics of my KBG, Roses, Fruit TreeÂs and such below.
    http://fototime.com/inv/DDBCFA726E0E5DC

    Here is a link that might be useful: KBG, Roses, Fruit Trees

  • garycinchicago
    14 years ago

    >"I hand pull every piece of Winter grass,"

    Define "winter grass".

  • arockerdude
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Winter grass - I figured I would be questioned on that one He he. It is just another name my buddy (the lawn guy) uses for annual Blue and Rye grass. It is much lighter green than perennial Rye and Blue grass.

  • Gags
    14 years ago

    If not for the fear of:

    1. Having my neighborhood go up in flames
    2. Having my neighborhood washed away in a flood
    3. Having my neighborhood be swallowed up in the next quake,

    I'd move to California in a heartbeat just to be able to have roses like that!

    And if you have time at some point - I'd love to hear some tips / lessons learned on the sod project you laid. Having tried to lay down just a few strips of sod this fall, I'm envious of the job you did for your brother.

    Regarding the actual fungus - try posting on the organics forum - several users have success with ordinary corn meal applied at (I think) 10-20 lbs / 1000 sq. ft. Not sure of your location - they usually pick it up at feed stores pretty cheaply.

    Best of luck,

    Gags

  • arockerdude
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    1. Having my neighborhood go up in flames
    2. Having my neighborhood washed away in a flood
    3. Having my neighborhood be swallowed up in the next quake,

    #1 No fires if you stay away from the hill's where there are lots of old dead tree's
    #2 Floods - Just stay away from those few areas
    #3 Will yea Earth Quakes are defiantly scary! Can't do much about that. I would recommend a one story ground level house. As you can see I have a two story Cape Cod style home. I'm always worried we will get shook off our foundation. Earthquake insurance it is too expensive with huge deductibles!
    Everything does grow good here though. Weather is nice most the year. LetÂs see sod laying tips. When I lay sod I straighten the sod edges and corners as I go and make sure no grass gets stuck between the sod edges. This will avoid dead grass and brown and yellow stripes between the sod pieces that can make fungus and just makes for a bad start. I spray the ground with water and put down a little fertilizer as I lay the sod. I always use my square so I get nice square edges when I cut sod. Sometimes I donÂt even till the ground. Sod will live on the patio if you water it. I do it all the time. DonÂt over water your new lawn. Get out there and lift up the sod and see how wet it is. If you over water your new lawn you will get chlorosis and fungus like I have now from too much rain. If I need to replace a small spot I use a plate or bucket for a stencil and cut out the bad piece. Then I use the plate or bucket to cut a new piece of sod from extra sod that I keep on the patio or garden. If you are going to put in French drains or remove and replace tree's itÂs better to do it first. I did it all backwards. I have a spot were an old tree and its roots were removed and it keeps sinking along with the trenches were I put the drains. If you put drains. It is good to attach your rain gutter down spouts to them. Also if you dig your ditch for your sprinklers try to keep the top soil separate from any clay soil that may be down lower and put the soil back in the whole the same way you took it out. The grass grows better on the top soil than the clay. ThatÂs about all I can think of for now other than I like Blue Grass because it self fills. But. If you have shade you will need to over seed now and then were it thins out. I left a link below to other garden pics. I like to grow fruit trees as well. I get all my info for the roses and fruit tree's here on GardenWeb. Take care Dave

    Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Pics

  • grasslover69
    14 years ago

    Did you ever get this issue sorted out? I'm having similar problems, and would like to know your solution if you did.

  • grasslover69
    14 years ago

    Just to chime in again, I added some fertilizer(37-0-0) to a small area of the lawn to see if it would help, and apparently it did, as the area I added it to has greened up quite a bit. This probably won't work at this time for those in cooler areas, but here in eastern NC, the temps aren't too bad.

    I also added iron to a different section of the lawn, but there wasn't much change, so at this point I'm going with fertilizer as my solution.

  • arockerdude
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Grasslover69 IÂve had this problem every winter since I planted this lawn seven years ago. This is the second winter that I fertilized with nitrogen and it cleared right up and the lawn turned dark green again. I'm sure the ground drying out a bit helped also. The nitrogen seems to help get the grass growing again so that it can get pass the fungus.

  • grasslover69
    14 years ago

    Thanks, arocker.