Not to mention I think the OP might have figured out what happened
without our help if it were caused by oil or a water heater. And
since when does water from a gutter have toxic petrochemicals capable
of killing a lawn?


BTW, for the OP, putting fertilizer on a lawn at the first sight of
problems is often the worst thing to do. Nitrogen, warm temps, and
water tend to promote fungus and disease. Personally, I never apply
fertilizer during the summer.




wrote in message ...
vonroach wrote:
On Tue, 12 Aug 2003 18:23:19 -0700, "Steve T"
wrote:

Live in California. My lawn is well established, 15 years+. Noticed that
the lawn is dying in certain areas. I go to rake and the area comes up.
Something eating the roots. Lawn appears to be just laying on top of
soil. I have used Scott's Summer Blend fertilizer and followed up with
Ortho Diazinon a few weeks later with no help. Newer areas continue to
appear. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank you, Steve T.

You omit some important info. What sort of turf (grass)? Have you had
anything that might pass for a drought? Has the grass been exposed to any
sort of chemical (particularly salt) as from a discarded water heater or
other appliance? Has grass been exposed to any type of petrochemical
(oil) as might occur if an automobile were parked on it or water from the
gutter splashed on it? Have you added any `dirt' recently from other than
a reliable source? Have you checked for `brown spot'? Take a tin can
with both ends removed and twist it into the soil in a problem area, fill
it with water, and see if any little bugs or worms come to the surface.
I suspect that a few days of good rains may solve your problem. Droughts
make wonderful opportunities for various fertilizer and pest remedy
peddlers.

I've never seen drought eat the roots.