I think my yard has some type of fungus or dieses. I have a very large tree
that has something on the leaves. Some type of fungus/discoloration. I have
tried to lay sod 2 times, but each time it dies. First was centipede and the
second was St Augustine. The backyard is mostly covered by the tree and the
grass dies within a few weeks. The front is not covered, but it dies after a
season. In the back I even tried spreading that seed mix that has everything
including rye grass and that didn't even take. I had some real thin blade
grass sprout then die.

I want to try a soil testing company, but it looks like they only test for
PH and Nitrogen. Is there any that test for dieses as well ?

Thanks
Jason

In article , "Jason Walter"
writes:

I think my yard has some type of fungus or dieses. I have a very large tree
that has something on the leaves. Some type of fungus/discoloration. I have
tried to lay sod 2 times, but each time it dies. First was centipede and the
second was St Augustine. The backyard is mostly covered by the tree and the
grass dies within a few weeks. The front is not covered, but it dies after a
season. In the back I even tried spreading that seed mix that has everything
including rye grass and that didn't even take. I had some real thin blade
grass sprout then die.

I want to try a soil testing company, but it looks like they only test for
PH and Nitrogen. Is there any that test for dieses as well ?

Thanks
Jason


Jason
Your problem could be related to pH. Extremes of high and low pH ,
too acid or alkaline, could cause plants to die.

I would not assume diseases at this point, but would start at the
beginning with a pH test and tests for Phosphorus, Potassium,
Magnesium, Sulfur, and Calcium. Most companies are able to
do those basic tests. They will also interpret them and make some
recommendations. You say "looks like they only do pH and N,"
have you talked with the company and asked? Most companies
will do the whatever test you are willing to pay for. You will likely
need to ask for the interpretation and possible solutions and be
prepared to may more for advice.

Soil texture could also be a problem. Is the soil very sandy or clay?
Perhaps you need to water more if its sandy. or less if clay. Maybe
amendments such as organic matter would help. If you do water, is
the water able to penetrate to the roots?
Are there other plants in the area that are growing well?

Good luck
Emilie
NorCal

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 16:01:44 +0000, Jason Walter wrote:

I think my yard has some type of fungus or dieses. I have a very large
tree that has something on the leaves. Some type of fungus/discoloration.
I have tried to lay sod 2 times, but each time it dies. First was
centipede and the second was St Augustine. The backyard is mostly covered
by the tree and the grass dies within a few weeks. The front is not
covered, but it dies after a season. In the back I even tried spreading
that seed mix that has everything including rye grass and that didn't even
take. I had some real thin blade grass sprout then die.

I want to try a soil testing company, but it looks like they only test for
PH and Nitrogen. Is there any that test for dieses as well ?

Thanks
Jason

Contact your county extension specialist for advice to see what is
available in your area. Quite often it is possible to take samples to the
hort department of a good university.

We're lucky here, we have the U of Wisconsin. The school has a turfgrass
research facility.

Esper K. Chandler is president of this company. He has won many awards
for his work.
He has studied with Elaine Ingham, http://www.soilfoodweb.com. You might
check them out and give them an e-mail or fax and see what they can do.
They've always diagnosed my clients right.
http://www.txplant-soillab.com/

J

Jason Walter wrote:
=

I think my yard has some type of fungus or dieses. I have a very large =
tree
that has something on the leaves. Some type of fungus/discoloration. I =
have
tried to lay sod 2 times, but each time it dies. First was centipede an=
d the
second was St Augustine. The backyard is mostly covered by the tree and=
the
grass dies within a few weeks. The front is not covered, but it dies af=
ter a
season. In the back I even tried spreading that seed mix that has every=
thing
including rye grass and that didn't even take. I had some real thin bla=
de
grass sprout then die.
=

I want to try a soil testing company, but it looks like they only test =
for
PH and Nitrogen. Is there any that test for dieses as well ?
=

Thanks
Jason

-- =

Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky
2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal

"Jason Walter" wrote in message
. com...
I think my yard has some type of fungus or dieses. I have a very large
tree
that has something on the leaves. Some type of fungus/discoloration. I
have
tried to lay sod 2 times, but each time it dies. First was centipede and
the
second was St Augustine. The backyard is mostly covered by the tree and
the
grass dies within a few weeks. The front is not covered, but it dies after
a
season. In the back I even tried spreading that seed mix that has
everything
including rye grass and that didn't even take. I had some real thin blade
grass sprout then die.

I want to try a soil testing company, but it looks like they only test for
PH and Nitrogen. Is there any that test for dieses as well ?

Thanks
Jason


Most good soil labs will test for a huge range of diseases. But it is on a
individual basis, expensive and not diagnostic in nature - you must ask them
to test for specific disease. So you have to pretty much know what's wrong
before you test for it - the test is more or less just a confirmation one
way or the other.

The first thing I would do is contact the local extension office and have
them recommend a soil pathologist - they could possibly have one on staff.
You need someone who specializes in problem soils and diseases examine your
yard and look closely at the soil. They will then be able to narrow down the
problem considerably, resulting in perhaps only one or two tests to request.

I'm not convinced you have a soil disease. There are few, if any, diseases I
am aware of that would cause both trees and turf to fail. It may be some
other soil issue - poor drainage, lack of nutrients, chemical contamination,
etc. A well trained soil specialist should be able to tell you.

Lack of light or insufficient watering may be all that's wrong with your
lawn.


pam - gardengal

OK. Thanks for the help. It seems the consensus here is that I most likely
do not have a disease. I'' give a soil test a shot and see what happens.
Thanks.
jason


"Jason Walter" wrote in message
. com...
I think my yard has some type of fungus or dieses. I have a very large
tree
that has something on the leaves. Some type of fungus/discoloration. I
have
tried to lay sod 2 times, but each time it dies. First was centipede and
the
second was St Augustine. The backyard is mostly covered by the tree and
the
grass dies within a few weeks. The front is not covered, but it dies after
a
season. In the back I even tried spreading that seed mix that has
everything
including rye grass and that didn't even take. I had some real thin blade
grass sprout then die.

I want to try a soil testing company, but it looks like they only test for
PH and Nitrogen. Is there any that test for dieses as well ?

Thanks
Jason

Where are you at and do you know what kind of tree you have?
"MLEBLANCA" wrote in message
...
In article , "Jason
Walter"
writes:

I think my yard has some type of fungus or dieses. I have a very large
tree
that has something on the leaves. Some type of fungus/discoloration. I
have
tried to lay sod 2 times, but each time it dies. First was centipede and
the
second was St Augustine. The backyard is mostly covered by the tree and
the
grass dies within a few weeks. The front is not covered, but it dies
after a
season. In the back I even tried spreading that seed mix that has
everything
including rye grass and that didn't even take. I had some real thin blade
grass sprout then die.

I want to try a soil testing company, but it looks like they only test
for
PH and Nitrogen. Is there any that test for dieses as well ?

Thanks
Jason


Jason
Your problem could be related to pH. Extremes of high and low pH ,
too acid or alkaline, could cause plants to die.

I would not assume diseases at this point, but would start at the
beginning with a pH test and tests for Phosphorus, Potassium,
Magnesium, Sulfur, and Calcium. Most companies are able to
do those basic tests. They will also interpret them and make some
recommendations. You say "looks like they only do pH and N,"
have you talked with the company and asked? Most companies
will do the whatever test you are willing to pay for. You will likely
need to ask for the interpretation and possible solutions and be
prepared to may more for advice.

Soil texture could also be a problem. Is the soil very sandy or clay?
Perhaps you need to water more if its sandy. or less if clay. Maybe
amendments such as organic matter would help. If you do water, is
the water able to penetrate to the roots?
Are there other plants in the area that are growing well?

Good luck
Emilie
NorCal

Where are you at and do you know what kind of tree you have?
"MLEBLANCA" wrote in message
...
In article , "Jason
Walter"
writes:

I think my yard has some type of fungus or dieses. I have a very large
tree
that has something on the leaves. Some type of fungus/discoloration. I
have
tried to lay sod 2 times, but each time it dies. First was centipede and
the
second was St Augustine. The backyard is mostly covered by the tree and
the
grass dies within a few weeks. The front is not covered, but it dies
after a
season. In the back I even tried spreading that seed mix that has
everything
including rye grass and that didn't even take. I had some real thin blade
grass sprout then die.

I want to try a soil testing company, but it looks like they only test
for
PH and Nitrogen. Is there any that test for dieses as well ?

Thanks
Jason


Jason
Your problem could be related to pH. Extremes of high and low pH ,
too acid or alkaline, could cause plants to die.

I would not assume diseases at this point, but would start at the
beginning with a pH test and tests for Phosphorus, Potassium,
Magnesium, Sulfur, and Calcium. Most companies are able to
do those basic tests. They will also interpret them and make some
recommendations. You say "looks like they only do pH and N,"
have you talked with the company and asked? Most companies
will do the whatever test you are willing to pay for. You will likely
need to ask for the interpretation and possible solutions and be
prepared to may more for advice.

Soil texture could also be a problem. Is the soil very sandy or clay?
Perhaps you need to water more if its sandy. or less if clay. Maybe
amendments such as organic matter would help. If you do water, is
the water able to penetrate to the roots?
Are there other plants in the area that are growing well?

Good luck
Emilie
NorCal

Jason: What kind of tree do you have? If it's a black walnut, it's
likely to be the cause of your problem. The roots secrete a substance
called juglone which is toxic to many plants. The leaves may be toxic
too (not sure of that). There are some plants that can tolerate living
with walnuts, but maybe grass isn't one of them. The other point about
your tree, if it casts a really dense shade, whether or not it's a
walnut, it could be just shading out the grass. Grass is meant to grow
in the sun, not shade, and it is a waste of effort to try and have a
lawn in dense shade. How about just mulching the whole area with wood
chips, pine needles or something like that.? Think of the time and
effort you'd save! As I used to tell the customers at the garden center
who wanted to grow grass in shade, "'Mother Nature always has the last
word"! Good luck.

Jason Walter wrote:

OK. Thanks for the help. It seems the consensus here is that I most likely
do not have a disease. I'' give a soil test a shot and see what happens.
Thanks.
jason


"Jason Walter" wrote in message
.com...


I think my yard has some type of fungus or dieses. I have a very large


tree


that has something on the leaves. Some type of fungus/discoloration. I


have


tried to lay sod 2 times, but each time it dies. First was centipede and


the


second was St Augustine. The backyard is mostly covered by the tree and


the


grass dies within a few weeks. The front is not covered, but it dies after


a


season. In the back I even tried spreading that seed mix that has


everything


including rye grass and that didn't even take. I had some real thin blade
grass sprout then die.

I want to try a soil testing company, but it looks like they only test for
PH and Nitrogen. Is there any that test for dieses as well ?

Thanks
Jason









--
Joseph S. Larson
27 Arnold Road
Pelham, MA 01002-9757
413-256-8256
http://myprofile.cos.com/larson358