Lawn is looking worse every day - Pic attached
 

I have a 1.5acre lot in upstate NY that we just seeded last sept/oct. The grass came in really thin last year because it was to late and cold to get it to get higher than an inch or two. I added Scotts winter (4 - 15,000sqft bags). This spring (about april) my grass looked FANTASTIC, really dark green but not very thick yet. Some areas that are shaded more are nice and thick and green but the rest of the yard the grass is yellow and burnt looking. It looks like the grass is rotten or brown and dead at the base but as it gets to the top it gets greener. I am in complete sun and in pure sand. I have an inground irrigation system with rainbird 5000 heads. Last year i watered 15mins per zone (i have 16zones, each zones nozzles totaling a flow of 12GPM). Meaning to water 1.5acres i am using roughly 2900 gallons of water. I did this 4 times a day to get the seed to germinate. This year i did the same in the spring, but the rain sensor tripped when we had rainy days. I keep reading to cut back and water deep and in the morning. I changed to 20mins a zone, every other day starting at 5am until i think around noon. The grass got crispy and dried out. I now water 15mins a zone (which is a 4hr cycle) starting at 5pm, then at 10pm, then again at 3am, then at 8am. The grass is looking better but still yellow and crappy. I just put down scotts turf builder today HOPING it will come back to normal.

Can i cut back on my watering, or is it because i am in pure sand that i need to water this much. I cannot seem to water deep and get it to survie, and remember i have 16zones which 30mins takes 8hrs so i feel i have to water at night.

Or is my lawn just lacking nutrients and now that i fertilized i should be good? How can i tell when it is in need of fertilizer nice water?

What do you think?

The fertilizer given to lawn should contain the macronutrients, with basic nutrients:Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K). Micronutrients are also important for healthy plant growth.Lack of calcium turning your grass yellowish.

Before applying lawn fertilizers,go for soil testing which ensuring the right fertilizers are given to lawn.

Lawn is looking worse every day - Pic attached
 

turbosl2 wrote the following:
I have a 1.5acre lot in upstate NY that we just seeded last sept/oct.
The grass came in really thin last year because it was to late and cold
to get it to get higher than an inch or two. I added Scotts winter (4 -
15,000sqft bags). This spring (about april) my grass looked FANTASTIC,
really dark green but not very thick yet. Some areas that are shaded
more are nice and thick and green but the rest of the yard the grass is
yellow and burnt looking. It looks like the grass is rotten or brown and
dead at the base but as it gets to the top it gets greener. I am in
complete sun and in pure sand. I have an inground irrigation system with
rainbird 5000 heads. Last year i watered 15mins per zone (i have
16zones, each zones nozzles totaling a flow of 12GPM). Meaning to water
1.5acres i am using roughly 2900 gallons of water. I did this 4 times a
day to get the seed to germinate. This year i did the same in the
spring, but the rain sensor tripped when we had rainy days. I keep
reading to cut back and water deep and in the morning. I changed to
20mins a zone, every other day starting at 5am until i think around
noon. The grass got crispy and dried out. I now water 15mins a zone
(which is a 4hr cycle) starting at 5pm, then at 10pm, then again at 3am,
then at 8am. The grass is looking better but still yellow and crappy. I
just put down scotts turf builder today HOPING it will come back to
normal.

Can i cut back on my watering, or is it because i am in pure sand that i
need to water this much. I cannot seem to water deep and get it to
survie, and remember i have 16zones which 30mins takes 8hrs so i feel i
have to water at night.

Or is my lawn just lacking nutrients and now that i fertilized i should
be good? How can i tell when it is in need of fertilizer nice water?

What do you think?


There is not much nutrients in sand to support growth. Overwatering it
just washes what there is of it down further.
It is probably growing better under the trees because the decaying of
falling leaves provide nutrients there.
You will have to rake in some compost wherever you want grass.


--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

Lawn is looking worse every day - Pic attached
 

On Jun 21, 8:26*am, willshak wrote:
turbosl2 wrote the following:





I have a 1.5acre lot in upstate NY that we just seeded last sept/oct.
The grass came in really thin last year because it was to late and cold
to get it to get higher than an inch or two. I added Scotts winter (4 -
15,000sqft bags). This spring (about april) my grass looked FANTASTIC,
really dark green but not very thick yet. Some areas that are shaded
more are nice and thick and green but the rest of the yard the grass is
yellow and burnt looking. It looks like the grass is rotten or brown and
dead at the base but as it gets to the top it gets greener. I am in
complete sun and in pure sand. I have an inground irrigation system with
rainbird 5000 heads. Last year i watered 15mins per zone *(i have
16zones, each zones nozzles totaling a flow of 12GPM). Meaning to water
1.5acres i am using roughly 2900 gallons of water. I did this 4 times a
day to get the seed to germinate. This year i did the same in the
spring, but the rain sensor tripped when we had rainy days. I keep
reading to cut back and water deep and in the morning. I changed to
20mins a zone, every other day starting at 5am until i think around
noon. The grass got crispy and dried out. I now water 15mins a zone
(which is a 4hr cycle) starting at 5pm, then at 10pm, then again at 3am,
then at 8am. The grass is looking better but still yellow and crappy. I
just put down scotts turf builder today HOPING it will come back to
normal.

Can i cut back on my watering, or is it because i am in pure sand that i
need to water this much. I cannot seem to water deep and get it to
survie, and remember i have 16zones which 30mins takes 8hrs so i feel i
have to water at night.

Or is my lawn just lacking nutrients and now that i fertilized i should
be good? How can i tell when it is in need of fertilizer nice water?

What do you think?

There is not much nutrients in sand to support growth. Overwatering it
just washes what there is of it down further.
It is probably growing better under the trees because the decaying of
falling leaves provide nutrients there.
You will have to rake in some compost wherever you want grass.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

If it's really just sand, as opposed to sandy loam, then I'd
agree that is part of the problem. However, I suspect the
bigger problem is the watering practice. When you've seeded
you need to water several times a day to keep it constantly
wet for germination. But that was last Fall. Now the grass
needs to be watered at most ONCE a day and then not
again until it needs it. With sandy soil, that might mean
watering it every 3 days. With average soil you might get
away with every 5 days this time of year. That assumes
no rain from nature, typical temps, established turf.

There are a few things wrong with watering it the
way it's being done. By splitting up the watering, you
lose more to evaporation. It takes a certain amount of
water to get everything wet before water reaches the
soil. And when you stop, what's left on the grass
evaporates. You're only running 15 min cycles, so
a significant amount of what you are putting down
never reaches the soil, ie a higher percentage is
being lost than if you did it in one shot.

Watering at 10PM is the worst time. It leaves the grass
wet all night. With summer temps that can be high at
night, that is a prescription for fungus and disease. Given
your location and the weather so far, you're probably OK.
But if you get into July with higher temps, watch out. You
want to water starting in the early morning hours so that
it's ending before the sun can evaporate it. That way you
lose the least to evaporation, but also don't leave it wet
all night. Watering during the day should usually be
avoided because more water is lost to evaporation.

Finally, even if you put all the watering you are doing
into one period which would make an hour, you might
be surprised at how little water is making it to the turf.
Get some used tuna cans and place them in random
spots and find out how much water you are actually
putting down. The fact that the grass is doing well
in the shady areas suggests to me that there is a
good chance this is a watering problem. In full sun
with 1.5 acres, you're going to need a hell of a lot
of water. You should be putting down a min of 1/2".
I don't know what kind of system you have, but if
it's the typical residential system, I bet it's going
to have to run a very long time.

Lawn is looking worse every day - Pic attached
 

On Jun 21, 9:13*am, "
wrote:
On Jun 21, 8:26*am, willshak wrote:





turbosl2 wrote the following:

I have a 1.5acre lot in upstate NY that we just seeded last sept/oct.
The grass came in really thin last year because it was to late and cold
to get it to get higher than an inch or two. I added Scotts winter (4 -
15,000sqft bags). This spring (about april) my grass looked FANTASTIC,
really dark green but not very thick yet. Some areas that are shaded
more are nice and thick and green but the rest of the yard the grass is
yellow and burnt looking. It looks like the grass is rotten or brown and
dead at the base but as it gets to the top it gets greener. I am in
complete sun and in pure sand. I have an inground irrigation system with
rainbird 5000 heads. Last year i watered 15mins per zone *(i have
16zones, each zones nozzles totaling a flow of 12GPM). Meaning to water
1.5acres i am using roughly 2900 gallons of water. I did this 4 times a
day to get the seed to germinate. This year i did the same in the
spring, but the rain sensor tripped when we had rainy days. I keep
reading to cut back and water deep and in the morning. I changed to
20mins a zone, every other day starting at 5am until i think around
noon. The grass got crispy and dried out. I now water 15mins a zone
(which is a 4hr cycle) starting at 5pm, then at 10pm, then again at 3am,
then at 8am. The grass is looking better but still yellow and crappy. I
just put down scotts turf builder today HOPING it will come back to
normal.

Can i cut back on my watering, or is it because i am in pure sand that i
need to water this much. I cannot seem to water deep and get it to
survie, and remember i have 16zones which 30mins takes 8hrs so i feel i
have to water at night.

Or is my lawn just lacking nutrients and now that i fertilized i should
be good? How can i tell when it is in need of fertilizer nice water?

What do you think?

There is not much nutrients in sand to support growth. Overwatering it
just washes what there is of it down further.
It is probably growing better under the trees because the decaying of
falling leaves provide nutrients there.
You will have to rake in some compost wherever you want grass.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

If it's really just sand, as opposed to sandy loam, then I'd
agree that is part of the problem. *However, I suspect the
bigger problem is the watering practice. * When you've seeded
you need to water several times a day to keep it constantly
wet for germination. * But that was last Fall. *Now the grass
needs to be watered at most ONCE a day and then not
again until it needs it. *With sandy soil, that might mean
watering it every 3 days. *With average soil you might get
away with every 5 days this time of year. *That assumes
no rain from nature, typical temps, established turf.

There are a few things wrong with watering it the
way it's being done. *By splitting up the watering, you
lose more to evaporation. *It takes a certain amount of
water to get everything wet before water reaches the
soil. *And when you stop, what's left on the grass
evaporates. * You're only running 15 min cycles, so
a significant amount of what you are putting down
never reaches the soil, ie a higher percentage is
being lost than if you did it in one shot.

Watering at 10PM is the worst time. *It leaves the grass
wet all night. *With summer temps that can be high at
night, that is a prescription for fungus and disease. *Given
your location and the weather so far, you're probably OK.
But if you get into July with higher temps, watch out. *You
want to water starting in the early morning hours so that
it's ending before the sun can evaporate it. *That way you
lose the least to evaporation, but also don't leave it wet
all night. * Watering during the day should usually be
avoided because more water is lost to evaporation.

Finally, even if you put all the watering you are doing
into one period which would make an hour, you might
be surprised at how little water is making it to the turf.
Get some used tuna cans and place them in random
spots and find out how much water you are actually
putting down. *The fact that the grass is doing well
in the shady areas suggests to me that there is a
good chance this is a watering problem. * In full sun
with 1.5 acres, you're going to need a hell of a lot
of water. *You should be putting down a min of 1/2".
I don't know what kind of system you have, but if
it's the typical residential system, I bet it's going
to have to run a very long time.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

After posting this, I went back and ran the numbers
on the data given. You're putting down 2900 gallons
of water 4 times a day on 1.5 acres. That works
out to a whopping .07" of water each of those
4 times a day that you water.
Most of that gets used up just getting the grass
wet or in evaporation and very little makes it to the
roots. If you applied
it as ONE watering, then you'd be putting down .28",
which is better, and a larger percentage would make
it into the soil, but it's still not much water. And that
assumes the water is perfectly distributed, which
it is not. Bottom line, to water that area the way it
needs to be done could take 32 hours of watering.

Couple of things you can do to verify this, besides
putting out the tuna cans. Take a look at the grass
in the few inches around the sprinkler heads. The
heads always leak some and those areas will get
more water. If that grass is green, it's telling you
something. You could also lift a few sections of
turn with a spade and check how much moisture
there is 2-3 inches down.

Will that also cause it to look deteriorated at the root and brown/yellow. Or does lack of fertilizer just make it look yellow but still thick and full. My grass is far from thick and full like it used to be in the spring. I think it may be from the winterizer

You could be correct, i do NOT bag my grass either.

I am not sure if i am ready to go to watering every three days. I water at night because i am scared that i cannot get enough water on it in the morning. Watering 30mins per zone is 8hrs of watering. I split it up because i and in sand and it percolates so fast. If i want the watering to finish by 7am and 30mins a zone i have to start at 11pm. I am not sure what time i want the watering to finish by. I dont think i want it to finish any later then 7am because it will evaporate fast wont it? I do start watering at 4pm but maybe i should get rid of that start time.

What do you think about starting at 11pm and running to 7am daily for now. I dont want to wash my fertilizer away because it cost $150 each time i do it, but i am affraid to cut the water back alot too.

I read alot about the fungis and night watering, is this true if you are in sand and it percolates so fast? This is why i split up the cycle.

Watering at 10PM is the affliction time. It leaves the grass wet all night. With summer temps that can be top at night, that is a decree for bane and disease. Given your area and the acclimate so far, you're apparently OK. But if you get into July with college temps, watch out. You want to baptize starting in the aboriginal morning hours so that it's catastrophe afore the sun can clear it.

Well i am not sure what i can do when if i water for 30mins a zone it will take 8hrs and put down minimal water. If i start at 10pm it i will finish at 7am. Not sure how i can get around that.

How does watering this much affect fertilizing?