Hello . I have one year old bluegrass sod. Sand and clay soil. We were not
advised to add top soil (I wish we had). Last October the lawn went
dormant yellow brown. This spring it looks bad slow growth.
I had it aerated and de-thached but there is still a lot of dead grass
present I am trying to rake it out.
I have applyed Scotts products to supply nitrogen, iron and stimulate root
growth, its get plenty of water..and no dice. There should be an inch or
two of growth by now ...slow growth slow to green.
I cant afford to replace $8000.00 of sod WHAT CAN I DO?

sodworry wrote:

Hello . I have one year old bluegrass sod. Sand and clay soil. We were not
advised to add top soil (I wish we had). Last October the lawn went
dormant yellow brown. This spring it looks bad slow growth.
I had it aerated and de-thached but there is still a lot of dead grass
present I am trying to rake it out.
I have applyed Scotts products to supply nitrogen, iron and stimulate root
growth, its get plenty of water..and no dice. There should be an inch or
two of growth by now ...slow growth slow to green.
I cant afford to replace $8000.00 of sod WHAT CAN I DO?

"Help" is a special word, escpecially when SHOUTED. Please use it properly.

If you spent $8000 on sod, what does the company that installed it say?
I certainly would have them looking at it and giving an opinion. Did
you get any kind of guarantee? It's impossible to diagnose this type
of thing remotely. It can even be difficult to diagnose by inspection.
You say you were not advised to add top soil, but how much top soil is
there? You should have at least 6 inchs of decent soil, 8 is even
better. How frequently are you watering it? Too much water and
nitrogen can do harm by promoting fungus and disease, particulary in
hot weather. At this point, you should probably be watering it twice a
week, with about 3/4 inch at a time, unless it rains. It should not
be constantly wet or soggy.

At this point, I'd contact a local agricultural extension, if they have
them in your area. In many areas, these are free and you can typically
find them in the county govt listings. You can take them a sample and
they will give an opinion.

I would also ask them for a recommendation for a turf consultant. You
can also find them listed in the yellow pages or the internet. A good
one may charge $500 for a visit, but if you've got $8000 on the line, I
would get one real fast. These guys are typically professors at agri
colleges, ex-professors, etc. with lots of experience. They usually
consult for golf courses, sports fields, parks, etc. Check their
credentials. If it turns out there was something wrong with the sod or
how it was sold, their expert opinion could be needed if you want to
try to recover money from the sod installer.

Kentucky bluegrass should not have gone "dormant yellow brown". If it's
bahia and yellow-brown in the winter it's probably dormant. If it's
Kentucky bluegrass and yellow-brown it's probably dead.

You may be about 5 months too late to effect a solution. Take out a big
piece, roots and all, and take it to your extension service ASAP, preferably
along with a photo of your entire yard, but expect the worst. Then take your
sample and the extension service's comments to whoever installed the sod and
see what they'll do -- Regards --

"sodworry" wrote in message
lkaboutgardening.com...
Hello . I have one year old bluegrass sod. Sand and clay soil. We were not
advised to add top soil (I wish we had). Last October the lawn went
dormant yellow brown. This spring it looks bad slow growth.
I had it aerated and de-thached but there is still a lot of dead grass
present I am trying to rake it out.
I have applyed Scotts products to supply nitrogen, iron and stimulate root
growth, its get plenty of water..and no dice. There should be an inch or
two of growth by now ...slow growth slow to green.
I cant afford to replace $8000.00 of sod WHAT CAN I DO?

"William W. Plummer" wrote in message
...
sodworry wrote:

Hello . I have one year old bluegrass sod. Sand and clay soil. We were
not
advised to add top soil (I wish we had). Last October the lawn went
dormant yellow brown. This spring it looks bad slow growth.
I had it aerated and de-thached but there is still a lot of dead grass
present I am trying to rake it out.
I have applyed Scotts products to supply nitrogen, iron and stimulate
root
growth, its get plenty of water..and no dice. There should be an inch or
two of growth by now ...slow growth slow to green.
I cant afford to replace $8000.00 of sod WHAT CAN I DO?
"Help" is a special word, escpecially when SHOUTED. Please use it
properly.

Chill Will

"Heidi the Horrible" wrote:
Chill Will

Wuzn't that a 60's tune?

Steveo wrote:
"Heidi the Horrible" wrote:
Chill Will

Wuzn't that a 60's tune?

^^^^ never mind ^^^^

That wuz, don't mess with bill.