I have a lawn question too... it might be "technical".

[Papa Deuce]

Every year my lawn gets all the treatments. And every spring the lawn gets wonderfully green. It absolutely looks great to me. Then, about 5 weeks later I get a 2 fout round patch that turns brown. Every year, the same patch, at the same time. The rest of the lawn is unaffected.

Any ideas?

 

[buckylarue]

That's where the alien spaceship lands...

 

[JudicialTyranny]

I have something similar - in my situation, it's an area near the top of my driveway. When the house was being built, they had a big pile of gravel there (for the septic system I think).

Later, after they used the gravel, they spread top soil over the area and seeded.

I think the soil layer is too thin and it causes that area to get stressed out when it gets warm. I think its either because the layer of gravel under the soil causes the area to heat up quickly or it causes moisture retention problems.

It could be totally different than your situation, but if you were really curious, you could dig a hole in the area and see if you hit anything strange.

Another reason is that it could be a different type of grass that just goes dormant in warmer weather.

 

[phillybeth]

Sounds like a fungus to me. But I'm no expert, I just stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night

 

[Pop Daddy]

do you pee there

 

[DizGeek]

I had a similar experience and it turned out that there was a small (natural)gas leak there....do you have a gas pipe in that area?

 

[Papa Deuce]

Sounds like a fungus to me. But I'm no expert, I just stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night

Wow! I was just thinking of you yesterday! And Bam!... here you are!

 

[Papa Deuce]

do you pee there

only after 11PM.

 

[phillybeth]

Wow! I was just thinking of you yesterday! And Bam!... here you are!

Quick, think of a million dollars!

 

[monkeyboy]

Crop Circles?


Do you have septic?

 

[Papa Deuce]

Crop Circles?


Do you have septic?

nope.....

 

[hemispheredancer]

Grubs??? If so, get them now before they infect your whole lawn. A lot of yards in our 'hood have grubs and I really believe they don't know. I think they think it's dead grass. DS happened to be digging in some dirt in the backyard and showed DH the maggot he dug up. It was a grub and not a maggot!!! They have a brown head and white body. DH put a good dose of GrubEx on the front and back.

 

[Disney Doll]

A few things come to mind: grubs, fungus, a "pee spot" for your (or a neighbor's) dog, something undergorund, such as a gas or oil leak.

Did you ask your lawn guys about it??? Maybe they would know more.

 

[Papa Deuce]

A few things come to mind: grubs, fungus, a "pee spot" for your (or a neighbor's) dog, something undergorund, such as a gas or oil leak.

Did you ask your lawn guys about it??? Maybe they would know more.

Grubs might be my best guess on my own. I have Scott's lawn service. They say this will be in the area this week and take a look.

No pee spots. He is only allowed in the back yard. And no dogs ever run loose around here.

Hopefully Scott's will know.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

It is called a "Hot Spot". You need to dig it up and get rid of the soil and start over there. Cut out a square and refill with new stuff.

It could have been someone poured oil, gas, in the area and now the soil is damaged, it may have rotting wood buried creating fungus growth, a pile of rocks, etc....

 

[JudicialTyranny]

Grubs might be my best guess on my own.

I doubt it is grubs because you said it happens every year in the same spot.

If it were grubs, the area would be dead (grubs eat the roots) and not come back. The grubs would grow up into beetles and fly away and lay their eggs somewhere else.

Like Mystery Machine and I said, there is probably something under or in that soil causing it.

Let us know what the Scotts guy says.

 

[Towncrier]

We had a similar crop circle in our backyard a few years ago. It turns out that there was a lid to a 55 gallon drum buried just an inch below the topsoil. The grass grew just fine until the first hint of drought. Then it would die in a perfect circle. I have also heard that it is quite difficult to get grass to grow where a tree had been growing. Maybe there had been a tree in that location that has long since been cut down (although I don't know why old roots from a tree would cause grass to not grow).

Good luck in your efforts to get the grass to grow.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Maybe you have to adjust your sprinklers - the water may not be getting to that area.

 

[CajunDixie]

Save yourself some money and dig up the spot yourself. Scott's will look at it now while the grass is there and say nothing is wrong. Or they'll take your word for it and charge you $$$ to remove the current soil, replace the soil, reseed, and fertilize the spot.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Save yourself some money and dig up the spot yourself. Scott's will look at it now while the grass is there and say nothing is wrong. Or they'll take your word for it and charge you $$$ to remove the current soil, replace the soil, reseed, and fertilize the spot.

ACtually this one is a free evaluation of trees, plants, and shrubs on my property. They said the would take a look at the grass for no charge since they were there anyway and they already service my lawn.

If they can't convince me that they know exactly what is wrong I will do just what you said.... dig it up myself and replace it.