NJ Lawns Community

Hey everyone, I'm totally panicking right now and hoping someone can help. I'm a first-time homeowner in Ridgewood and this is my first summer with aKBG lawn. I used Scotts Turf Builder Starter about 6 weeks ago to get the grass established, and now I've got these ugly brown patches popping up all over. Some areas are totally dead-looking while others just look yellow and sparse. I'm not sure if this is fungus damage or if I burned it with too much product? The weather here in Bergen County has been brutal lately - we had that heat wave in late May and I watered every day but still nothing looks good. My neighbor mentioned it might be dollar spot or brown patch (she's been here forever), but I've never dealt with lawn disease before. Should I try compost top dressing to fix this? I've heard good things about getting it from the Bergen County Composting facility. Or do I need to dig out and reseed? I'm so stressed because summerjust started and my lawn looks terrible already. Any advice from locals who know what works in this area would be amazing!

Whoa whoa whoa, hold up - you need to figure out WHAT you're dealing with before you start slinging compost around. Brown patches can be a dozen different things. First, are those patches getting bigger when it's humid? Dollar spot usually shows as small silver-dollar sized circles that can merge into bigger areas. Brown patch (which is actually a rhizoctonia fungus) typically shows up first in the leaf blades and creates those blighted areas - usually in hot humid weather when temps are above 80. That's been us the last few weeks unfortunately. If it's brown patch, the fungicide route is honestly your best bet for quick results. I know people here in Ridgewood who swear by Bayer Disease Control. The compost top dressing is great FOR PREVENTION and soil health, but it's not gonna stop an active fungal outbreak in its tracks - that's like putting bandages on a wound while the infection is still spreading. What I'd recommend? Get a proper ID from yourcounty extension office - they'll look at samples for cheap. In the meantime, hold off on the heavy watering at night. Water early morning so the grass has time to dry out. Wet blades + August humidity = fungus paradise.

Okay I'm gonna push back a little here - compost top dressing absolutely CAN help with fungal issues especially long term. I've been doing this for 10 years in Tenafly and I haven't had a fungicide application on my property since 2019. The key is building up your soil biology so it can outcompete the bad stuff. That said, Nate - if you've got ACTIVE infection going on, yeah you might need to address it more directly first. But here's what I'd do: get yourself some quality screened compost from a local source. I've gotten great stuff from the Bergen County facility - call ahead to see what's available. Apply about 1/4 to 1/2 inch layer AFTER you've treated with whatever fungicide you choose if it's that bad. The beneficial microbes in quality compost will help your lawn recover faster AND make it more resistant going forward. It's not either/or - it's using both approaches strategically. Also definitely check your watering habits. Deep and infrequent is better than light daily watering. Fescues and KBG like about 1-1.5 inches per week total, deeply applied. That encourages deep roots instead of shallow damp conditions that favor fungus.

Quick question - did you use the Scotts with the weed preventer included? Because if you put down a starter fertilizer WITH crabgrass preventer, you might have chemically burned the new seedlings. That happens a lot with the combination products. But honestly, based on what you're describing and the timing (6 weeks), I'm betting fungus honestly. We had extremely high humidity in late May/early June throughout Bergen county this year - I saw more brown patch calls in the last month than I've seen in quite some time. My professional take: hit it with a fungicide first (propiconazole or chlorothalonil based products work well for brown patch), then hit it with the compost top dressing approach CompostQueen mentioned. You're looking at recovery in 2-3 weeks if that's what it is. Don't panic reseed yet - once you get the fungus under control, you'll be amazed how much can come back. KBG has decent recuperative ability when it's健康的. For future reference, next spring hit it with a preventive fungicide application BEFORE the heat hits. Worth every penny. And honestly, consider mixing in some tall fescue seed - it's more heat-tolerant and many of us in the area are moving toward fescue/KBG blends anyway.

Wow okay thank you all SO much! This is incredibly helpful. Quick follow-up - I actually DO think I used the Weed & Feed version not the starter alone. Ugh that might be part of the problem?? Also @SoilScientist - can I come to you for help identifying what's going on exactly? I'm in Ridgewood near the high school if that's close enough. Also question about watering - I've been watering at night because I thought that was better to avoid evaporation in the heat. Is that making things worse?? I'm learning so much right now I'm kind of embarrassed lol.

Yeah watering at night is a HUGE mistake for humid summers here. That's literally培育 fungus. Trust me, I learned this the hard way in my first year too. Water between 5am and 8am max - you want the grass to dry out during the day. And yes, if you used Weed & Feed on new seedlings, that's very likely part of your problem. Those products literally have post-emergent herbicides in them, which don't know the difference between a new grass seedling and a dandelion. @SoilScientist runs a landscaping company in the area - he's solid. But honestly, you can also just bring a sample to the Rutgers Master Gardener plant clinic in Hackensack. They're super helpful and free. Just grab some sod from the edge of a brown patch (including some healthy-looking stuff nearby) and pop it in a ziploc.