What's up with my lawn? Part dying and black dots

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timmmay

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Topic # 215069 11-Jun-2017 07:45

I have three (small) sections of lawn. This section is probably the most shaded and with the least breeze.

A small square maybe 50x40cm is dying off, and this section of the lawn has black dots all over it - they're not holes. None of the other sections have either of these problems. Best guess, bad luck it's dying off, and the black spots are some kind of fungus?

Click photos to enlarge.

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Reply # 1797901 11-Jun-2017 08:00

It could be a spillage. Take the photos into a plant shop they will tell you what the issue is.

Mike
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MikeB4

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Reply # 1797902 11-Jun-2017 08:17

I suggest raking away the dead grass and a bit beyond the healthy and dispose in the rubbish bin not in green waste. Then brown the soil and again dispose of being careful not to spread. Wait until spring and put seed to freshen. The winter cold will deal to any fungal problem.

If it's grass grub buy some cheap Warehouse laundry powder and sprinkle around it will deal to the grass grub. Note it will kill some surface worms as well.

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tdgeek

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Reply # 1797907 11-Jun-2017 08:57

MikeB4: I suggest raking away the dead grass and a bit beyond the healthy and dispose in the rubbish bin not in green waste. Then brown the soil and again dispose of being careful not to spread. Wait until spring and put seed to freshen. The winter cold will deal to any fungal problem.

If it's grass grub buy some cheap Warehouse laundry powder and sprinkle around it will deal to the grass grub. Note it will kill some surface worms as well.

Brown the soil? Typo? Or what do you mean Mike?

Ive got a grass issue, was going to start a thread but haven't yet, keen to hear what you mean

timmmay

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Reply # 1797919 11-Jun-2017 09:44

I do get grass grub sometimes, but it's not the season for it. I have a pest control guy who deals with it for me, using chemicals that consumers aren't allowed. They killed a whole lawn once before I caught them.

I could remove that grass, but weeds would grow. I doubt it's a spill, if anything it could be animal urine.

Might put some iron on to kill fungus and ignore it until spring.

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mdf

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Reply # 1797920 11-Jun-2017 09:52

I was going to say mole people and/or mortlocks. Mrs MDF, who is much wiser in such things than I, has suggested either Tasmanian Grass Grub (which has a different season from normal grass grub) or Porina Caterpillar.

timmmay

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Reply # 1797960 11-Jun-2017 10:46

Porina looks like it could be the problem. I'll head down to the local garden shop and get something that will hopefully kill both. Thanks :)

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k1w1k1d

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Reply # 1797987 11-Jun-2017 12:32

Wife says it is grass grub. Dig up a small patch to confirm.

Hammerer

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Reply # 1797995 11-Jun-2017 13:07

I think you'r right that it is porina. See the lawn photo at http://www.kiwicare.co.nz/help/problem/?sid=porina

We had much the same look last year in a patch on the most shaded area of our back lawn. We've had it several times and it was always porina. We're on the flat in Lower Hutt. Funnily enough, we didn't do anything to treat it and it is gone this year. The difference may be that we had a mild winter last year.

timmmay

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Reply # 1798011 11-Jun-2017 14:02

Garden center saw more photos and thinks it's grass grub, and has seen quite a lot of it in our area. I have something that will treat both. I should've gotten onto it a couple of weeks ago but didn't get around to it. I'll just have to throw a bit of seed out in spring.

Thanks all.

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Oblivian

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Reply # 1798063 11-Jun-2017 15:44

We had porina doing it. Lil bastards. Those moths you see late at night fluttering around.. dropping their eggs everywhere..

Another giveaway is when they get too large they will leave their carcass everywhere. Brown caterpillar looking mess

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Reply # 1798143 11-Jun-2017 19:02

tdgeek:
Brown the soil? Typo? Or what do you mean Mike?

Few drops of oil in a frying pan on medium heat, drop in the soil and stir until brown and crispy.

Not sure how this will deal with the grass rot though.

Jared777

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Reply # 1798283 12-Jun-2017 08:32

Hey...I noticed my lawn had a similar look to it when I went to mow yesterday. Not really dying off like yours, but lots of little black patches.

The only thing I could attribute it to was birds. I saw some birds going to town on the lawn after some wet weather a few days back...assumed there were worms around.

I didn't take too close a look at it yesterday since I thought it was just birds, but it was just interesting to see someone with something so similar. Do you live in Wellington? Will take a closer look at it later to see if it's more serious.

morrisk

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Reply # 1798286 12-Jun-2017 08:41

The birds are making the holes to get the grass grubs

timmmay

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Reply # 1798287 12-Jun-2017 08:42

Jared777:

Hey...I noticed my lawn had a similar look to it when I went to mow yesterday. Not really dying off like yours, but lots of little black patches.

The only thing I could attribute it to was birds. I saw some birds going to town on the lawn after some wet weather a few days back...assumed there were worms around.

I didn't take too close a look at it yesterday since I thought it was just birds, but it was just interesting to see someone with something so similar. Do you live in Wellington? Will take a closer look at it later to see if it's more serious.

Yep, northern suburbs. Apparently quite a lot of grass grub around. If any of the black spots look like burrows then you have grass grub.

This guy is a pest controller in Wellington, masters degree in pest control. If you can't be bothered doing it yourself, or you can't, he cost around $100 to get rid of it last time. It cost $35 for materials to do 160 square meters, but I find I can't apply it at the low rate specified and I end up using about double. So DIY is cheaper, if you do it only once.

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timmmay

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Reply # 1798300 12-Jun-2017 08:52

morrisk:

The birds are making the holes to get the grass grubs

Seems plausible. I thought it was the grubs coming to the surface for some reason.

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