HS
Green slime, Poa annua and patchy lawn – what am I missing?
I have been neglecting the lawn while I got the deck built. I have pulled some what I believe is Poa out today. I have Etho and Meso, so I will watch the weather and try get that on.
I have one green slimy patch. Should I just dig this out?
I have some light patches also, I put All Seasons down about a month ago as well as boost.
What am I missing?
Yeah, you have bit of a green film going on there. Looks like algae, which is a sign that the ground is staying wet for extended periods. Most likely poor drainage and even some compacted soil which may explain why the grass is very thin/non-existent there from when you seeded. The surrounding grass looks healthy and algae isn't usually damaging to turf so I wouldn’t bother digging it out. You've got to fix the underlying issue otherwise it'll just return. Try pushing a screwdriver into the soil. If it's difficult to push in, the soil is probably compacted. You'll want to core aerate that area come September.
Regarding the suspected Poa, yep get some Etho down and follow the application instructions regarding pre-emergent and post-emergent application methods. I'd recommend not using Meso during winter as this will bleach your turf and will be very slow to grow out.
Regarding the light patches of turf do you think you might have a fungal outbreak? Winter Fusarium and even Red Thread are very common this time of year and will give a usually even coloured lawn a patchy look.
@Ben Wilton hey, thanks this is great advice. I will take a look at the lighter patches up close tomorrow and see if I can compare it to any of the fungus pictures.
Might not be a bad idea in spring to give it a core and pick them up and give it a sand top-dress to fill in the holes and help with draining.