Something VERY Strange

[Janet]

Originally Posted by pope1982

Maybe a squirrel got struck by lightening lol

Oh pope!!!

ROFLMAO.gif

[Janet]

It's still there. Not any bigger, but not any smaller. I am now a little paranoid...I watch the night skies more and that can be a good thing...I just don't want to see anything weird...lol

[Marilyn]

We have spots like that appearing all over the back half of our back yard, and we have a lawn service that treats the grass and our trees to keep them all healthy. They say it's some kind of fungus, and their treatments are not fixing it. Hubby has given me the task of finding someone to come and give us a second opinion tomorrow.

Maybe one of the aliens misfired when aiming at our yard and hit your yard by mistake.....

I love pope's theory though about the squirrel, only we don't have squirrels in our neighborhood. Maybe it's some other rodent exploding here.

[gja1000]

If it is a fungus, you can fix it yourself, Marilyn (and Janet). Mix two cups of milk in a gallon of water with a drop of liquid dishwashing soap (to make it stick to leaves/grass). Spray (or pour if not a big area) every five days. Do 3 applications of milk/water every five days. If it is a fungus, it will take care of it.

Marilyn, it could also be grubs - which the fungicides and milk (which is a natural fungicide) will not take care of it. You have to apply beneficial nematodes - you can buy them at an organic garden store. Follow the directions explicitely. They are living microscopic organisms that eat grub eggs and flea eggs, and also fire ant eggs. You won't have any of these critters in your yard if you use beneficial nematodes.

I'm the natural gardening queen

[Marilyn]

Gayle, hubby attended a men's BBQ at church today and the guys all decided it's cinch bugs. One of the guys lives across the fairway from us, and said he had the same problem They said to sprinkle cornmeal on the areas for 3 weeks. I had heard sprinkling Tide would work, so we're doing Tide on the front lawn and cornmeal in the back and will see if one of them works. It not, we will try the milk mixture you suggested or the beneficial nematodes. We do have fire ants from time to time, so couldn't hurt. Thank you for the gardening help!!

Don't think Janet expected this to turn into a gardening discussion.

Janet, has your spot changed shape any??? and is the white stuff still around??

[Janet]

The white stuff has mysteriously quit appearing, but the star is still there. Still no change is size either.

[Marilyn]

Originally Posted by Janet

The white stuff has mysteriously quit appearing, but the star is still there. Still no change is size either.

Interesting, Janet!! Keep us posted. Seriously. I'm curious.

[Marilyn]

Gayle, just talked to hubby, and we're going to do it all. Spray with the milk solution let it dry, apply the cornmeal in back yd, Tide in front, and get the beneficial nematodes, too. We have an organic nursery in town, they are sure to have them.

Thanks for the advice. We should at least have a nourished lawn.

I'm agravated though because we pay someone to take care of our grass and this happens!! What a waste!!

[gja1000]

Originally Posted by Marilyn

Gayle, just talked to hubby, and we're going to do it all. Spray with the milk solution let it dry, apply the cornmeal in back yd, Tide in front, and get the beneficial nematodes, too. We have an organic nursery in town, they are sure to have them.

Thanks for the advice. We should at least have a nourished lawn.

I'm agravated though because we pay someone to take care of our grass and this happens!! What a waste!!

Marilyn,
Yard services usually use chemicals to fertilize and control disease. Studies done by A&M showed that organic fertilizers work better than chemical fertilizers and that most organic solutions for diseases are just as effective as chemicals. If they have put fertilizer on your yard lately, that is what is feeding the fungus (if that is what it is). I let someone mow my yard, but I take care of all the feeding.

Never put nitrogen fertilizer on your yard where you have a fungus (or brown patches - unless you know it is grubs). Also, don't put the cornmeal where the fungus may be because it has a little nitrogen in it. However, if it is grubs, then the milk won't help and the cornmeal won't hurt. It will take the nematodes a few weeks to wipe out the grubs - since they eat the eggs, not the live grubs. But as the live grubs die with their natural life cycle, then no new ones will be born. You probably won't get green grass back till next summer - but you might, if it doesn't get too cold too soon.

Be sure to apply the nematodes when it is cool - I think evening is best. You have to mix the nematode dirt with water - don't use tap water, if it has chlorine in it - the chlorine will kill some of them, not all, but some. They must be watered into the soil thoroughly. Since you live so far south, they will make it through the winter and you won't have to apply them next year, and maybe not the next either, if you water in the summer. If you don't water once a week in the heat of the summer, they will dry out and die and you'll have to apply them again. You'll know they are gone when the fire ants return. I only apply them once every 2-3 years. We NEVER have fire ants or fleas in our yard. I haven't had to treat my two little Yorkies for fleas ever, unless we travel and stay out in the RV for a while.

Good luck!