My property is almost 2 acres with many trees and what used to be a nice lawn for a property of that size. Two years ago some areas of the lawn were getting thin to the point of turning bare in places. At first I wasn't too worried because of where those spots were located and chalked it up to a difficult weather situation that year.
Last year was no better. I tried to seed, but was having trouble keeping all the seeded areas watered, so concentrated on just one area near the house. I had young grass starting to grow, but this spring the areas were bare again. It seems even worse than before.
I sprayed insecticide starting a year or two ago and don't think I have grubs, but am at a loss as to what is happening. The areas start under trees, but what is puzzling is that I used to have a lot full of elm trees, most of which are now dead and gone. I have planted many new trees, so there is lots of shade, but it was even shadier before when I had all the elm trees. So I have a hard time believing it's a lack of sun.
I fertilize regularly and I aerate each fall. I was doing it myself, but when these bare spots started occurring I signed up with a professional lawn care service for fertilizing the lawn. That hasn't helped. I am at a loss as to what to do. My next step was to take a soil sample to the ISU Extension office, but thought I'd post on here first to see if any of you experts have an idea of what is going on.
I mowed my lawn on a high setting for the first time a few days ago, but only mowed the healthy areas of the lawn. I completely avoided the thin and bare areas totally. I plan to continue mowing the healthy areas at a high setting and avoiding the thin spots and hope they start to fill in. I've thrown down some seed in the thin areas prior to the recent rains, so I'm hoping that helps, but it feels like I'm in a losing battle.
Last year was no better. I tried to seed, but was having trouble keeping all the seeded areas watered, so concentrated on just one area near the house. I had young grass starting to grow, but this spring the areas were bare again. It seems even worse than before.
I sprayed insecticide starting a year or two ago and don't think I have grubs, but am at a loss as to what is happening. The areas start under trees, but what is puzzling is that I used to have a lot full of elm trees, most of which are now dead and gone. I have planted many new trees, so there is lots of shade, but it was even shadier before when I had all the elm trees. So I have a hard time believing it's a lack of sun.
I fertilize regularly and I aerate each fall. I was doing it myself, but when these bare spots started occurring I signed up with a professional lawn care service for fertilizing the lawn. That hasn't helped. I am at a loss as to what to do. My next step was to take a soil sample to the ISU Extension office, but thought I'd post on here first to see if any of you experts have an idea of what is going on.
I mowed my lawn on a high setting for the first time a few days ago, but only mowed the healthy areas of the lawn. I completely avoided the thin and bare areas totally. I plan to continue mowing the healthy areas at a high setting and avoiding the thin spots and hope they start to fill in. I've thrown down some seed in the thin areas prior to the recent rains, so I'm hoping that helps, but it feels like I'm in a losing battle.
Last edited:
