Lawn is not growing in certain areas

project_headKs-G57uQ

Hello, I have come across an issue with my lawn and struggling to identify what the issue is. I laid a new lawn a few years back and it seemed to have established well and was looking in good condition. I am by no means an expert gardener and just wanted a smart regular family lawn! Recently certain areas of the lawn hardly seem to grow at all compared to the rest, with some areas thinning and becoming bald. I have tried to re-seed these areas multiple times with no success. I have successfully re-seeded other areas where healthier grass is growing and that has taken nicely. The grass is not over walked on and I water it regularly, feeding periodically as instructed. Never had an issue before, but the last few months indicate that something has gone wrong somewhere as new grass seeds are not taking at all. I did use some after cut weed and feed pellet things a few months back for the first and only time… not sure if this has altered the soil somehow? So, I am left scratching my head wondering if it is a PH issue, a disease or an animal/bug of some kind! I have attached some pictures of my lawn which show the effected areas compared to other healthier areas, just to see if anyone else has had this issue and could offer some advice on what to do to tackle the issue!

Much appreciated,

Paul

Dovefromabove

Hello @project_headKs-G57uQ and welcome to the forum 😊 

can I ask whereabouts roughly you are?  If you’ve had the sort of temperatures we here in East Anglia had recently it may well be that the soil may just be too warm for your grass seed to germinate 

https://lawncarepro.co.uk/best-temperature-for-grass-to-grow/

Fairygirl

The hot, dry conditions in many areas of the south will certainly make germination difficult, but the other problem is that the weed and feed could also have prevented it happening if there wasn't a good length of time left between using that, and sowing the seed. 

JennyJ

I agree with Dove, it's probably too warm for grass seed to germinate, as well as difficult to keep it moist. Maybe try again in the autumn when there's been some rain and the soil is consistently moist.

The dieback could have been due to overdosing the feed & weed on those patches, or cutting too short (which exposes the roots to strong sun) but the shape of the affected area makes me think feed & weed overdose. Another question - do you have a dog? Dog wee (more specifically, female dogs' wee) can kill grass if it's not diluted/washed away quickly.

Dovefromabove

Mid September is usually a good time to sow grass .., depending on the timing of the autumn rains. 

Fairygirl

The grass certainly looks very short, which isn't great if it's hot and dry in your area.
Even here, I don't cut it too short so that there's no stress on it if it's dry for more than 3 or 4 days.

project_headKs-G57uQ

Hello all - thank you for your responses and kind words, much appreciated!

It has been very warm and dry here in the Havering area, but I managed to successfully grow some seed in these conditions in the healthier parts of the lawn!

I think I may have done some damage with the weed and feed... maybe it has effected them areas. in bright sunlight the areas have a dark blackish tinge... and its been at least 3 months since I used it!!

I don't have a dog, although there are foxes that frequent the area!

I will take note re cutting the grass too short in hot conditions - lesson learned!

Chris-P-Bacon

It's way too short. In any weather.