Have you started watering yet this year? I live in Bandera and don't expect to start watering for another few weeks...unless we get the traditional Memorial Day downpour. If we get that then I might not start until July. How have you been watering? How often and for how long?

I have started to water about 3 weeks ago. Watering once a week. Following your advice for tuna cans, and mowing at highest setting.

I'm having the same problem. I noticed that some of the grass in my neighborhood (north of houston) is doing this as well.

In my yard, all the yellowed leaves are almost "pinched" in the middle. The bottom of the leaf is closed - then the pinch - then the yellow open leaf at the top:

Watering once a week is too frequent this time of year. Here are the instructions for that.

Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall.

My concern would be fungus, especially if you have been watering already this year and watering once a month. Most of Central Texas has received more rain than we have in Bandera and my lawn is growing just fine without supplemental irrigation. I have noticed other, unwatered, yards getting kind of crunchy, though, mine is not. Those with more dense turf are doing fine without water. So Steven I would stop watering for a week to see if the grass starts to look dry. The blades will fold together when it dries out. If it does that, then water it deeply and leave it alone until the blades fold together again. Count the days it can go before really needing to be watered.

Your first fertilizer application of the spring should go down on Memorial Day. I realize both of you have jumped that gun, but try to remember that for next year.

Your first weed-n-feed application should be NEVER. It's too late here to go into that, but if you read around on this forum it's explained pretty well in about 5,000 posts.

So basically I'd say stop watering unless the grass really needs it and see what it looks like in 2 weeks. If it looks the same or worse, then I would start with corn meal at a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Give that 3 weeks to show improvement. I've had excellent results with corn meal against fungal disease since 2002. Cost for 50 pounds at a feed store should be under $10.

thank you dchall_san_antonio. I have some corn meal from last year. I will try that in a few weeks.