Sounds like Summer Patch.

It was a consideration. I was convinced of it when more and more of the spots started not to recover. No signs of disease. No type of leaf lesion observed in the areas over the three years. Took advantage of the mole trenching to look at the roots in the dead patch ares next to the tunnels. No sign of disease.

Edit: Plus my pH is 6.3. Lol

There's something (rocks, debris?) under the soil preventing the roots from getting deep enough? Was there ever a tree there? Decaying tree roots can be a problem. But you said they are random. How hard is the soil in these spots? Can you get a screwdriver in easily?

Impressive. I thought it might take a little longer.

It's a tight soil. When it dries out it's impossible to drive a screwdriver into. When I initial prepped the soil and for the first three years, I aerated with a pull-behind pluger and filled with peat moss. After that the soil held moisture and stayed reasonably penetrable. So when I saw no symptoms of disease, I concluded that the peat moss may have been consumed and needed replenished. So I checked with my supplier to ensure they had twenty bales of sorghum, sourced some clean sand, bought a professional aerator and decided I'd begin to end this soil moisture problem once and for all (I've had to fight it to some extent from the very beginning).

I started the process last week with the aerator.. A disaster, it bucked all over the place. Now I knew the soil was rocky as i took out a number of rocks 5-10 the 50-75# variety. After which, I was confident I had them pretty well whipped as the pull behind aerator sunk easily to the hilt throughout the entire yard.

But after the bucking, I got out the spade fork and drove it into the multiple (20 to 50 between F&B) dry/dead patches. Almost everywhere I tried I couldn't drive more than 2 inches down before hitting rock. Getting a screwdriver revealed most of them are at least the size of a basketball with many larger.

At my age, my days of rock digging are over. I'm going to get an estimate for excavation of the yard and soil replacement, but that's mostly for chuckles as I expect the cost to be more than I'm willing to pay for a yard or time spent to start over. I'm rapidly losing interest in lawn care. Lol :/

Kudos Becky.

I was going to suggest...

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...a soil test.

I would think any landscaper with a box blade could pull those rocks up and relevel it for you. If you can get them by the hour it should only take a morning to do a residential size lot.

Yeah, I was thinking about doing a soil test or a texture analysis maybe. It could just be really coarse sand of the 1 ft. diameter variety.

I think I'll try shampoo and see if that helps the water and roots to penetrate this granite particulate substance. :)

I have done the shampoo thing and it softened a particular hard spot that stayed bare. I didn't dig down to see if there were any rocks. The shampoo worked and there is now grass there. I wouldn't think peat moss would be the best thing to use in aeration holes. When it dries out, it is hard to rehydrate it.

I wouldn't think peat moss would be the best thing to use in aeration holes.

Ymmv, but it worked very well for me.

I have done the shampoo thing and it softened a particular hard spot
that stayed bare. I didn't dig down to see if there were any rocks. The
shampoo worked and there is now grass there.

Are you saying shampoo might soften rock, basketball sized rock? :/

It won't do anything to the rock but helps whatever soil is there absorb water better. Something about the surface tension. So do you think these rocks have gradually been working themselves up to the surface? I'm guessing they weren't apparent 8 years ago. There is always artificial grass. You could build (or enlarge) a deck or a patio. Maybe you could redo the yard with plantings that require less water and just have a smaller lawn area. Give us pictures! We can suggest all sorts of things if we see what you have to work with.

I only water when there are drought conditions and no rain for 3 weeks.

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.

Another idea, not a long term solution, but may help for awhile: in the problem spots you could add some of the water polymer granules. They are used sometimes in houseplants. I've used Soil Moist Seed Coat which you mix with seed right before seeding. Here is a webpage for Soil Moist products and a similar product.

The rocks will be a problem for grass unless you get rid of them. But I'm wondering if there are more to take their place if you did remove the ones near the surface now. I'd guess they're coming up because of the freeze and thaw cycles. Eight years ago what depth of soil did you have when you seeded? What depth of soil do you have now in the good places? What was in the area before the houses were built? Do your neighbors have the same problem? What have they done about it? Has a soil survey been done for the area? While you're deciding what to do, you should get as much local knowledge as you can. Surely you're not the only one in your locality to have this problem. The local extension service may have information or advice.

Your watering regimen sucks. You should be watering when mother nature doesn't especially in prime growing tenps. Deep and infrequent? Sure but as the heat comes, you are probably not watering frequently enough and watering past the root zone which contracts if you do deep and infrequent. In newer developmens the top soil is also shallow so you cannot go too deep or too infrequent. In ideal temps you still need to water to get kbg to spread. I like Rachio. It does a better job watering than i would and i notice it watering more often than i would.

Although more stressful to let it go dormant, that's what i do in the heat of summer to keep poa triv at bay. But MSU says daily shallow watering is best in high heat. Better than yo-yoing in and out of drought stress.

Summer patch is definitely possible. But so are grubs. Acelypren is great if you want insurance.

I agree with Becky. Probably rocks. However, there is a chain store called Ewing Irrigation. The salesperson recommended AquaSmart Pro, combined with MVP Turfface for turf hotspot treatment. He says professional golf course technicians swear by it. I tried it on some areas that are poorly irrigated; near the driveway/road and in a storm water run-off swale. Obviously, we haven't hit the high temperatures yet but grass seeded last fall looks good. Have only irrigated turf once this spring. (NC 7b/8a) I actually stupidly offered my services to a neighbor because I thought sod would look better in an area that had some parking gravel in the perimeters of their driveway. Those rocks were halfway to China. I pulled six large wheelbarrows of stone out and wondered at my stupidity. They are really nice neighbors and there are plenty of stones left to decimate my, I mean...their sod. Such is life.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to give input and advice. It's appreciated.

I'm thinking dynamite might be called for in this situation. Maybe 1 stick for each rock timed to go off simultaneously. Think Bill Murray in Caddyshack.

Daniel, Very funny. Perhaps you should throw the Baby Ruth in the pool? Seriously, if our forum leaders are having challenges...what does that mean for the rest of us? I have only paid attention to turf for 3/4 of one year. I noticed the common bermunda is starting to creep back. I keep meaning to apply another round of tenacity.... but this business of turf is the hardest, most intensive gardening there is. Hats off to you boys (and Becky).

Tenacity won't really hurt Bermuda. Fluazifop + triclopyr is the key to Bermuda control. May take some fescue out too if applied in hot weather, or if over-applied.

I don't speak el foreign languagio fluazifop/triclo... It is all I could do to purchase Tenacity and Prodamine (haven't applied yet but waiting until fall). I am basically a klutz with chemicals. I tried Mark it Blue.... couldn't even see triple dose on my grass. Tenacity warns not to spray when Bermuda and poa annua (personal nemesis) are actively growing. That is girl code for nuke em now. :)

It's not just you, the blue marker is useless on green grass. Tenacity will injure Bermuda slightly, that's why they warn you not to use it. But as far as getting rid of it, not even close. Heck, a dose of RoundUp won't kill Bermuda. Anyway, don't want to hijack ridgerunner's thread, here's a short article I wrote on Bermuda control in fescue. It did the job, I don't see it coming back - yet.

http://lawniac.com/eliminating-bermuda-from-your-lawn

Prodiamine should have gone down March 1st. You did put that down, yes?

Agreed not cool to hijack ridgerunner's thread. Sorry to ridge. Snarf on March application. I am not quite assimilated.....yet :) I do have a small worm farm, ya know?? crunch crunch, chapel hill