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Diagnosing and preventing brown spots in lawn

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In my lawn, there are random brown spots about the size of a tennis ball or slightly larger. This condition only seems to happen during mid to late summer, nothing earlier. I fertilize about every six weeks and mow weekly, never cutting more than 1/3 of the grass blade. I don’t have pets, though there are plenty of squirrels and birds. I have a lawn irrigation system that I operate on designated days with about 20 minutes in each zone. What is causing the brown spots and how do I eliminate them?

What a great analysis of your lawn problem; it shows you pay attention to details in the management of your turf. It appears you have a fungal disease called “dollar spot,” so named because the sunken dead spots are about the size of a silver dollar. The spots are about 2 to 3 inches wide, and several spots may grow together, killing a larger area. The fungus can survive in an unseen dormant state in infected turf. When the daytime temperatures reach 60 to 80 degrees, it resumes growth and infects healthy grass blades. Dollar spot occurs when a combination of warm days and cool nights produce dew on the lawn in the morning, which was our mid to late summer pattern this year.

You are mowing exactly the right way. The fact you need to mow once a week says your lawn is actively growing and is probably receiving sufficient fertilizer to maintain nitrogen levels. Kentucky bluegrass, a cool-season grass, grows most vigorously in the cooler months of fall and spring. So, the most important time to feed it is in spring and fall. Feeding every six weeks as you are doing may be unnecessary.

For the best lawn appearance, Ron Calhoun at Michigan State University’s Turf Management Center recommends the “holiday program.” Make one full application about Memorial Day, a half-strength application around the 4th of July, a half-strength application around Labor Day, and one full application around Thanksgiving. Include the pre-emergents for crabgrass with the last one.

The key adjustment for you may be in the amount of water. Your irrigation system may be set to compensate for drought conditions. Try reducing the irrigation frequency and duration, and avoid watering in late afternoon and evening. The rate should be 1/10 inch per ten minutes. Water in mid-morning so that the grass has time to dry out before nightfall. Check the amount of thatch in your lawn. It could benefit from core aeration, a mechanical process that methodically punches holes in the turf and pulls tiny plugs of soil to the surface. Aerating does exactly what it sounds like: it increases air spaces for healthy root growth. If you want to reseed areas, look for resistant bluegrass varieties such as Adelphi, Eclipse, or Vantage. With minor changes and adjustments, you should see those dollar spots disappear from your lawn. 

Deterring sparrows from the birdfeeder

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The sparrows seem to be overtaking our birdfeeder for the finches even though it’s one of those that requires the birds to eat “upside down.” How can I deter the sparrows from throwing thistle all around, wasting it, and interfering with the finches? Would it help to wrap the feeder with a kind of chicken wire that might only allow the smaller finches inside to eat?

The sparrows overtaking your finch feeder are most likely English sparrows, commonly referred to as the house sparrow. They are hard to control around many backyard birdfeeders. They have a tendency to overpower feeders that have a variety of feeds intended for our more desirable native birds. Goldfinches and other small native birds will steer clear of feeders that are occupied by the English sparrows.

Here are two homemade control measures that have been deemed worth a try. The first is an inexpensive method developed by Weir Nelson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and used on open port tube feeders with perches. Bend a 10-inch piece of flexible wire in half. Feed the wire through the port and loop it over one perch, then pull it tight and tie off around the other perch. When completed, you’ll have two parallel strands of wire stretched through the center of the port between the opposite perches. The two strands of wire discourage the sparrow from easily extracting seeds from the feed port. It has no effect on finches, chickadees, nuthatches, or other songbirds.

The second method is to shorten the length of perches on thistle tube feeders so they only extend 5/8 of an inch. The shortened perches will not disrupt the ability of goldfinch, house finch, and other members of the finch family from feeding, but should deter the sparrows.

Commercially there is a product available called “The Magic Halo” that seems to be effective. When used in conjunction with either a post-mounted or hanging feeder, it is said to deter up to 86 percent of the English sparrows. With monofilament lines added to the “Halo” at four corners extending below the perches, the elimination of English sparrows from the feeder is said to exceed 99 percent.

There are also several feeders available that have a screen or cage around the actual feeder. It will let the small birds feed while keeping bigger species from getting to the seeds. In general, to discourage unwanted visitors from your feeders, don’t use cracked corn or millet, and don’t use feed mixes, unless they are free of the aforementioned ingredients. Try seeds that are species specific. Many songbirds love black oil sunflower seeds, for example, and will not miss the mixes.

Growing pasque flower from seed

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I picked and planted seeds in a pot from a pasque flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) this summer. They are growing and are about 3 inches tall now. How do I keep them alive over the winter. Do I plant them in the garden or keep them in the pot in the house?

Michigan is well into fall now and winter is right around the corner. That means your pasque flower seedlings won’t have enough time to establish themselves in the garden soil before a hard freeze. It would be best to maintain this as a houseplant through the winter. In his book Herbaceous Perennial Plants, Allan Armitage recommends that propagation by fresh seed is the best. Pasque flower seeds go dormant soon after maturity. This means the seed you picked could have been directly planted in the garden, giving it time to establish a viable root system to carry it through the winter. Pasque flower, in general, does not transplant well. Established plants can be carefully divided, but there are no guarantees.

So enjoy your pasque flower this winter as a houseplant. You can gather seed and continue the chain of propagation with new seedlings that can mature and produce seed in time for next spring when you can directly sow them in frost-free soil. They love full sun and good drainage. They are excellent rock garden candidates, and thrive in moderate summer temperatures and low humidity.

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