newer subdivision + I also seem to get rust each year, too

"is my [snipped] lawn more prone to fungus?"

I'd say yes, simply from the actual cultivars used (throw something, anything that's green down ASAP - hey, it's a lawn, no?) by the builder / landscape contractor.

You know the story - "you get what you pay for" and a contractor uses the cheapest available to control cost / maximize profits. I suspect your sub-division lawn is a mix of older, less disease resistant modern cultivars and this is something you will battle continuously, regardless of using organic or synthetic practices. Sometimes, you just can't fight mother nature and genetics.

Just something to think about and toss around.

-Gary

I've got a very similar (if not identical) problem going on with my lawn. The thread is here:
http://bestlawn.info/northern/brown-tip ... -t560.html

I dropped the deck to 3 inches from 3.5 and am hoping it dries up (we got another 1/2 inch downpour this morning). I put down cornmeal 2 weeks ago and may do it again. My lawn is all KBG. My neighbors crappy builders sod P Rye lawn is looking better than mine right now, perhaps because his gardener cuts it so low (around 2 to 2.5 inches). He uses a lawn service (pretty good one) that feeds chemically, so his base is pure 100% sand with virtually no organic matter.

In his particular case with about 7 inches of rain over 15 days with only 1 or 2 days worth of sun, his loose sandy base that is mowed short is probably an advantage.

Here are the pics I promised, hopefully they can at least give you an idea of my lawn.
First pic is of backyard looking N-NW




Backyard looking NE



Front Yard - faces south, pic is looking N-NW



close up of grass in back yard, taken from about 2 feet above




Finally a close up of some grass and roots, showing a fairly representative sample





So I guess the question is "is it leaf spot? Red thread?"
Depending on the diagnosis I'll either need to add a blast of N (red thread) or hit with more corn meal (leaf spot) and learn to live with it.

Again, I apppreciate all the feedback.

Steve

I think you have leaf spot. but it might also be chlorosis. From not having iron. You could try some Liquid iron in a spot to see if it helps. Where the grass is yellow all over do they have leaf spots or die back? Or are they just a lighter green? With all of the rain and no sun you might just need to dry out. In the morning dew do you have any symptoms like white cotton looking webs? White powder? Brown purple looking spors on grass?

I don't see any red threads, do you? Are you able to see any on the tips of the blades early in the morning? It's usually easy to spot red thread. Looks more like leaf spot in this photo.

simpson wrote: Where the grass is yellow all over do they have leaf spots or die back?

where it's yellow there are also signs of leaf spots on the blades

simpson wrote:but it might also be chlorosis.

Some of my trees have suffered from chlorosis and I've had to spread sulphur under the drip lines - which worked really well. I hadn't thought of the grass suffering, too, but I do have a lot of lighter green areas.

So it does appear that I have leaf spot and I should keep up the corn meal apps.

Thanks, everybody, for taking time to reply. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only nut who obsesses over my lawn and spends many hours reading lawn care forums. Apparently I'm not!!!

Good luck. I really don't know if it helps or not, but if you have a bag for the lawn mower it might help it from spreading

iahawkz4, that is not red-thread. Here are a few pictures of red thread:



The second picture is a more severe case of it:



Red thread looks just like the name implies. You can see little red "threads" in the grass. The pictures you posted on the first page are not red thread. Hopefully the suggestion to fertilize it didn't do more harm than good.

Nice photo Skizot!