Yard Circles...Help!

Austin, TX(Zone 8b)

I had my yard guys lay down good, healthy (I guess?) St. Augustine grass in two small areas of my front yard about a month ago. They get watered 2 times a day for 20 minutes. Now I have "crop circles" forming! I called the guy who installed it and he said to cut off the water to that area and see what happens. Said it's probably a fungus.
Anyone have experience with St. A. getting TOO much water ....or is there any other reason for the circles??? Grubs? I grew up with SA and it was always just THERE and beautiful with no sprinklers, fertilizers, mulching, etc.

Thanks in advance! I'll post before and "now" pics. This is the good one.

Thumbnail by Connie_G
Austin, TX(Zone 8b)

I just went to the front to take a pic of the circles and because of the dappled light (there is a tree with a high canopy) I can't get a good pic of the circles until later in the day. I'll post tomorrow.

Great South Bay, Lon, NY(Zone 7a)

I'm drooling over those grasses on the right! Are they Purple Fountain Grass? Stunning!

Thornton, IL

Connie - Just a guess, maybe you answered your own question? I did read that it needs monthly fertilizer until fully established, which usually means until after the first spring/summer season. It doesn't tolerate water-logged conditions, and yours looks a bit, um, moist. So ease up on the water and maybe throw some weed & feed down on Labor Day! You don't want to kill it with kindness.

Austin, TX(Zone 8b)

Thanks, Prairie. I did read somewhere that you should NOT "weed" if there are no weeds present (and I have NONE yet).
So...is there just a "feed" that you would recommend? I know you're a hort major, so I want to pick your brain! Thanks!!

Donn...I got the purple fountain grass when it was about a foot high and it is now about 4 feet high...in just 3 months! An interesting note...one of my sprinkler heads was not working...and the one clump of FG that was "missed" is now just barely 2 feet high. It really proves that it's WATER that plants (well, this one!!) love and need to get big.

Here is the grass with the circles showing...

Thumbnail by Connie_G
Thornton, IL

Connie - Those ARE crop circles, you have aliens! j/k Looks like over-watering maybe? I don't have a specific recommendation for a weed& feed product, but if you can only do it once a year, it s/b done on (or about) Labor Day. Course that's for us Midwesterners, prob it's different for you. Just follow directions on the package. There may be some herbicide (but you can get it without), mainly it is a nitrogen booster for greening lawns, and thus starving out weeds. We were taught the "holiday schedule" of Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Thanksgiving to apply, it's easy to remember. The secret is, the best time to fertilize is when the grass is growing, but right before it goes dormant for the year. Someone who works in the landscaping biz can prob give you better advice, I only took the class cause it was required! LOL Sorry.

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