How to get utility lines marked on the property

This depends on the type of grass and other conditions where you live. I live in Houston and have St Augustine grass. The following are common for my conditions.

• Take-All Patch (Root Rot) : Very bad! Not much known on how its caused. The roots just rot away and not a lot you can do about it. If you can reach down and pull a little and the rots come up, this is probably what you have

• Brownpatch : A fungal disease that is really not an issue this time of year. It usually is caused by too wet conditions and cold nights.

• Insects (Cinch Bugs) : Really bad in the summer for lawns that are poorly watered.
• Watering : maybe you have a sprinkler zone not working? But if you have several smaller dead spots then its probably not watering issues.

Maybe post some pictures. Also you can take the pics to an independent nursery in your area and they might be able to help. Big Box stores aren't much help, but a small nursery with knowledgeable people can help identify common problems in your area.

Have you applied any particular fertilizer lately? Any other products ?

Remember, I only know St Augustine, so if you have something else the above might not apply.

I had a similar issue in my back yard (the whole thing). It was just weeds. I killed all the weeds with a dose or two of Roundup and had the entire 7000+ sqft tilled up. I then raked it flat and seeded most of it. It now has less weeds than my front lawn which received sod prior to moving in. This was new construction, and the sod was part of the package.

If I had to do just a flowerbed, or the whole yard again, I'd vote for doing it the same way again.

Just be sure to wait a week or two after applying the Roundup so it works it's magic and the weeds are dried up completely. This also aids in tilling it, by hand or machine. The Roundup should not last long on barren soil and will not affect the seed after a couple of weeks.