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Black, slimy dying grass patches: please help!

My garden is dying and I have no clue what it is or how to fix it. The garden is nothing special, no idea what grass, and the dirt underneath isn't great (stony, rocky, etc.) but it has always been grass before, and now it seems as if it is melting into black, slimey dirty puddles or being eaten away and all that's left is the gooey soul of what used to be there. 

I've attached some photos of it.

If there is ANYONE out there who knows what it is please help! I've been searching around but can't find anything similar to it.

We have had a particularly wet summer (Scotland, go figure), and there has been a new puppy in the house for the past few months too, but she goes all over, and not specifically and consistently in these patches.

Thanks for any advice!!







  • Looks and sounds like lawn slime mould ..... seriously that's what it's called.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 67,385

    I'm pretty certain that the brown patches of grass  dying off are due to your puppy's urine - the urine contains a high level of nitrogen which scorches and kills the grass.  It only takes one pee to kill off a patch of grass. 

    Slime mould may then be taking hold ...


  • I would have suggested the dog's urine might be contributory but the poster said "Scotland and VERY wet".

    The solution for ensuring your lawn doesn't go brown from dog pee is to dilute the pee... so keep the lawn moist.     Some people with pristine lawns even do things like turning the sprinkler on so their dog pee is diluted.

    I don't do that for a couple of reasons.... we're on a private water supply and so I'm conscious it's a finite resource.   We do have very cold nights and heavy dews even in the summer so there's never any need.    But heck Scotland?!?  I'm thinking that dog pee and the dog is drowned before it's finished squatting! image



  • fergferg Posts: 2

    Thanks so much to both of youimageee I did consider it was my dog peeing, however she pees all over and hasn't favoured any specific place, not even the bits that are horrible. So you suggest that due to this wonderful weather the pee is probably diluted enough anyway?

    Either way it's probably slime mould? Right, that's great, gives me a starting point. I couldn't even identify it because the pics I saw of slime mould online didn't seem to be so... destroyed, or grassless, or disgusting, or horrifying, I could go on...

    Thanks so much to you both image I will see what there is I can do!

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 67,385

    But make a toilet area for the dog (bark chippings?) image  and train her to only go there, otherwise you will never have a green lawn.


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