Question
Hi,
We live in New Jersey.  Had a wonderful lawn and had it taken care of for the past 4 years by a lawn service.  No rain or snow to speak of this winter.  Very unusual. More acorns than we have ever seen before. Lived in 24 years.  Picked up acorns almost every day in fall but many left on lawn.  Our lawn had been totally established.  We have now lost most of our lawn and don't know why or what to do.  Just bare dirt and tuffs of brown grass with no root system.  Dirt is so dry that it is cracked. When we pull out the dried up tiny patches of grass, there are holes that go about 3 inches below the surface.  Our area has tons of clay dirt.  Can you give us some suggestions?  We checked for grubs but it does not look like that is the problem.  Would the acorns have destroyed the lawn?  The oak is huge now.  Would that be the cause along with no snow or rain?  We were suppose to have our daughter's bridal shower in our backyard, but it now looks like a war zone.  Help!!

Answer
 "Dirt is so dry that it is cracked." This suggests that the lawn has not been adequately watered. If it has been watered adequately, then the water is not getting down to the root zone.

"Our area has tons of clay dirt." Clay packs down and loses its structure. Water is unable to get down and runs off the surface. If this is the case, then a mechanical tillage implement (aerator, tine cultivator or similar) is needed to break up the soil to permit penetration by water and growth of the grass roots.

"there are holes that go about 3 inches below the surface." Are these holes evenly spaced and make an orderly pattern? If so you might be seeing the results of a previous aerating operation.

To check for grubs, one needs to go down as much as 18 inches at some times. Use a post hole digger and examine each shovelful for grubs. Chemical treatment depends upon the depth at which you find them - if you do find any.

Acorn seedlings will not survive a regular mowing schedule.

It is possible that the oak is shading the lawn too much. That being the case, have a tree Company elevate the tree. An arborist will do so with due consideration of the angle and path of the sunlight as the day and season progress.