Brown spots in new grass

Question: Hello, 
I planted fescue grass seed in various areas in my backyard and now some of them are starting to turn brown.

Could it have over seeded those areas or could it be something else entirely?

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied July 05, 2023, 5:38 PM EDT
response: Hi,  We are checking with our turf grass specialist and will get back to you with a response shortly. In the meantime, we would not recommend using any chemicals and only water rain fall not be sufficient right now. It could be a stress symptom from the soring drought weather and now the recent jump in heat and humidity.  Emily

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied July 06, 2023, 4:10 PM EDT
response: Hi,  Our turf grass specialist says this appears to be a fungal disease called Pythuim. However not all management tips in the linked page would necessarily apply in their situation to this situation.  We recommend the following;  check dead grass for "greasy" feeling (not completely diagnostic but can help support a Pythium diagnosis because Brown Patch does not create that texture on the dead/dying leaves)a granular fungicide with the active ingredient metalaxyl may work as a preventative to keep it from worsening but it can't cure any existing infection; follow all label instructions if usingrake-out dead zones to improve air circulation and reseed once cooler weather returns (or lay sod if the patch is large enough and the sod can be checked regularly for watering while it establishes) Please let us know if you have further questions.  Emily

responder: The Question Asker Replied July 07, 2023, 7:37 AM EDT
response: I've also attached a couple additional pics closer up. It seems like everywhere I've planted the seeds and it's grown is starting to die away. It was doing great before we got the continuous rain for days a week or so ago. On Thu, Jul 6, 2023, 4:10 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied July 07, 2023, 11:06 AM EDT
response: There is a little bit of slime mold growing on the grass blades (the almost-microscopic grayish mushroom-looking things in the second photo, like this example) but this was not responsible for turf death as these particular organisms do not infect plants. (They also go away on their own fairly quickly.) Overall, this drastic dieback still suggests Pythium as the culprit. Infection might take place some time before symptoms of plant collapse are evident, but yes, wet conditions from weather or irrigation can exacerbate or accelerate existing outbreaks.  You didn't mention when the turf seeds were sown; if it was this spring or even into early summer, that could be partly why they were more vulnerable, because older turf is much less susceptible to Pythium. Early to mid-autumn is the ideal timeframe to seed/overseed cool-season grasses in Maryland. (Warm-season grasses like zoysia typically are sod-plugged, not seeded, but even then seed would be put down in late spring.)  Rake-out the collapsed plants and it would be safer to wait until fall to overseed.  Miri