How Do I Get Rid Of Brown Spots On My Lawn
. Accordingly, why do I have brown spots on my lawn?
Some common causes of brown spots include: Dull Mower: Dull mower blades tear your grass, causing damage and gradual death to the grass. Remedy: Sharpen your blades in fall and spring. Scalping: If your mower blade is set too low or there are lumps in the lawn, it can cut the grass too short and cause damage.
Subsequently, question is, how do I get rid of fungus in my lawn? How to Treat and Heal Lawn Fungus
Also, how do I treat dead spots in my lawn?
How to Fix Dead Patches in the Lawn
Will watering brown grass make it green?
How To Fix Brown Patch In Lawn
- To prevent spots caused by the nitrogen in dog urine, create a mulch or gravel area in your yard for your dog.
- If your brown spots appear after you mow, check your mower blade. Dull blades shred the grass, which damages the ends that then turn brown.
- In midsummer, check for grubs. And if you find them, apply a grub control product to your lawn.
- Brown patch fungus grows in circular patterns sometimes several feet wide and is generally found during hot, sticky weather. Treat your lawn every other week for 6 weeks with a lawn fungus control product. And water just once a week, since a wet lawn encourages the fungus.
- If you have broad patches of brown, you could have overfed your lawn. Water the burned area every 3 days with at least one-half inch of water for about 4 weeks. And dont fertilize again until the area perks back up.
Related articles:
Recommended Reading: How Long After Lawn Treatment Is It Safe For Pets
How To Treat Brown Patch Fungus
Brown Patch Fungus is a fungal infection of the turf. As such, it is treated with a specialized fungicide that is designed to inhibit the growth of fungi, and prevent the disease from spreading to the healthy portions of the turf. In addition to making sure your damage is identified correctly, it is critical to select the right products, and apply them in the correct manner. If treated with the wrong products, the disease may worsen. For these reasons, it is very important to contact a professional to discuss with you the most appropriate treatment plan, and any conditions present that may be contributing to your susceptibility to Brown Patch Fungus. Brown patch fungus treatment by trained specialists with professional-grade products will ensure your lawn is treated effectively, and you are getting the best treatment, the first time around. To ensure the prevention of disease and insect pests, a regularly scheduled Lawn and Ornamental Service will keep your landscape healthy and looking good, all year round.
Don’t Miss: How Much Lime To Put On Lawn
Grasses Most Commonly Affected With Brown Spots
Get this! Brown patches are more common in some types of grass than others.
These patches normally start as a small spot, but can quickly spread outwards in a circular or horseshoe pattern several feet wide.
The grasses most commonly affected by brown patches are:
- Bermuda,
- St. Augustine,
- and Ryegrass.
KEEP IN MIND: if you have a crabgrass lawn, you may experience brown patches frequently. If this is the case, you may want to consider selecting a better grass seed.
How To Get Rid Of Brown Patch Fungus On Lawn
There are some helpful techniques to reduce the chances of being infected by Brown Patch Fungus, or limit and manage the disease. A healthy turf is much more resistant to disease. By watering your lawn on an as needed basis, rather than just a set schedule, and considering the time of year and rainfall, you can better manage your turf to ensure it is receiving the proper amount of water. Frequent mowing at the recommended mow height is critical to the health of the turf. It is very important that your turf is not cut too short, or scalped. Design your landscape so the turf receives the proper amount of shade. And lastly, proper fertilization from a professional can keep your turf thick, green, and healthy. Maintaining a healthy landscape will make your lawn much less susceptible to disease. To hear more about the specific needs of your landscape, call Hulett Environmental Services for a free diagnosis and recommendation. However, sometimes even with the best landscape management, disease cannot be prevented, and professional treatment is needed.
Recommended Reading: How Much Lime Should I Put On My Lawn
Why Is My Lawn Brown Some Symptoms To Look For
Getting to the bottom of your lawn problems all starts with a little bit of sleuthing. The truth is, dead spots in the lawn can be caused by quite a few different culprits and determining which one is at fault isnt exactly easy.
It can help to look for specific symptoms to clue you into what might be causing the brown or dead spots on your lawn. Here are some things that you might notice as you dig deeper into your Pennsylvania lawn problem. Well get into more detail about the causes of these symptoms later in this article.
- Distinct patterns
- Grass changing color from green to yellowish or brown
- An influx of animals like moles, skunks, and birds visiting your yard
- Lawn that is peeling up or can be rolled like a carpet
- Grass that gets matted down when you walk on it
Identifying Common Lawn Pests And The Damage They Cause
The best way to control lawn pests is to identify them correctly, get to know their life cycles and symptoms, and then treat them promptly and properly at optimal times.
Common signs that pests have invaded your turf include brown spots, dead and dying grass patches, wilting blades, bite marks on grass, and, of course, insects in the grass or turf layer. Signs of underground pest damage include thin or missing roots and holes in the soil.
The following pests can cause significant damage to your lawn:
Read Also: How Often Should I Water My Lawn In Colorado
Brown Spots In Grass: Identification And Prevention
Your lawn could have brown spots for a variety of reasonsfungus, excessive thatch, and poor soil quality, to name a few. Well show you how to identify, repair, and prevent brown spots.
No one wants unsightly brown spots taking over their once-green stretch of lush, green lawn. But in order to solve this problem, you have to know exactly what youre dealing with. There are multiple causes of brown spots, from poor soil quality to dog urine and over-fertilization. But dont fret. This Old House will show you how to identify the brown spots in your grass, repair them, and prevent them.
Once youve taken care of your brown spot, This Old House Reviews Team recommends hiring a professional lawn care company to handle all of your lawn care needs to keep your grass hardy and robust. TruGreen offers five annual plans with options like overseeding and aeration that can help you avoid brown spots. To get a free quote, call 866-817-2287 or fill out this easy form.
Problem: Not Enough Nutrients
The soil in your garden might not have the right balance of nutrients for the grass to thrive, causing nutrient deficiencies and poor growth. Nitrogen is one of the most important macro-nutrient, be it for a potted plant or your lawn grass. It is needed for growth and chlorophyll production which gives the plant its green color. A nitrogen-deficient plant is characterized by yellowing leaves first the old leaves turn yellow followed by younger leaves. Older leaves may also die and the grass takes on a yellowish tinge overall. Magnesium, Manganese, Sulfur and Iron are other nutrients which can cause your grass to turn yellow or even make it crinkle and die.
Recommended Reading: How To Start Your Own Mowing Business
When Are They Active
Sod webworms are active during the night between June and September. They feed nonstop until winter comes around. Then they pupate until spring and emerge as adults.
Youll see the brown spots patching up over time.
It starts as a small saucer, then goes to a fist shape over time. If your lawn is already browning because of drought, its hard to notice the damage from webworms. Larvae eat the grass right at the root level.
You may also find their poop which looks like green pellets, but theyre extremely tiny. Youll need a magnifying glass and a careful eye to comb through your lawn.
Tip: If you have a smartphone with a decent camera, use the zoom function on it to get a good closeup view when trying to locate them.
Erosion And Sloped Properties
Extreme weather or steeply graded landscapes can pose a unique challenge to lawns, especially around the edges of your property. Rain and wind can slowly cause your soil and grass to erode over time, uprooting your grass and leading to brown or yellow patches of dead grass.
Addressing Sloped Lawns
Maintaining the right balance of moisture in your soil can provide the strength it needs to fight against the pull of erosion. Aerate your lawn more frequently to ensure that water is property reaching deep into the soil to strengthen its roots.
You May Like: Quinclorac 75 Df Home Depot
What Type Of Grass Is Most Susceptible To Brown Patch
Brown Patch lawn disease is a common and widespread problem caused by Rhizoctonia solani fungus. The disease can infect a variety of common turfgrasses, but the most susceptible grass species include perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and the bentgrasses.
Brown Patch can also become a problem to Kentucky bluegrasses in mid-to-late summer during extended periods of high temperature and humidity.
Whats Causing Brown Patches On My Lawn
Finding brown patches on the green lawn you work so hard to care for can be disappointing and distressing. Unfortunately, Midwest summers lead not only to increased use of the outdoor spaces around your home but also to summer lawn diseases that can devastate even the best-maintained lawns. Lawn diseases like brown spot, Pythium blight and dollar spot love warm, humid weather and thrive during the months of May through September. But they arent the only causes of brown patches in your lawn.
Learn more about all the situations that can leave brown patches in your lawn and what to do if your brown patches turn out to be one of the three most common fungal diseases that attack grass in the summer.
You May Like: Fix Grass Dead Spots
Replacing Grass With Fertilizer Burn
If you determine your burned turf is beyond repair or isnt responding to your attempts to repair it through watering, youll have to replace it to make your lawn lush again.
Though the process is similar to ripping up any grass and replacing it with new sod, there are a few extra steps to take along the way.
Step 1: Remove the Old Grass
If the affected area is small enough, remove the dead grass by raking it out with a hard rake. If the burned area is too large for manual removal, use a sod cutter to cut up the dead grass, then roll it up like a rug and remove it.
Step 2: Prepare the Soil
Prepare the soil for the new grass by tilling or aerating it to loosen any compacted soil. Once loosened, test the soils nutrient and pH levels with a home soil test from a lawn and garden store. Amend the soil if its short on nutrients or the pH levels arent acceptable.
Level the soil with the backside of a hard rake.
Step 3: Lay the Sod or Reseed
When replacing the grass, you can either lay new sod for an immediate repair or reseed it to reduce cost.
If youre laying sod, simply place the sod on the leveled soil. When you get to the perimeter, use a sod knife to trim the sod pieces to fit. Walk over the newly sodded area and use your feet to stomp down any uneven areas.
Step 4: Water and Wait
When mowing your lawn, avoid the area you laid seeds or sod until the new grass is 3 inches tall or the sod no longer lifts when you pull up on it.
Step 5: Mow and Maintain
Solution: Train The Dog
Teach your canine to not pee on the lawn. Train the dog to go on a rocky or muddy patch. Just in case the pet urinates on your lawn, flush the place with water. Also, make sure the dog drinks plenty of water and reduce the amount of protein in their diet. This will reduce the amount of nitrogen in their urine. You can also use products designed to alter the dogs urine.
Read Also: Get Rid Of Violets In Lawn
Why Do These Spots Happen
Understanding why dog pee spots happen will help to stop them from showing up in the future. Scientists are still figuring out what specifically in dog urine causes grass to die. We do know certain chemicals commonly found in dog urine contribute to killing your grass. As your dogs liver breaks down toxins, compounds like urea and lactic acid are formed. Urea contains high levels of nitrogen, and lactic acid burns. The more concentrated dog pee is, the more of these compounds it contains. Typically, concentrated dog pee even gives off a stronger scent.Water in your dogs urine evaporates soon after your dog pees on your grass, leaving strong chemicals behind. These chemical compounds mean that when your dog does their business on your grass, it can be like dousing your lawn with ammonia. If left unaddressed, urea and lactic acid can kill grass down to its roots. At the same time, nitrogen can actually fertilize the grass at the outer edges of the spot where levels are less concentrated. This is what gives dog pee spots their signature circular appearance of brown grass with a ring of bright green around them.
Tricks To Get Rid Of Brown Pet Pee Spots On Grass
When a pet pees on the grass, it is basically adding extra nitrogen onto the grass in a small concentrated area.
Too much nitrogen can chemically burn the grass, just like when too much fertilizer is applied.
To avoid this, try some of the following tips:
- Train pets to use certain spots away from the lawn.
- Water urinated areas right after pets pee.
- Reseed brown areas.
Once upon a time, my dad took great pride in his green grass.
He would spare no expense in watering, fertilizing, and reseeding it year after year.
Each time I would visit, he would show off the backyard lawn with a proud smile as my kids would roll around and play on its beautiful lushness.
That was, until they got some dogs.
My family always had a dog since I was a teenager, but the dog usually contained its business to a certain corner of the yard.
However, busy schedules and crazy lives made it impossible to train the new dogs to pee in one certain area.
Now, my parents backyard is a dusty patch of desert, a far cry from its soft fresh glory.
The moral of this tale isnt that dogs are bad for yards, but that the pet owner needs to take certain steps to keep grass green for man, cat, and pooch.
You May Like: Where To Buy Revive Lawn Treatment
What Causes Brown Spots
As cooler spring days fade into the heat of summer, new lawns are plagued with brown spots. This is an easy fix! Typically, brown spots are caused by a lack of watering. New sod is especially prone to drying out because of its shallow root system. Brown spots occur when sod dries out and experiences drought shock. Sod will go into dormancy to combat the lack of water its experiencing. Once dormant, it needs water or it will die. Oftentimes, edges of sod dry out first because they are exposed to the moist air. Spotting in sod occurs for a variety of reasons, but it mostly depends on how water is dispersed around the yard. If the grade of your lawn has dips and valleys, it can cause uneven watering patterns. If certain spots get less water, even a tiny bit less, it could be enough to turn them brown.
Do Repair The Lawn With The Right Method
First, you have to get the problem under control. Whether a pro diagnoses a disease, a pest, or an environmental concern , you need to address the problem so that it doesnt keep coming back.
Once thats done, then youll need to apply the right method of repair. For the vast majority of cases, aeration and overseeding will restore the dead patches in your lawn.
While there are other more intensive repair methods out there, which tend to be quite costly, even in some of the worst cases weve seen, aeration and overseeding have been effective at repairing dead patches.
Of course, its important to ensure that its performed properly. There is a best time to repair a lawn, which is in the fall when new grass seed will be able to thrive.
Recommended Reading: Aarons Pay Stub
Read Also: Zoysia Pre Emergent
