Investigating a brown patch
Brown patches can be disease, drought, grubs or pet damage. Check before treating; the right fix depends on the cause.
- When
- When the problem shows up
- For
- Any lawn
- Rule
- rx-investigate · Turgeon; Scotts
Brown patches can be disease, drought or pet damage. Check moisture and look for matted/ringed grass before treating — the right fix depends on the cause.
Quick checks
- Tug the grass. If it lifts like a loose carpet with no roots, look for grubs underneath.
- Push a screwdriver in. If the soil is hard and dry, and the grass is gray-blue with footprints that stay, it is drought; see emergency deep watering.
- Look at the shape and edge. Rings, circles or patches with a darker, water-soaked or straw-colored edge, sometimes with cobweb-like threads in the morning, point to fungal disease.
- Small round dead spots with a lush green ring are typical of dog urine.
- Straight lines or shapes suggest a spill of fuel, fertilizer or weedkiller, or something left lying on the lawn.
Also consider
- Buried rubble or a stone under a patch that browns first in every dry spell.
- A blunt mower blade, which browns the whole lawn evenly a day after mowing.
- Scalping on bumps.
Then treat
Once you know the cause, fix it: water, treat fungus, treat grubs, or flush and repair the spot. Treating the wrong cause wastes money and can make things worse.
Sources
- A.J. Turgeon — Turfgrass Managementturgeon
- Scotts — Lawnsscotts