Brown patches on your lawn can be such a downer. The rest of your lawn seems to be thriving under your care except that one stubborn patch. Brown patches are not as straightforward as you might think and have a variety of causes.
Too Much or Too Little Water
Believe it or not, both of these polar opposites can cause brown patches. Drought damage is much easier to spot.
Your lawn should be getting at least 1 inch of water a week. This could be from rain or irrigation. This translates to about 40 minutes of sprinkler watering once a week and possibly more in really dry summers. Check sunny spots with poor soil drainage. These spots will experience evaporation before the water has a chance to soak the roots.
Erosion can be caused by too much water flowing too fast either from rain or irrigation. If the soil drains poorly, the water will run off the surface carrying topsoil, seeds, and young shoots. To remedy this, aerate the soil and increase its absorbency. If the runoff is caused by steep land, install terraces. A good system for watering the lawn can solve the issue of too much or too little water.
Diseases and Pests
Fungal diseases
You can take a sample of the grass to your local cooperative or garden center for testing. Fungal diseases such as brown patch love moist or damp areas when it is hot and humid or after snow melts.
There are several fungicides available to address this. You can also combat fungal diseases by increases air circulation and sun exposure. Avoid irrigating too late in the day when the area will remain damp for too long.
Grubs, Chinch Bugs, and Others
Grubs will chew on roots mimicking drought damage. Chinch bugs suck the nutritional juices out of the grass blades dehydrating them. Other bugs such as caterpillars can also cause damage to your lawn. You can spot-treat for grubs and cinch with the pesticides geared to them.
Thatch
When grass blades decay, they can build up into a dense carpet that chokes the healthy grass. Remove thatch when it exceeds half an inch in thickness.
Poor Growing Conditions
Compacted soil with poor drainage and debris can prevent grass from growing and kill existing grass creating brown patches
Other causes of brown grass patches are mechanical damage from dull lawn mower blades and chemical damage from pet urine, pesticides, and herbicides applied improperly
Lawn Care Cumming
Diagnosing your lawn can be difficult. Hiring professionals to take you through the proper lawn maintenance steps is a great place to start. If you are looking for tips to turn your brown grass back to green, please contact Absolute Lawn Pros for expert lawn care in Cumming. For lawn care in Alpharetta, Absolute Lawn Pros’ professionals are available on call.
