It can be frustrating to look at brown spots on your lawn instead of a sea of beautiful green grass. Brown spots can show up for many different reasons. They typically spread quickly in your lawn, making them an eyesore.
To know how to get rid of brown spots, it is best to know the cause first as there are many culprits why they develop in the first place.
Fungus
Fungal problems can cause some brown spots on your lawn. They tend to expose themselves to irregular patches. If the fungal problem has been occurring for quite some time, the inside of the patch might recover, which leaves a ring of dead grass surrounding it.
Extreme humidity or rain, poor air circulation, and lack of sunlight mostly lead to fungal outbreaks. Obviously, you can’t control the weather, but you can do something to protect your lawn against fungal diseases and keep it safe from brown spots. To find out, you can check TruGreen’s guide on preventing brown spots on your lawn.
Grubs
Grubs can cause a lot of damage to the grass by eating its roots. This can lead to small brown patches that can ultimately spread fast. Furthermore, the brown patches caused by grubs can tend to feel spongy and can roll up when you rake them due to root damage.
Dog Urine Burns
This is one of the most common reasons why you have brown spots on your lawn. Dog urine is loaded with nitrogen. That is why it can cause a lot of damage to your lawn grass. Moreover, brown spots due to dog urine burns have brown centers and a dark green outer ring.
Weed Dieback
The brown spots in your lawn can also expose themselves when annual weeds such as foxtail, crabgrass, and annual bluegrass start to die back. This cycle is natural. However, it can be avoided by hiring professional grounds maintenance company that take proper care of your lawn.
Foot Traffic and Forgotten Toys
Your lawn can be a fun place to hang out or spend time with your family. However, leaving things on your lawn can have major consequences. For example, putting up a bouncing castle for a birthday party for too long on your lawn can cause brown spots underneath it. Another example is leaving your garden hose for quite some time, which can also leave a dead patch.
Thatch
Thatch can develop when your lawn is not properly fed, watered, or mowed. It is a growth of decaying and dead plant material between the root system and plant leaf blades that prevent the food and water from absorbing into the roots.
When the build-up is quite high, the grass plants can start to grow some roots up in the thatch layer. However, since thatch layer cannot hold water, the plants will eventually dry out, causing brown spots.
Brown Spot Fixes
The following are some solutions to your brown spots problems:
Dethatch
If you see a thatch layer that is more than half an inch, it means you will be in trouble. The thickness of this thatch can act like a sponge. It can soak up water that usually goes straight to the roots and holds onto it so tight. Dethatching your lawn can help prevent this from happening.
Keep An Eye On Your Irrigation
Several turf grass can be extremely sensitive when it comes to watering. In most cases, one inch of water weekly is considered plenty. However, if you notice your lawn is drying out due to extreme heat, you can choose to increase your watering efforts in the meantime.
Oftentimes, overwatering your grass is the problem. That is why it is best to make sure that your lawn drains well and that the grasses are not soaking in the water for too long.
Check Your Mower Blade
When you mow your grass incorrectly, it can cause a lot of problems. A dull mower blade can shred grass blades instead of giving them a clean cut. This can allow the tips to dry out totally.
Scalping your grass entirely or cutting them too low, allows the soil and grass crown to dry fast. Moreover, if your grass is currently experiencing a disease, cutting it too short can make the problem even worse.
Test Your Soil
Putting fertilizers on your lawn is a great thing. However, it is best to do it if you have already done a soil test. It is best to ensure that the pH is about 6.0 and that there is a good amount of nitrogen in the soil underneath your grass during the early spring, before your grasses start to grow, and when your lawn might look sickly.
To Sum It Up
Brown spots are not only an eyesore but can also make you feel like you are losing control over your lawn. Depending on the cause, these brown spots can spread fast. To help you solve this problem, it will help if you know the cause first to understand the correct way of eliminating brown spots.