Does your lawn have brown patches? Unsure what is causing them or uncertain of the best way to help it recover? In this blog, we look at common causes of brown patches in lawns and look at the best ways to help get your lawn back in shape.
Lawn Grubs in Lawns
If you have noticed that your lawn has quickly developed brown patches that are spreading, a possible cause is lawn grubs. If you are unsure if your lawn does have grubs, we recommend doing a quick grub test. To do this, use a few drops of dishwashing liquid into a bucket and fill with water. Then pour this over the edge of an affected area.
Watch the area for around 10 minutes or so and see if any grubs rise to the surface. This is best done at dawn or dusk when they are more likely to be active.
If any grubs or caterpillars do rise to the surface we recommend using a quick knockdown product like Battle Insecticide or Baythroid Advanced for Lawns to remove what is there. To help prevent another grub attack from occurring, we recommend using a preventative insecticide, like Grub Guard Ultimate. Grub Guard Ultimate will help prevent another grub attack from occurring to the lawn up to 6 months.
How to Stop Fungal Diseases in Lawns
Are your lawns brown patches caused by disease? Often if you remove the conditions that cause lawn diseases, it will go away on its own. Some tell-tale signs that your lawn has a fungal disease are discolouration, brown and yellow patches, mushrooms and other fungal growth.
Some factors that can cause disease include soil compaction, shade, over watering, over fertilising, poor mowing habits, and weather conditions (particularly temperature and humidity).
If you have noticed a fungal disease in your lawn, try removing the cause of the disease. This can include:
- Aerating your lawn to alleviate soil compaction and assist in draining away excess water.
- Increase sunlight to the area where possible by pruning back any surrounding trees and shrubs.
- Avoid over-watering your lawn. If you do need to water your lawn, water in the morning before the heat of the day to avoid evaporation. We also recommend avoiding watering in the afternoon/dusk to help prevent the lawn sitting damp overnight.
- Mow your lawn regularly at the same height. We recommend mowing regularly enough so that only one-third is removed with each pass.
If this doesn’t assist you may need to look at using a fungicide.
How to Stop Urine Burn
Does your dog’s urine cause burn marks on your lawn? As your dog’s urine can contain a high concentrate of nitrogen, our lawns can become burnt and die off.
Here are a few indicators that your lawns brown patches are from urine burn:
- Patches stay isolated to the affected area and don’t spread.
- The patches can sometimes be greener around the outside of the burn.
- Patches occur in an area where your pets usually go to wee.
There are a few different methods you and your pets can try to help stop these patches from occurring. Check out our blog for more information here.
Brown Patches from Scalping Your Lawn
If your lawns brown patches only start to show after mowing, you have likely scalped your lawn. Scalping occurs when a lawn is mown too short. When too much of the leaf is removed, it will cause the grass to look brown in patches.
If your lawn has uneven levels or has gone too long in between mows, scalping can occur. If your lawn has uneven levels, you may need to look at top dressing to amend. Please have a look at our blog for more information here.
Dry Spots in Lawns
If your lawn does have dry patches, the best solution is to give your lawn a good aerate with a garden fork or aerator to help decompact and loosen the soil profile. We then recommend applying a wetting agent, like our Lawn Soaker to the whole lawn. This will help the soil better absorb water making it available for your grass to use. After applying a wetting agent, water the area heavily every morning until you see signs of recovery. Once your lawn shows signs of recovery, apply a fertiliser to help give the lawn a boost. A fertiliser like our Lawn Solutions Premium Fertiliser is ideal.
For more information on dry spots in lawns, check out our blog here.
For more lawn care tips and advice, make sure you check out our other lawn care blogs here.
