A verdant, vibrantly green lawn is every gardener's ultimate satisfaction. Unfortunately, a sudden brown patch disease attack on your lawn can leave a trail of destruction after years of dedicated care. One day, your lush lawn is flourishing; the next, circular yellow patches are screaming for attention.
In warmer weather, brown patch disease can develop and spread rapidly. The bad news is that if left untreated, the lawn fungus is deadly. However, the good news is that early detection of symptoms, comprehensive treatment, and improved lawn care can arrest the brown patch disease before it spreads further.
If you notice overnight yellowing on your lawn characterized by circular patches, it's time to consider immediate treatment! Explore the common causes and the steps to treat brown patch lawn disease for a healthy and aesthetically appealing lawn.
Causes of Brown Patch Lawn Disease
Everyday conditions that make the brown patch lawn disease flourish
The brown patch lawn disease depends on certain conditions to thrive. Some of the circumstances that lead to the widespread brown patch disease on lawns can be corrected.
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Contributing Factors to Brown Patch Lawn Disease |
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Warm temperatures |
Disease develops and spreads when temperatures are over 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night and 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. |
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Overwatering |
Increased grass moisture and lawn being wet around 12 hours a day or more |
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Wrong nutrient balance |
High nitrogen rates or low levels of potassium and phosphorous |
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Low soil pH |
A pH below 6, which may require soil amendments |
The ideal soil pH should be between 6.5-7.0.
Materials Needed to Treat Brown Patch Lawn Disease
Treat the brown patch disease with readily available material
It's possible to DIY the brown patch lawn disease treatment process. The materials you'll need are:
- Wheelbarrow
- Lawn dethatcher
- Pressure sprayer
- Organic fungicide
- Dethatching tools of choice
- Aerator tools of choice
You should consider renting some of the capital intensive equipment needed for brown patch lawn disease treatment to save on costs.
Steps to Treat Brown Patch Diseases
Step 1: Diagnose the disease
It's important to be sure of what you are treating on your lawn before instituting any treatment. If you haven't encountered brown patches before, you probably wouldn't know the exact signs to look out for on your lawn. The easiest way to identify brown patch diseases on your lawn is if you notice:
- Irregular circular brownish-yellow patches on the lawns ranging from 6 inches to several feet in diameter
- Notable lesions on the grass blades, which are often tan and irregular in shape
- Thinner or entirely sunken parts of grass compared to the rest of the lawn
When you notice one or more of these signs on your lawn, it's time to consider immediate brown patch disease treatment.
Brown patch disease often appears mid to late summer when the weather is hot and humid.
Step 2: Review Your Approach to Lawn Care
Once you identify patterns of brown patches on your lawn, the next step is finding solutions ASAP. Start with the basics before considering more complex treatment options. One of the easiest ways to manage brown patches is through adjusting your lawn care procedures by implementing either or all of the following measures:
- Consider watering your lawn early in the morning to get more sun exposure throughout the day. The best time to water your lawn is between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m.
- Overwatering your lawn can provide a favorable ground for fungi. Choose a deeper, less frequent watering method: around 1.5 inches of water per week is ideal to keep your lawn in the best shape.
- Avoid dull mowing blades, which can spread fungus infection.
- Always dispose of lawn clippings as soon as you detect signs of brown patches to avoid spreading fungus.
Regular watering of the lawn is unnecessary if you get at least 1 inch of rainfall weekly.
Step 3: Improve Air Circulation
Most early cases of brown patches can be cured by simply improving air circulation on your lawn. Air circulation reduces the humidity level in the lawn, which is a breeding ground for fungus. One of the easiest ways to keep fungus at bay is to aerate and dethatch your lawn annually.
Dethatching
Dethatching your lawn helps remove the thick dead plant matter from it, enhancing air circulation. You can DIY this process with ease. Consider renting power equipment from tool rental outlets if needed. There are a few dethatching tool options available per your preference.
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Tool |
Benefits |
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Stiff bow rake |
Best for manual dethatching |
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Leaf rake |
Simplest to use and causes less damage to lawn |
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Rigid garden rake |
Sturdier than a leaf rake and ideal for dethatching |
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Convex or "dethatching" rake |
Rows of straight-edged tines on the head help clear dead matter on the lawn. |
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Power rake |
Effective, fast, and can be attached to a riding mower for the best results. |
Aeration
Aeration is a great way to alleviate compaction and enhance your lawn's health through enhanced air circulation. A great way to deal with the brown patch on your lawn. The best time to aerate your soil is when it is moist. A day after it has rained or a day after water sprinkling is perfect timing for aeration.
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Tool |
Suitability |
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Core aerators |
Suited for smaller lawns that are mildly compacted |
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Spike aerators |
Ideal for larger and more compacted lawns |
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Liquid aerators |
Best for lawns that are slightly compacted and have low levels of thatch |
You may aerate your lawn using either of these options. Base your choice on the extent of compaction and the size of the lawn.
When aerating your lawn:
- Ensure that the aerator method removes a cylinder of grass up to three inches deep and at least ½ inch in diameter.
- Ensure that the grass core is at least two to three inches apart.
- After aeration, keep the plugs and trimmings on your lawn. Don't remove them.
Using dull mower blades can cause adverse damage to your lawn. Sharpen your mower blade regularly to avoid such lawn injuries.
Step 4: Consider Post-Aeration Soil Improvement
After aeration, your lawn will require some soil improvement to help the affected section to grow faster and keep the brown patch diseases at bay.
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Top-Dressing Options After Aerating Your Lawn |
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Compost |
Warm-season grass |
Helps balance the soil structure and minimizes the recurrence of brown patch lawn disease on warm-season grass |
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Masonry sand |
Cool-season grass |
Ideal for areas that experience cold winters and widespread temps. Enhances water drainage |
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Overseeding |
Warm-season grass or after severe summer conditions |
Effective post-aeration approach to improve soil quality after aeration and build new patches on the affected areas sooner. However, only overseed when temperatures are moderate or low. |
Your choice of post-aeration depends on the type of grass on your lawn.
Step 5: Apply Organic Fungicide
You can incorporate advanced treatment solutions as the last resort. Organic fungicide treatment is generally recommended due to a lower risk of soil damage than conventional fungicides. Some key points to note include the following:
- Apply the first fungicide spray only after exhaustively implementing the first four steps to no avail.
- Spot-treat diseased sections rather than applying fungicide on the entire lawn.
Organic fungicides are preferred because they are safe and effective without having other adverse effects on the lawn.
A lawn that was flourishing and verdant can die down within days of a brown patch lawn disease attack. Identifying and treating a brown patch of lawn disease before it escalates can save your lawn and spare you from anguish. Once you start noticing yellowing and brown patches on your lawn, consider early treatment options to salvage the situation. Enhancing lawn care, soil aeration, and air circulation can restore your grass if the disease hasn't spread. If those three options fail, you can spot-treat the affected sections of your lawn using organic fungicides.
Have you dealt with brown patch disease attacks on your lawn before? How did you deal with the issue? Share this information to help someone faced with the same predicament.