Why do I have brown patches on my otherwise green lawn?
Question:Lawn seems healthy except for three or four brown patches. Northeast
Answers:
All the answers I already read might be your problem. But I encountered another. Roll back a portion of the browned out section. See grubs?
Americans like having green lawns and lush landscaping
around their homes. This design usually incorporates some
type of grass like Bermuda, Fescue, Bent grass or Zoysia
just to name a few. These environments need food and water
to keep them healthy and looking good. These same requirements
are what lure many types of pests in and around the home.
Though most may only nest or traverse through the grass,
some actually eat grass. Surface feeders like locusts,
grasshoppers and katydids are easy to see so activity can
be quickly identified and properly handled. However, pests
which reside and live under the grass pose a whole other
problem. One such pest actually eats the roots of grass
and the unwary homeowner won't know it is active or
present until their grass starts to die! This pest is
quite common and can appear anywhere in the United States.
This pest is the common GRUB !
Grubs are the larval stage of beetles. There are many
types of grubs but the ones which live in the dirt under
grass are most likely Japanese Beetle, June Beetle, May
Beetle, Black Turfgrass, Asiatic Garden or some other regional
beetle which lays eggs whose larva feed on plants. Most
people know what grubs look like. They usually have an
off white, tan or even brown head, tend to be curled in
a "C" position all the time, have lots of legs and a
segmented body which is quite white. Grubs can vary greatly
in size which is not only dependent on species. Clearly the
food supply has a lot to do with just how big or small any
one grub might grow. Other variables like temperature, humidity,
water, local nutrients and soil type will influence their
size and development. Grubs live just under grass, usually
6 inches to a few feet down, all of which depends on their
species, food supplies and the time of year. Since so many
insects generate a grub like young which can live in turf,
the purpose of this article is not to inform you of any
one specific species. The author will, however, explain
all you need to know about grubs in general and then offer
control methods which are designed to control whatever type
of grub you may have active on your property.
Grubs usually go unnoticed until the results of their
feeding is observed. Such results will include dead grass,
plants and flowers. It is quite common to find them still
feeding even as you are removing the dead plant, turf or
flower!! Such "pockets" of grubs should be more then
just an alarm alerting you to what is happening. Don't
ignore it. Grub damage is by far the most common type of
damage sustained in turf grass throughout the United
States.
Since the United States has such a
large population of beetles along with a great
selection of turf grass for them to eat, this pest
won't be going away any time soon. Furthermore, the
type of environments we like to create around our homes
are just what helps to attract and keep satisfied any
active grub population.
In addition to grubs killing off plants, shrubs and
grass, their presence tends to attract all kinds of
animals. Moles, armadillo, badgers, birds, mice, rats,
voles, shrews, gophers, groundhogs, muskrat, opossum,
raccoon, prairie dogs, and skunk are just some
of the animals which will readily tear up and pull
apart lawns in an effort to find grubs. They love grubs
and lawns which have active grub populations will
undoubtedly start to experience animal digging and damage.
If you already have this activity, you need to put an
end to it as soon as possible. Turf which is in a
weakened state already will quickly die off from
all the digging. To prevent this from happening,
spray some WHOLE CONTROL over the areas which are
being attacked. This product is not a poison; instead
it is a bad tasting agent that animals don't like. The
goal here is to create a bad tasting soil so digging
animals will have to go elsewhere to find food.
Hard to say for sure since I can't see your lawn, but it probably needs a lot of water.
I had same problem..try watering with miracle grow 1 day a week.it will perk up in no time.
Several different issues it could be:
Dog Damage- done by dog urine
lack of watering- always water in the morning 1hr/week. 2 30 minute sessions a week works fine
over fertilizing- enough said
construction debris under these areas-i.e.- pieces of concrete that make the soil warmer in these areas thus causing the lawn to stress in these areas more so than others
Brown Patch- A fungal disease active under heat and humidity that eats at the chlorophyll in the grass blade. A dull mower blade and watering at night will encourage this disease.
Also check for grubs. That's the Japanese Beetle larva. They'll do a number on your yard.
do you have trees in the yard,could be it is not getting enough sun
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