Drought Stress Like any plant, grass reacts to summer's high temperatures and lack of water with wilting, browning, or even death. Here's how to detect drought stress: Locate a brown patch, and pull on the grass. If it won't pull easily from soil and is firmly rooted, it's likely brown due to drought.
Push a screwdriver into soil in brown and green lawn areas. If the blade slips easily into green lawn and won't penetrate brown, soil is dry. In rocky soil, dig a small hole to check soil moisture. Look at the lawn as a whole. When drought is the culprit, brown patches appear randomly and in rough patterns. Lawn near a sprinkler head may be green, while lawn further away is brown. Grassy areas in shade remain greener when parts in full sun turn brown due to drought.
Lawn in low spots will remain green while higher areas turn brown. Learn early signs of drought stress. Footprints remain on grass after it's walked on. Kentucky Bluegrass develops a grayish cast, while other grasses become darker hued. Lots of Idaho insects love to feast on it, and grubs are often the gross little culprits. How rude, right? Do they at least leave a tip? Nope — just brown spots of dead and dying grass. How to Fix It: Lawn care pros can help you figure out what bug or bugs are damaging your lawn, and will likely suggest an insecticide or other treatment to get rid of them.
When it comes to grubs, prevention is key. Lawn Buddies includes grub control in our six-step lawn care program. If your grass is turning brown, it might be hungry. It depends on you to feed it enough. How to Fix It: fertilize regularly, in spring, summer, and fall. Also, get your soil pH tested. Important nutrients for grass are available in soil when the pH is balanced. We know, nobody wants to hear this. Cue the sad organ music. Choose slow-release fertilizers to improve absorption and reduce the risk of fertilizer burn.
Weeds and tree roots siphon vital nutrients from fertilizer and water that would otherwise go to grass, leaving you with a dry brown lawn. To treat, dig up the weeds or spray the lawn with a selective herbicide that targets weeds but leaves the grass undamaged. Follow up weed removal by spraying pre-emergent herbicide over the lawn to prevent new weed seeds from sprouting. Fungus thrives in hot, humid, moisture-rich environments, and stagnant water on your lawn helps it fester.
Once conditions like Brown Patch Disease take root, you might notice thinned-out brown grass in a ring-like pattern, possibly affecting a large area of turf. If you spot these symptoms, apply fungicide to smaller affected areas, or call in a lawn care specialist if the problem is widespread. Avoid over-dousing your lawn, and stick to a morning watering schedule, to keep fungus at bay. To reduce the risk of fungal disease, mow the lawn weekly, aerate it twice a year, and clear thatch shoots, stems, and roots that accumulate on the soil surface when it rises to about an inch in height.
Skip to content. Top Spotlight. Here are the typical culprits, and tips on how you can green up your grass again. Sprinklers Misadjusted If your lawn sports brown patches during heat waves, make sure your sprinklers are reaching all areas. Weeds Common weeds can win the competition with your lawn for water and food. Disease Dozens of diseases and fungi can turn your lawn brown. Cinch Bugs These drought-loving bugs drain plant juices like tiny vampires.
Grubs These beetle larvae feast on turf roots and mimic drought damage. Pet Waste Round patches of dead grass indicate animals are peeing urine contains acid on your lawn. Related : Landscaping Do's and Don'ts When You Have a Dog If Necessary, Call in the Experts Diagnosing the problem can be tricky, and your local extension agent or a lawn care company can help you determine exactly what ails your lawn.
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