Why grass turns brown

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. Grubs, the larvae of beetles, spend their summers feeding on the roots of turf grass—and as the grass decays, brown areas emerge.

To determine if this is a problem, simply dig into one of the brown patches and look for milk-white creatures curled up into a C-shape. To be rid of the pests, apply either a chemical like carbaryl or natural grub control like nematodes roundworms over the lawn.

In two to three weeks, new green shoots should start to emerge. Disclosure: BobVila. Most sprinkler heads are easily adjusted with a small screwdriver. Low-to-the-ground pulsating sometimes called impulse sprinklers are easier to fine-tune than oscillating sprinklers. Common weeds can win the competition with your lawn for water and food.

Controlling these weeds is tricky. Apply a pre-emergent herbicide in spring to prevent weed seeds from germinating. Or, hire a professional lawn care company that will customize an annual lawn maintenance and treatment plan. Dozens of diseases and fungi can turn your lawn brown. If your grass is covered with white, black, or brown substances, then lawn disease is probably your problem and should be diagnosed and treated by a lawn specialist.

Proper lawn care -- sufficient water in early morning, regular mowing, good lawn aeration , and thatch management -- will raise a healthy lawn more likely to resist lawn disease. These drought-loving bugs drain plant juices like tiny vampires. If there are dead spots in the lawn, examine the grass adjacent to the dead area to identify the problem. You might see spots, discoloration or lines across the grass," Diller says. What the Lawn Is Trying to Tell You: Growing grass in the shade of trees is particularly challenging, and in some cases, impossible.

Large trees can block the sun, while pine trees drop needles around the trunk, which can kill grass. To be perfectly honest here: let it go. Trying to maintain healthy turf under a tree can be a constant challenge. You'll have to trim back branches to let the sun shine through, or continually rake up pine needles. Even then, the grass may not grow.

And large surface roots can leave the area beneath the tree un-mowable. What the Lawn Is Trying to Tell You: Lawns attract all sorts of creepy crawly bugs, and once insects take up residence in the grass, they can cause all kinds of problems. A lawn suffering from disease or heat stress from lack of water is most vulnerable.

The trick is to get down and take a close look to determine what type of insect is there. Common lawn pests include cutworms, army worms, and a newer threat, the Japanese beetle. These iridescent, fingernail-sized bugs feast on roses and certain tree species like birch and linden.

You can treat infestations with insecticides, but be careful. This fungal disease produces reddish-pink thread-like fungal structures that form spots on lawns. It is a common cause of lawn problem toward the end of spring, when grass is nitrogen deficient and rapidly growing. Treating disease all starts with a professional inspection in order to determine the best course of action. In some cases, fungicides may be needed. A professional can help educate you on the options you have available and guide you toward the best course of action.

Oftentimes it can differ from lawn to lawn. Everything from your specific site conditions to your budget may all come into play. A pest problem can also cause summer lawn stress. In fact, there are quite a few different pests that cause problems in the summer. Some of the most common ones include the following:.

The larval stage of Japanese Beetles, and several other related species are called grubs and they are found beneath the surface of your lawn where they feed on its roots.

An infestation of grubs can be highly destructive. However, applying a preventative grub control treatment each year can help ensure season-long control. In a worst-case scenario, if significant damage is already done, it may need to be addressed with seeding to restore the bare patches.

Chinch bugs are tiny pests, found in the thatch layer of your lawn, just above the surface. These lawn pests feed on the grass blades and crown part connecting to the root and when found in large numbers, can destroy vast areas of your lawn. Chinch bug damage typically occurs in the prime of the summer when the insects are actively feeding.

Removing excess thatch and performing lawn aeration to break up compacted soil is one way to remove the favorable environment in which chinch bugs prefer to live.

During the day, these lawn pests hide in sheltered areas.