Why Does My Lawn Have Brown Patches?

Brown patches in a lawn almost always come down to one of three things: grubs chewing the roots, a fungal disease spreading in humid weather, or simple dry spots where water is not reaching. They look similar from the porch, but the fix for each is different, so the first job is figuring out which one you have before you treat anything.

The Tug Test for Grubs

Grab a browning patch and pull. If the turf lifts up like a loose piece of carpet with no roots holding it down, white grubs have been eating the roots from below. Peel back the edge and you will usually find them, fat white C-shaped larvae in the top inch of soil. Grub damage shows up in late summer and early fall, and it often comes with skunks or birds tearing at the lawn to get at the meal underneath.

If the patch is firmly rooted and will not lift, grubs are not your problem and you can move on.

Disease Looks Different

Fungal lawn disease tends to show up as circles or irregular blotches during warm, humid stretches, especially on a lawn that stays wet overnight. Brown patch leaves large tan circles. Dollar spot scatters small silver-dollar-sized bleached spots. Red thread leaves pinkish webbing on the blades. These spread fast in the same conditions that follow heavy evening watering, which is one more reason to water early in the day.

Rule Out the Simple Stuff

Before you assume the worst, check the boring causes. A patch that lines up with a missed sprinkler head, a spot the dog favors, or the strip along a hot driveway is usually just dry or scorched, not diseased. Dull mower blades shred the grass tips and brown the whole lawn evenly, so a sharp blade rules that out fast.

Once you know the cause, the treatment is targeted. Root-feeding larvae call for grub and insect control, while circles and spots that spread overnight call for lawn disease control timed to the weather. We are licensed applicators and follow the label rates, and we stand behind the program and adjust it if the patches keep coming back.

Summit Lawn Care has been chasing down brown patches around the Springfield area since 1985. Call us at (555) 123-4567 and we will dig in, find the real cause, and get your lawn green again.