Ken’s Quick Tip: Brown Patch

Who doesn’t love spring?!?  Warm weather, blooming flowers, bright-green leaves bursting from trees, and usually more rain in North Texas.  Unfortunately some of these conditions can also bring on brown patch (which is a nasty little fungus that thrives in warm, damp conditions.)  Brown patch is pretty easy to diagnose (you’ll have ugly brown spots in your lawn.)   Here are my Quick Tips on how to fight it in your lawn.

•  Sprinkle in the morning (to avoid water standing overnight.)
•  Avoid allowing water to puddle in the lawn.
•  Use a low nitrogen fertilizer in early spring (brown patch fungus feeds on nitrogen.)
•  Use a preventative such as PCNB before brown patch occurs.
•  If you see brown patches in your lawn, spot treat the areas to prevent them getting larger.

The good news is that brown patch shouldn’t do anything bad to your lawn long-term, it will only make it look ugly. Many people leave it untreated and then take steps to prevent it after it goes away.  And it will go away.  Enough direct sunlight and your St. Augustine will thrive and typically fill in those ugly brown spots by late spring, early summer.