ARTICLES :: Spring Brown Patch St Augustine Lawn

Spring Brown Patch                                                     

By: Melinda Sperl

Because we are still having cooler nights and moisture, especially after last week’s rain, brown patch is starting to show on our St Augustine lawns.  The normal sign of Brown Patch Fungus is a yellow/brown ring or circle in your grass.  It is probably in the same place that you had it last spring or fall. The grass is not dead in this area just discolored.   If you do not treat the fungus the area may green up in the summer only to reappear in the fall.

The cause of fungus is moisture and probably the result of a low place in your lawn.  It could even be just a slight dip in the yard to result in fungus.  This is also a great nesting place for mosquitoes!

The normal cure for brown patch is to get a good quality fungicide and apply that as the label suggests and then be on the lookout for a repeat in the fall when the nights get cooler again. 

The best way to avoid Brown Patch altogether is to fill in the low spots on your lawn.  I recommend spreading really good compost on these low areas.  In the Katy area avoid using sand as that added to our clay soil will only make more clay.

 Melinda Sperl is the owner of Dream Landscape Design, Inc., a full service landscape company.  You can reach Melinda at Melinda@dreamlandscapedesign.com or www.dreamlandscapedesign.com

Published in The Fulshear Times, Fulshear, TX  4/23/09