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My Lawn Has Dead Spots. What Do I Need To Do?

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lawn spots Visitors to the Spring-Green website, have the opportunity to send in their questions regarding lawn and landscape problems. In most cases, the questions are fairly specific when describing the problems that are being observed. Occasionally, a question comes in that is seeking information, but not enough information is provided to determine a possible cause. In other words, the question is, “My lawn has brown spots. What do I do?” This question needs more details.

Want To Identify the Lawn Spots?

It almost goes without saying that it is impossible to answer this question without additional information. Knowing something about the lawn itself is the first step:
  1. Where is the lawn located? Specify the city and state.
  2. What type of grass is in the lawn? If unsure, ask a neighbor or take a sample to a local nursery or garden center.
  3. How old is the lawn? Certain diseases are common to sod that is 2 to 5 years old.
  4. Was the lawn sodded, seeded or sprigged or a combination of these methods? Some insects and diseases are more common in sodded versus seeded lawns.
  5. Is the lawn in full sun, shady or a combination of the two? Turfgrasses need sunlight for 70% of the day to grow well.
The next thing to discover is something about the physical symptoms:
  1. Are there any spots, lesions or fruiting bodies present on the grass blades? These can all be signs of disease activity, such as red threads from the disease called as Red Thread or spots on the leaves that could indicate Leaf Spot or Brown Patch.
  2. Does the damage form a shape or is it just random dead areas? Circular patches are a good indicator of disease activity. Irregular or random dead spots are much more difficult to diagnose without being on the lawn.
  3. Are there any signs of insect activity? Turf that pulls up easily could indicate grub activity. Birds feeding on a lawn could indicate sod webworm or armyworm activity. Small trails through the lawn could indicate mole cricket activity.
  4. Does the turf look healthy or does it appear to be dying? Areas that appear to be dying off could indicate drought or is could indicate disease or insect activity. Again, this type of damage often requires a visual inspection.
Knowing the current weather conditions when the damage was first observed is also important, especially for disease activity. The environment plays an important role in when a disease may be active. There are diseases that are active in cool, warm and hot temperatures. The amount of moisture present also dictates when certain diseases are active, whether it is excessive or lacking. Although not as critical, where the damage is located can be a key in determining the cause. If it is close to the road, sidewalks or driveways and the home is located in an area where salt is used during the winter, the damage is most likely from the salt. Another consideration is if the same damage is seen in any neighboring properties. That is usually a good indication of a disease or insect problem. If you are seeking answers to a lawn problem, these suggestions can be helpful when communicating with a lawn professional. Please consider these details when submitting. You can send in your question at the “Ask Harold” section of our website or contact your neighborhood lawn care professional at Spring-Green.