How can I elimate brown spots on my lawn?
I’ve planted grass seed on my front lawn over 2 months ago and now there are areas of the lawn that have brown spots. Do I use more fertilizer on my lawn to elimate these brown areas? I water my lawn twice a day (live in hot New Mexico) at 15 minutes a piece. Once in the morning and the second time in the evening. Please help.
Tagged with: 15 minutes • brown areas • brown spots • Fertilizer • Grass Lawn • Grass Seed • Lawn Grass • new mexico • second time
Filed under: Your Garden Q and A
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There could be a couple of reasons for the brown spots: Animal urine, mostly dog can burn grass. The salts in the urine can cause slight to severe damage. Grass can sometimes just out-right die from urine exposure.
You said you could add more fertilzer, so apparently you’ve already done so. In this case, if you’ve used too much fertilizer, it can burn the grass. Also chemicals such as pesticides or even spilt gasoline can burn or destroy the grass.
Sometimes, grass seed includes annual bluegrass to provide for a quick "greenry" until the other included grass seed, such as centipede, takes root. The annual bluegrass seeds germinate in cool weather from late summer to late fall. It grows rapidly in the spring, especially if fertilizer is applied. Then, when the weather becomes hot and dry the plants die. Resulting in brown spots.
Finally, a lawn disease caused by severl fungus oranisms can be the culprit. These organisms are active from 75 degrees to 100 degrees. Lawns under stress from lack of moisture, hot dry winds, low pH (6.0 or less) thick thatch, and close mowing are most susceptible to the disease. Lush, thick growth, surprisingly, from excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer can also be attacked. In the cooler all weather new grass will fill-in the dead areas, but the disease may recur the following year. Several fungus’s are similar: brown patch, dollar spot,fusarium blight and pythum blight to name a few. There are several fungicides that work nowadays in a general manner. Anything containing chlorothalonil or diazinon should help.
To check for chinch bugs, cut out both ends of a tin can. Push one end of the can 2 to 3 inches into the soil. Keep it filled with water for 10 minutes. Black to brown insects with white wings, 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, float to the surface in 5 to 10 miutes. Pink to brick-red nmphs with a white stripe around the body may also appear.
good luck
sounds like that would not be enough water for such a young lawn, or at least that it isn’t long enough. You will not get deep roots watering 15 minuets twice a day…they will be very shallow and thus dry out easily. Also, fertilizing during the early growing period isn’t easy on the grass plants. I have a new lawn too and other than the initial fertilizer, I have held off on any more applications because it has been too dry and hot and I imagine it is hotter and dryer in NM. Absolutely you will not want to fertilize brown spots. The grass there *might* be dead already actually. Try this….water only every other day, but water more deeply, at LEAST 30 minutes per time, preferably more like an hour. After a week or two of this, start to cut back to watering every 3rd or 4th day, just as long though. The key is to water less frequently, but more deeply, to encourage good deep root growth. The brown areas though I would water every day, deeply, to see if you can get them to green up. If they don’t respond in a few weeks, you will likely have to cut them out and reseed.
Quit peeing in your yard! *laughter*
Your problem could be sun burning. if you water to late in the morning the sun will scorch your yard. that’s what it sounds like.
brown spots are caused by chinch bugs..which are caused by overwatering… depending on the area where you live, and at this time of the year, you are not supposed to water as much just yet… call trugreen chemlawn so they can help you out
Try watering the lawn early in the morning or late at nite so the sun is not beaming down on it. If all else fails, call a lawn treatment service. Maybe they could give you some tips or come for a visit to check the lawn out.
Are you cooking your lawn? If you leave your hose in the sun the water inside gets very hot. You should let run cool before using it to water anything. RScott