How to Avoid Brown Patches in Your Lawn

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How to Avoid Brown Patches in Your Lawn

Every landscaper wants their lawn to look immaculate at all times. Since grass covers a large majority of space on our property, it makes sense that we want to keep it looking great. One of the first things that people tend to notice when looking at a property is the front lawn, which is yet another reason why it’s important to put an emphasis on lawn maintenance. With so much of your property to cover, it makes sense that grass offers its fair share of landscaping issues to deal with. For example, there’s nothing worse than heading outside one day and noticing the dreaded brown patch on your lawn.

Brown patches can occur for a variety of different reasons and should be taken seriously to avoid letting them spiral out of control. It’s important to identify the specific reason why you might have a brown spot on your grass before moving forward with addressing it. That way you can create a plan of attack to get your lawn back to full strength in no time. We’ve put together a short guide below to help you avoid brown patches in your lawn. Keep reading below to learn more and remember to reach out to Cal Blend Soils if you are in need of high-quality landscaping products to make your life easier.

1. Identify the Cause of the Brown Patch

As we previously mentioned, brown patches can occur on your lawn for several different reasons. That’s why the first thing you should do is try to determine the cause of the brown patch. After you figure out the cause, you can start moving forward with getting rid of it. One of the most common causes of brown patches is a fungal disease that moves in when your grass is under stress. High levels of humidity and moisture provide the perfect environment for fungal diseases to take over, so keep that in mind when you are watering your lawn. You can recognize a fungal problem if you notice irregular patches or a dead ring of grass. Lack of sunlight and poor circulation can also cause this issue, so keep that in mind if you think you have a fungal problem causing a brown patch.

Brown patches can also occur from pets urinating on your lawn and extreme temperatures during the summer. Since dog urine contains a high amount of nitrogen, it can cause an unsightly brown spot. Brown spots in your lawn can also be the result of heavy foot traffic and grubs that eat your grassroots. These issues are fairly straightforward to correct, but if you are dealing with a fungal disease your approach will be more involved. Make sure you have a good idea about the cause of your brown patch before moving forward.

2. Maintain a Solid Lawn Care Routine

The truth is that most of the time, brown patches are the result of poor lawn care. That’s why one of the best ways to avoid brown patches is to maintain a solid lawn care routine. For example, make sure you are heading outside to mow your lawn at regular intervals and providing your lawn with the fertilizers it needs to thrive. The time of day that you water your lawn is also important, so try to head outside to water your grass in the early morning. You should also focus on soil quality and aerating to keep the irrigation working well for your lawn.

Make sure you aren’t overwatering your lawn, as this can lead to lawn problems if you aren’t careful. Your lawn really only needs about one inch of water per week, since fungal diseases tend to spread faster when you use too much water. You should also be careful when you are dealing with lawn clipping since they can spread the fungal disease to other areas of your property if you aren’t careful. Finding the right lawn care routine is usually the result of trial and error, so keep tweaking your routine until you find exactly what works for you.

3. Monitor Your Lawn Regularly

If you really want to achieve a lawn that you are proud of, you will need to monitor it at regular intervals so that you can make the necessary adjustments. That means checking out your lawn a few days after mowing to see how it holds up and experimenting with different lawn care products. The more in-tune you are with how your lawn is doing, the better suited you will be to avoid brown spots entirely.

Some of the things to check for include weeds, heavy thatch, and how your grass is reacting to certain fertilizers. If you need assistance with making the most out of your lawn, you can always reach out to Cal Blend Soils. Our team can help you get the landscaping products you need to keep your grass healthy and strong so that brown spots are not a common occurrence. Reach out to Cal Blend Soils today to learn more.

4. Prevent Poor Drainage

As we mentioned earlier, poor drainage is often a cause for fungal problems that lead to brown patches in your lawn. That’s why it’s important to focus on preventing poor drainage so that your lawn doesn’t fall victim to fungal problems. Aerating your soil is a good way to make sure that it doesn’t get too compacted over time. You should also monitor the areas of your lawn that receive heavy foot traffic since this can lead to soil compaction.

If you want to promote proper drainage, get your soil tested so that you know exactly what it is made up of. That way, you can add certain landscaping supplies that will improve the consistency of your soil and allow for better drainage. The bottom line is that avoiding brown patches is the product of a good landscaping routine and the knowledge to correct any issues that come up.