Brown Lawn, Grubs, ...

Maybe it is brownpatch fungus. Get a fungacide liguid at any lawn and garden store, and use a garden house sprayer to distribute. One application is all it has ever taken on my lawn.

:) I have developed a large brown patch (aprox 200 sq. ft.) in the middle of my :) otherwise healthy and green lawn. I suspect grubs, but dug up a few places :) and found none. (This might have been because the lawn is already dead, the :) grubs have moved on.)

grubs will eat the roots so the dead area will lift up like the welcome mat on a fronch porch...if the roots seem to be in tact you might dig up a sq foot section and take to a local nursery to identify what sort of disease may efect what ever type of lawn you have.

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

It is said that the early bird gets the worm, but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.

Ian Stock (remove the "antispam")"

The dead turf is more like thatch than doormat. But it does come up easily.

Re: the brownpatch fungus note in earlier response, the area is quite dry with lots of direct sunlight, which I would think precludes fungus.

Ian

Ian Stock (remove the "antispam")"

Look at a extension service website for your area. The last advice I read in looking for grubs was to lay back a square foot of sod and count the grubs that you find. Can recall what number is acceptable per sq ft

- three?

Has this been a gradual or sudden problem? Warm climate? Mole crickets here in Florida can scalp a lot of lawn. One method for finding them is to saturate about a sq foot of sod with soapy water - tbsp of dishwashing detergen per gallon - wait and see what comes up for air. Interesting experiment, as it causes even earthworms to struggle for air.

I intended to say "I cannot recall.....". Also forgot what was most important - take a soil sample and a section of sod from the border of your problem area to have them determine what the problem is.

Also, have you applied any chemicals recently? Conditions wetter or drier than normal? How long has the problem existed?

Our condo had large bare areas, but seemed to have no specific problem, other than poor maintenance. A gopher cricket infestation, here, could kill a lot of lawn and be long gone if one did not stay on top of problems. It is also easy to cause damage through improper application of fertilizer and/or herbicides.

It would help to know where you live Ian, but doesn't sound like grub damage. To check for grubs or any other insect check at the border where the lawn is still green. It sounds like a surface feeding insect to me. In our area of Canada I would suspect Chinch Bug.

Peter H

I'm in Toronto.

You might want to post to "alt.home.lawn.garden"

I stand by my original guess if you are in the Toront area. When you walk on the dead area does it feel different? If so chances are the root structure is gone and there is little home for the patch.

Peter H