Problem:

• During high temperatures and wet conditions brown patches appear in the lawn. very similar to a light chemical (fertilizer) burn or much like a urine burn.

     Cause of Problem:

• Brown patch is caused by a fungus known as Rhizotonia solani. This fungus is attracted to the lawn because of the rapid lush new growth of a high nitrogen feed lawn. The chemical fertilizer kills off all beneficial bacteria and attracts these harmful bacteria and fungus. The root cause of all fungal diseases is dead soil and stress.

• Over fertilized soil, improperly cared for, will die and along with it goes the support system needed by plants to grow healthy and disease free. 

• The city water you use has chlorine (usually) added to it to control bacteria in the water. It is this very anti-bacterial water that kills all beneficials in the soil further adding to the damage caused by chemical usage.

    The Organic Solution:

• Take better care of your soil!

• Top dress with compost several times per year. Top dress with rock dust several times per year. Aerate each time before topdressing is done. Composted horse manure makes a good lawn topdressing.

• A good lawn compost formula: mix together the following: 

  • 4 parts Horse manure 

  • 1 part Rabbit or llama manure (grounded up fine) 

  • 1 part Alfalfa meal 

  • 1 part Coffee grinds 

  • 1 part Rock Dust 
    Blend together. Make into a pile. Cover with a tarp and allow to sit for one week. Then turn pile over. Let sit for another week. Do this for one month. Pile is ready to apply to lawn. spread evenly over lawn area. water in well or allow to be rained on. Save some to make compost tea with. GOTO Compost Tea Page to get more information on making and using compost tea. See also below.

• Use in-line feeder system to apply natural bacteria to soil.

• Use a garden filter to remove the chlorine. If you cannot find one on the market, try making your own! Buy a shower filter and covert it to garden use by attaching it to the hose! Replace yearly the filter.

    A Natural spray to use:

     Using Compost Tea to control fungus:

• A good strong compost tea can be sprayed on the effected lawn to control most fungus related problems. Allow the tea to sit for a few days before using. Add some natural soap (a few drops per gallon) to increase effectiveness as the soap becomes a wetting agent.

     Control your watering.

• It is important to control the amount and times of watering to insure that you are not over or under watering.  Longer water periods with a few days non watering are better then short watering periods every day. honest!

• See Lawn Basics

• for more information see dead soil, Lawn Problems.....Dead Soil

• waterlogged soil, compacted soil, Lawn Problems Compacted Soil

• dog urine, Lawn Pests Dogs Peeing on the Lawn

• chemical burn, Lawn Problems Chemical Burns

• algae moss, Lawn Diseases Algae Growth

Last Update: March 17, 2013