# yard dead from brown patch..need help



## Speckhunter77 (May 14, 2006)

my yard is 90% dead from what I believe is brown patch fungus. a few months ago my yard was healthy and green and then I noticed small spots going brown. I didn't know what it was at the time until it started to spread more. I have been watering before and after..after as in watering in the morning. Now there are green thorny weeds growing and the dead grass is light brown and thick. I can pull out the roots easily. What can I do to try to regain my yard? Any help would be really appreciated...thanks.


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## mtaswt (Aug 10, 2007)

Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done at this point. Water (excess water anyways) is what promotes brown patch......the good news though is that brown patch doesn't actually kill your grass! You will just have to wait until spring and the grass will come back although it may be weakend. For now you will just have to enjoy those brown ugly patches......don't worry you aren't the only one that's faced with these issues. I'm in the same boat as you along with lots of other folks as well!!


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## JDS (Jul 14, 2004)

Won't hurt to treat for grubs just in case. Had a terrible outbreak of them in my yard.


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

http://buchanansplants.com/2011/05/fungus-prevention-and-treatment-in-houston-area-gardens/

Here is a good write up.... It's all about good practices 
It sounds like the extra watering with cool temps helped it to spread

But I havnt seen your yard so hard to tell

Don't start treating for something you don't know exist like grubs

If you ever make it in town off 59 south is a great store that will help you

http://www.southwestfertilizer.com/index.html

Good knowledgable folks and they have every correct product you will need
Organic or synthetic

I have found less is more in an organic program
Less fertilizers. Less water, less maintenance and less cost

But what ever you do there is no quick fix

Good luck and I would love to see some before and after pics


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## Speckhunter77 (May 14, 2006)

Went in today to southwest fertilizer to speak.with them and I forgot the mans name I spoke to. He gave me some good advice about what it could possibly be that's killing my grass. Right now I have St Augustine grass....or what's left of it and he also told me that type of grass is really susceptible to alot of things that will kill it. He recommended cultivating when it warms up in March or so and seeding with Bermuda since it is not as prone as St Augustine to be damaged


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## Shin-Diggin (Jun 17, 2005)

I went from mean green to dead brown almost over night it seemed!


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## Speckhunter77 (May 14, 2006)

He also.said if it was a very fast spread it is more likely cinch bugs....mine could of been but now I will just have to wait until it warms up and till up the soil in my yard to cultivate the soil and reseed.


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## fishingcacher (Mar 29, 2008)

Speckhunter77 said:


> He also.said if it was a very fast spread it is more likely cinch bugs....mine could of been but now I will just have to wait until it warms up and till up the soil in my yard to cultivate the soil and reseed.


A picture would help people ID what you have. It could be both. If the chinch bugs are still there you can use a hollowed out large plastic coffee can and push it down on the ground and fill it up with water to see if any of them float to the top of the water. Last year my MIL's grass look like it died but it came back next year so you just never know.


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## JDubya (Sep 26, 2012)

I have a buddy who has a lawn coloring business...sounds weird in know. The stuff is organic and kid and pet friendly and will turn your yard green again all while you work to get it back alive


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## castaway300 (Oct 6, 2007)

chich bug like it dry, they normally hit middle of summer
sod web worms like it a little wet, we had a really bad year for sod web worms.


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## Speckhunter77 (May 14, 2006)

Ok,these are the before and after pictures. When the grass was green that was in the summer and what you see after is now. I still have just a bit of green grass left in the corners but the majority of it is all dead. My neighbor had his whole yard green for awhile but his yard is starting to die off too.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Hard to tell from the pics, especially the 'now' pic. It looks like it just the normal winter dormancy that all St Augustine lawns goe through....

What you probably had was 'brown patch' which is caused by the fungus 'Rhizoctonia' (which is a natural occurring fungi in soil). It's symptoms can occur in both the spring & fall when night time temps fall below 68 & moisture is present. St Augustine turf grass is really susceptible, especially so if fertilized with a high amount of nitrogen.

Treat it as soon as you notice it with a fungicide (preferably copper based) & avoid walking through the 'infected' areas to avoid spreading it further.


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## Speckhunter77 (May 14, 2006)

After my last post on here a few weeks ago I think I found out why how my roots of my grass have been getting damage. After talking with somebody about my yard he said it is grub worms that are eating the roots. Now mg yard has sparatic small green patches of long green grass here and there. After pulling it up by the roots I've noticed grub worms between the soil and the roots. I just put down insect control today and watered it in. This is the first step to getting my yard back this summer. Going to use Scotts Bonus S in a few weeks and see what happens.


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

Read the directions on the weed and feed.... It has a chemical in it that will kill your tress and bushes.... I have seen it on 50' +. pine trees in my neighborhood

Here is a great write up
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Weed-Feed-Fertilizers_vq1334.htm
I don't want you to loose your two tress in the front yard

I also hate to see you treated for grub worms without really confirming it was them...most of us have grub worms but down here very few of us have so many that it kills our grass like yours

Grass is dormant now... And just starting to come out .... Good luck


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