How to Treat Round Brown Spots in Lawns
Round brown spots can be caused by pet urine, gasoline from the lawn mower, improper fertilizing methods or poorly draining soil. It is important to treat the cause of the brown patch or it will continually plague the health and aesthetics of the lawn. To prevent brown spots, pour gasoline in lawn mowers on a hard surface. Avoid applying an uneven application of fertilizer and keep pets in designated areas in the yard. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Spade
- Plastic bag
- Shovel
- Compost
- Builder's sand
- Tiller
- Hand held seed spreader
- Rake
- Garden hose
- Fertilizer
- Lawn mower
- Fertilizer spreader
Instructions
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1
Cut a 4 by 4-inch hole into the turf with a spade. Include half dead grass and half healthy grass. Place grass sample in a plastic bag. Keep the grass sample in the refrigerator to prevent it heating up. Bring to your local cooperative extension to get a soil test to see if you have a fungal disease in the grass.
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2
Dig a 6-inch hole in the brown spot and grab a handful of dirt from the bottom and squeeze. If the dirt releases water, it has poor draining abilities and the area must be dug up and amended with 4 inches of both compost and builder's sand. Till the soil amendments into 6 inches of top soil.
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3
Remove the entire area of dead grass with a shovel. Place in wheelbarrow and burn or throw away. Spread compost and builder's sand over the bare area. Till the soil amendments into 6 inches of top soil.
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4
Broadcast seeds with a hand held seed spreader. Rake 1/8 inch of compost over the seeds and water the area thoroughly. Mist the growing seeds with a gardening hose four times a day until it grows to 1 inch. Return to providing the grass with the regular amount of water.
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5
Mow the new grassy area once it has grown to 3 inches. Apply a balanced fertilizer with an NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) amount of 10-10-10 after seven weeks of growing.
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Tips & Warnings
Check your fertilizer spreader to ensure that it is applying fertilizer in an even amount by watching it as it distributes fertilizer granules.
Avoid causing another brown patch by refraining from applying nitrogen at the time of broadcasting seeds.
References
- Photo Credit Grass lawn image by Dan Marsh from Fotolia.com
