How To Get Rid Of Brown Patch Lawn Disease?
When it comes to lawns, it can be a struggle ensuring that everything looks lively and healthy, especially in extreme weather such as harsh rains or high temperatures. While there are things that you can do during the different seasons to help your lawn adjust to the weather changes, some homeowners have found that they struggle with the emergence of brown patches and spots on their lawns during the fall.
Why do I have brown spots on my lawn?
Brown spots on lawns usually appear when the weather is cooling off from the high temperatures of summer. Brown patch lawn disease is how this phenomena is called, where a fungus called Rhizoctonia attacks your grass and leaves behind unsightly brown patches. A fair number of homeowners will have experienced this at least once or twice.
How do I treat brown spots in my lawn?
Brown patch lawn disease can be treated by ensuring that you are taking care of your lawn appropriately. This includes regular weed control, fertilisation, mowing, and watering.
Fertilise correctly! When in doubt, consult your local experts to know what the right amount of fertiliser would be for your soil type. Remember that the fungi associated with these brown patches also can benefit from the added nitrogen exposure that fertilisation provides, and can have an adverse effect of strengthening the fungi and prolonging the existence of the brown patches.
When mowing your lawn, ensure that you are cutting your grass higher than you usually would, especially during the summer months. This is to help move both heat and moisture away from the soil by means of sun exposure, which will cut off much needed resources for Rhizoctonia to thrive in your lawn area.
Keep your watering on a schedule, and be careful not to overwater. Depending on your local council, you will have set days that you are allowed to use Perth irrigation systems so make full use of this schedule and adhere to it. Preventing yourself from overwatering your lawn lowers the chances of brown patches, and reduces its span if your lawn already has it, as Rhizoctonia thrives when the top layer of the soil is moist, but the deeper soil is dry.
Perth irrigation systems can help you set up a regular watering schedule that provides deep watering efficiently, while also helping you water at the times best suited for the longevity of your plants. This would ideally be between 5 to 9 in the morning, as moisture remains at the surface during the hotter periods of the day otherwise, and can be a breeding ground to the fungus. Ideally, it’s best to avoid watering during the afternoon and night time as well, as this does not give enough time for your soil to cool down from the sun exposure during the day, providing an encouraging environment to Rhizoctonia to thrive, and it will not help you get rid of brown patch lawn disease as a result.
