Managing dead spots in a lawn can be an intricate, expensive, and frustrating endeavor. The degree of communication with your lawn mowing service company can be a determining factor in whether these dead or diseased spots are properly managed. Dead grass can be caused by a spectrum of bugs and diseases and managed in several different ways that sometimes interrelate.
One common cause of bad spots in turf is pet urine. It is a fact that some pets, particularly dogs, will do their business in the same spot or general area every time. It is that concentration of urea or other biological chemical that can throw the pH balance off in any given turf. Some grasses are more tolerant of this phenomenon, others will die out. Correcting this problem could involve training the pet to go elsewhere, perhaps in the mulch/straw. Alternately, one could attempt to amend the pH of the affected area with treatments such as lime.
Another common cause, especially in the spring when growth is new and tender, is bugs. Particularly grubworms and chinchbugs. These pests will eat the root systems of your lawn and cause brown spots. They will continue to kill the yard until they are treated or until it becomes too cold outside for them to bear. Using a shovel, dig just under the affected area or at the edge of the affected area - look for short, white worm like creatures (grubworms). Identifying chinchbugs involves the same process, but looking much closer at the soil, looking for tiny dark colored bugs. Chinchbugs can also be brought to the top of a can cut at both ends and filled with water, placing the can in the suspect area. A preventative maintenance program would be in order if one is interested in managing these pests, which can be treated with granular pesticides. One note of caution: keep dogs/pets out of the treated area until it is safe for them to re-enter the area in accordance with the label on the product.
Grubworms and Moles go hand in hand. Moles feed, from underground, on grubs. Killing moles is very difficult, so a treatment option for this situation would be to supress the grubworms and hope that the moles head for greener pastures. Moles will make mounded caves - to manage mole hills, simply running the heavy tires of a riding mower over them will help manage until the moles leave.
Too much water or lack of sufficient sprinkler coverage can also contribute to the decline of a lawn. Too much water will cause the root system to get "waterlogged", causing the plant to starve for oxygen. Too little water has obvious effects, in extreme conditions causing the plant to go into dormancy. Proper sprinkler adjustment is important - the rule of thumb is to keep the soil at the turf just barely moist to the touch.
Other causes of brown spots in the lawn are heavy traffic or heavy machinery (as opposed to push mowers) which would call for more frequent aeration, lack of gutters which causes washing, steep slopes, and poor judgement in lawn mowing (cutting too short or too high or too often). Having a "perfect" lawn can be expensive! One must decide what they are willing to budget to keep the lawn at a satisfactory level of beauty.
For more information on this and many other Lawn related topics, visit our website or call us for lawn service at http://www.busybeelawncare.com/
