[Pecker]

Hey guys, one of my customers' lawns has several spots of dead St. Augustine grass. It is a beautiful pure St. Augustine lawn. The patches are perfectly round in shape and range from about 3 feet to about 10 feet in diameter. It usually happens coming into fall each year as the grass leaves dormancy. Then it disappears as the grass grows in until the next year. It really shows up when the grass around the spots is turning real green and the sopts stay brown.

What is this?
How would you treat it?
How would you prevent it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[AssistSuper]

I'm thinking maybe fairy ring?

 

[hole in one lco]

this could be it but i cant tell you with out looking at it

 

[Tony Clifton]

Most likely it is Brown Patch, fairy ring ussually has dark green grass around the dges I believe. The best thing to treat it with is called Prostar, its expensive but it works. If a yard has brown patch bad I will treat the spots affected while the grass is dormant. If not it will always come back worse the next year. The best thing to do will be to treat it with prostar and do a follow up application every 2-3 weeks untill it is gone. I have noticed that brown patch shows up when a yard is really wet, and also when there is not a proper fertiliaztion program in place.

 

[Pecker]

Assist, my first thgouth was fariy ring.

Hole in one, those pictures look exactly like it, thanks for the pic.

Tony, thanks, where would I find Prostar?

Thank you all.

 

[Tony Clifton]

******, I know that lesco has it, but before I started buying from Lesco I bought it from another chemical company that supplied mostly ag chemicals. I have a feeling that it is something that any type of chemical supplier would have or could get if you dont have a lesco nearby. I do know that it is not something that you cuold get at a Home Depot or Lowes.

 

[Pecker]

Ok. Thanks Tony. I do have a Lesco. I'll check with them.

 

[spray guy]

Definitly sounds like brown patch. Reduce nitrogen rate in mid to late summer, use more iron and potassium going into fall, useing prostar prior to patches being developed will reduce spore count.
Follow up again with more prostar 30 days later. Generally you
won't get the brown patch if the above takes place. Also do not
over water going into late summer. The key is offsetting the spore count.

 

[Pecker]

Ok, thanks Sprayguy.