During the spring you may notice brown patches in your lawn. Brown patch and large patch disease are serious fungal diseases caused by different strains of Rhizoctonia solani and can affect all north Georgia grasses. The brown patch disease can develop and spread rapidly when temperatures during the day are warm (75 – 90 degrees) and humid, and overnight temperatures are above 60 degrees, and there are extended periods of leaf wetness.
The symptoms of brown patch disease vary greatly, depending on soil conditions and the type of grass. Usually the disease causes thinned patches of light brown grass that may appear circular in shape. The brown circles may vary in size from just a few inches in diameter to being several feet across. When disease conditions are very favorable, large areas of the lawn appear uniformly thinned without any apparent circular patterns.
All turf grasses grown in north Ga. can be affected by Brown Patch or similar diseases. Green Leaf provides fungicide applications throughout the growing season and many of our lawns are on full fungicide treatment regimen.
The best way to prevent these diseases in your lawn is by following good lawn care practices.