Controlling Brown Patch Fungus in St. Augustine Grass
- lawnandpest
- 6 minutes ago
- 1 min read
St. Augustine Grass is susceptible to a type of fungus commonly called brown patch fungus, which is a soil born disease. Brown patch fungus unsurprisingly causes large brown patches in the lawn, and when active, displays a yellow or orange ring around the affected area.
Brown patch fungus proliferates in cool, wet conditions. Watering too frequently causes the damp conditions that brown patch fungus loves. St. Augustine grass should only be watered once it is dry and showing signs of wilt. St. Augustine grass is semi-drought tolerant, and does best when watering is done only as needed. The recommended depth to water St. Augustine grass is ¾ to 1" of water at first sign of wilt. Based on your lawn’s drainage, the amount of water needed could vary.
To control brown patch fungus in St. Augustine grass in central Florida, have a trained lawn care technician first apply a fungicide to correct the issue.
A word of caution: Since warm-season grasses grow more slowly in the colder seasons, don’t expect the fungicides to magically turn the lawn green again. The chemicals simply prevent the fungus from expanding. The only way to turn the lawn green again is to wait until it grows new leaves in spring (or paint it in the meantime).