Brown Patch: Disease of lawns. Rhizoctonia Solani – Brown patch in turf grasses causes ugly dead or dying patches to appear during hot humid heat stressed months. Brown patch can occur quickly – within 24-48 hours. In a shorter cut lawn it can appear as large irregular spots or patches, anywhere from 2-3″ to 2′ diameter. In taller grasses affected areas appear as large circular patches 2-3′ in diameter or thin spots in areas with odd shapes. Never apply fertilizer to a lawn that is infected with brown patch. Keeping lawn foliage as dry as possible and avoiding soggy wet soil will aid in reducing this disease. Irrigation should be done early in the day in order to allow the foliage to dry completely before night falls. Applications to control brown patch should be made when the night-time temperature is 67* F and when there are conditions that trigger brown patch, such as excessive rain fall, over wateri
ng and humidity. Always follow the directions on the label of any product that you may choose.
