ASK RON

My new lawn has been beautiful for the past six months. Just recently it has developed a couple of large, irregular brown patches. I’ve read about fungus, lawn moths and grubs. Any suggestions?

Michael

Newport Coast

From what you have described, I don’t believe your issue is caused by insects or disease. I suspect that your sprinkler system simply is not applying enough water evenly.

Soon after the weather warmed up three or four weeks ago, brown, dry areas began appearing in turf areas all over Orange County. These brown patches in lawns are a common condition at the moment and easily seen with a drive through almost any neighborhood. Portions of the lawn just aren’t getting enough water. You can test this by setting a couple of straight-sided drinking glasses in each of the dry areas and two or three more in some green areas. Turn the sprinklers on and let them go through their cycle. When finished, compare the depth of water in the glasses from the healthy green areas with those from the brown areas. My hunch is that your irrigation system isn’t delivering water as evenly as it might appear. An adjustment to your sprinkler system or some supplemental watering in these areas will solve the problem.

? Ron Vanderhoff, the Coastal Gardener