Brown Patch in St. Augustine Grass

Brown Patch is a common disease that affects St. Augustine.  It occurs mainly with the weather change that occurs in spring and fall.   In general, brown patch is worse if you over-fertilize your St. Augustine grass.  It is wise to hold off fertilization until the grass is actively growing in the Spring (mid April, in general), and use an appropriate fertilizer.  On the Circle C commons areas we use an organic fertilizer with less than 10% nitrogen.

If you get brown patch, you can treat it in several ways.  You can pick up a fungicide specifically formulated for St. Augustine.  Carefully follow the directions on the label.  If you want to treat it organically, you can add one cup of milk to a gallon of water and spray the area once a week for several weeks.  Other helpful tips include not over watering, and watering early in the morning and not in the evening.