DRY PATCH/BROWN TURF 

Dry patch, a consequence in dry seasons.  Dry Patch is where the soil has become water repellent and if a sample of soil is taken when the condition is obvious you will find it is snuff dry even after heavy rainfall. It may also have a musty smell and contain white specks of fungal growth similar to those in Type 1 Fairy Rings

This water repellence causes a patchy network of drying brown grass amongst an otherwise green and healthy lawn. It is often associated with compaction and heavy thatch layers particularly in older lawns or turf on sandy soils.

Preventative Treatment 

Spring 

Ensure thatch is less than ½”. If it is more then it must be reduced. However, if you scarify the grass you may need to over seed afterwards. This could be a problem on soil that is water repellent so if you do need to scarify I would recommend a deep scarify in the spring before the grass starts drying out during the warmer drier months.

Next, the affected areas of lawn will definitely need aerating to allow water to penetrate. I would use a hollow tine aerator to open the turf up AND relieve compaction.

May Onwards

The penultimate step is to apply a ‘Wetting Agent’ to the turf.

Though this does not cure the water repellent nature of the soil it will enable water to penetrate more easily. You will need to apply wetting agent, of which there are many on the market.

For Existing Conditions

Once the turf has dried to such a degree, usually after a long dry period it can often take until the following spring to re-wet !

To speed the process of water penetration and therefore grass revival you should:

• Aerate the area densely – you don’t have to go deep and may not be able to due to the hardness of the soil. Just creating lots of holes will allow water in
• Water these areas of turf for about five minutes a day for a few days. Heavy watering will just run off so a few minutes is all that is required at this stage.
• Apply a wetting agent
• Repeat wetting agent and watering once a month until the lawn recovers. This will normally be 2 to 4 treatments. Additional spiking will also help.
• If the dryness has left you with dead brown grass then you will need to remove this by raking and then re-seeding the area once you have managed to wet the soil. If this occurs past September wait until spring to seed and start treatment as for a preventative lawn procedure above.