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Lawn Problems

Invariably something will go wrong with your lawn eventually, and although it may not be serious it can still be worrying. This information below should help you to identify the cause of the most common problems and show you how to deal with them.

Go out and examine your lawn. Does it look perfect or does it exhibit one or more of the symptoms below?

Bare Patches, Thin, sparse grass, Brown patches, Yellow or pale green areas, Weeds, Uneven surface, Fairy rings or other diseases, Waterlogging, Spongy surface, Black slime on the surface, Damaged edges, Coarse grasses, Stones appearing on the surface, Cracks between new turves, Cracks in the soil.

Bare Patches

Possible causes and Suggested action

- Failure of seed to germinate because of disease.
Treat the seed with fungicidal seed dressing prior to sowing and then resow the patch.

- Poor seed distribution during sowing.
Resow the patch

- Poor seed germination because of poor soil or a compacted, waterlogged soil.
Aerate the soil thoroughly prior to sowing.

- Poor germination because you used very old seed.
Buy fresh seed and discard old seed.

- Petrol or chemical spillage.
Remove the affected soil and turf and replace it.

- Double-dosing the area with fertiliser.
Water the area well on several occasions and then resow the patch or wait for natural regrowth.

- Heavily compacted soil.
Aerate the soil prior to resowing.

- Too much wear and tear.
Reduce the use of the lawn until the grass has had time to recover.

- Scalping by the lawn-mower.
Adjust the levels of the lawn

Bare patches can be resown or returfed at any time of the year as long as the soil is warm and you can keep in moist. Cut out and remove the affected soil or turf and lightly loosen the rest of the soil with a fork. Add a little pre-seed fertiliser to the soil and then firm it by treading. Cut fresh turf to fit the gap, position it carefully, firm the turf and then topdress with sandy soil to fill the cracks.

If seed is to be used you must add fresh soil to fill the hole, firm the soil and then scatter seed over the soil. Cover the seed lightly with soil and then cover the area with cotton or a net to keep the birds away.

Thin, Sparse Grass

Thin, sparse grass on a new lawn may be caused by poor seed-bed preparation. Other factors - shade, for example - could also cause the same symptoms.

Severe soil compaction can produce the symptoms but so can poor mowing. If compaction is a problem intensive aeration will overcome it. Lack of adequate feeding can result in a thin sward. Applying a balanced fertiliser will solve the problem.

Brown Patches

There are many possible causes of such patches on lawns. Straw-coloured patches which have either a pink or a whitish tinge or mould covering them will probably be caused by red thread or fusarium diseases. All of the most common diseases are covered later in this article.

If the grass in the brown patch has had its roots eaten then you will probably find that the cause is leatherjacket.

What else could cause brown patches?
Before you assume that diseases have caused the patches on your lawn you should realise that other causes exist. Bitch urine is commonly to blame for damage to lawns. There is often a dark green ring around the patch. Look out for this sign...
Rubble just under the soil surface, shallow soil over subsoil, oil spillage and double-dosing with fertiliser can cause brown patches too. Replace the soil if possible and resow or returf the affected patch.

Yellow or Pale Green Areas

Poor colour in a lawn can indicate one of several problems. Usually the problem is the lack of sufficient fertiliser but not always. If you haven't fed the grass for a long time then a light feed should help. It is often worth while just digging a shallow hole in the lawn to examine the roots and soil.
Are the roots very shallow? Shallow roots can indicate compaction and waterlogging. Have the roots been eaten? Roots which just suddenly stop near the soil surface may have been eaten by pests. Does the soil have a thatch or a spongy layer present at the surface? More information on thatch can be found later in this article.

Weeds

The commonest definition of a weed is a plant growing in the wrong place!

Control Methods

Where control does not involve the use of chemicals or weedkillers the methods are referred to as cultural controls. Such methods should always be the first consideration in keeping weeds down.

When a new lawn is being constructed all the weed growth should be carefully removed or killed using a suitable herbicide. Fallow the ground for as long as possible so that you have the opportunity to kill the weeds as they germinate. There is always a good supply of weed seed in the soil ready to germinate when the conditions are favorable.

Coarse grasses may often be killed by regular scarifying or slashing with a knife. Creeping weeds can often be controlled in established lawns by regular raking and scarifying.

If your ground preparation and maintenance are carried out properly then you will minimise the weed the weed problem for the future. Too much or too little water or fertiliser may cause weeds to encroach into your lawn. When all else fails chemical controls must be your choice. The lawn-mower will kill off many weeds - mainly the annual and biennial types - but other will persist and must be dealt with properly.

Why are weeds harmful?
Simply put, they compete with the grasses for food, water, light and air. They are often very aggressive and can weaken the grass in which they are growing. Eventually the weeds become dominant and the grass dies off completely. A few flowers in the lawn might look nice initially but inevitably there will be more and more of them.

Lawn Problems - Part 2 >>

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