Brown Spots on St. Augustine Blades

kbsummers – posted 22 June 2007 19:23

HELP! We’ve gotten a lot of rain! I have brown spots on the blade of my grass. Is it fungus? What do I do?

TexanOne – posted 23 June 2007 12:57

This is most likely a fungus problem (I suspect Gray Leaf Spot) but would need to see pictures to be sure. Take a look at this website, click on the list of diseases on the left side of the link to open pictures, disease descriptions, and recommended remedies:

http://aggie-turf.tamu.edu/answers4you/diseases.htm

With all the excessive rain in Texas this year, fungal diseases are becoming a problem that normally wouldn’t be an issue. I recommend you treat the problem soon because fungal problems can wipe out St Augustine quickly.

In addition to chemical controls for fungus, there are many effective natural and organic options available such as top dressing with composted cow or chicken manure and corn meal. Of the two control options, chemical vs. organic, I would choose organic because chemical controls tend to be more of a short-term quick fix. Also, fungal diseases become a problem in depleted soil lawns, or those with few beneficial fungi that hold the bad stuff in check.

The ancient methods of top dressing turfgrasses using cow manure, composted organic waste, and other natural means are turning out to be the most effective long-term solutions to disease control.