Lawn Has Turned Brown

Our friend’s lawn, we live in the south, turned into a sickly carpet-like pattern last fall. It has since turned completely brown. Definitely an eye catcher that appears to have led to this lawn's demise.

The first thing I do when confronted with any plant problem is look for clues. I check out the recent weather, growing conditions in the landscape, and the on-going and recent care. Next I look for any insects, disease or environmental factors that could have caused this type of damage to a lawn in your area in the fall. When I get stumped, I go to colleagues with greater expertise. In this case I contacted the turf, insect and disease experts at the University of Wisconsin Extension. My friend and colleague Brian Hudelson, disease diagnostician, responded with "Wow, is that ever cool!!!!" and then went to work. He found a few possible suspects including sclerotinia patch, but recommends your neighbor takes a sample of the diseased lawn to their local University Extension diagnostic lab for confirmation. This will save them time and money in the long run - getting a lab diagnosis so the proper remedy can be applied.