I went to school for what people tell me was a long time. To keep my self-esteem high, we won’t discuss the actual timeline. And it is not only the duration of that educational experience that often comes under fire, but it is usually followed by, "They have a degree for that?!"

It is usually in this moment people realize they should have embarked on such an incredible adventure. And yes, they do have a degree for turf management, and the further down the education path you explore, the more specific it gets.

With emphasis on pathology, entomology, physiology, weed, and soil science. Exploring the impacts grass has on our lives, from aesthetics, recreation, pollution remediation, carbon sequestration, and environmental cooling. Much to the point of now being able to answer the question, why does my grass have brown spots?

We could spend years discussing the finer parts of grass growth and how it interacts with the environment, but I don’t want to keep you here that long, so we will simply graze across a couple of highlights and leave the book study up to you. Grass turning brown is a natural response to an outside agent, biotic or abiotic.

Diseases and insects are the dominant biotic factors influencing grass health. There are hundreds of different lawn diseases, fungal and viral, that impact both warm and cool season turf. For a disease to occur on a grass plant, there are three things that must be present. The host (grass), the pathogen (fungi), and a proper environment (dominantly moisture and temperature). That bad news is that the host and fungi are always present for the most part, so as environmental conditions fluctuate, pathogens thrive, damaging roots and leaves alike. However, many disease pathogens are particular to their host and environment, meaning we only deal with a handful at any moment in the season.

While there is a plethora of insects that live in the soil and grass canopy, only a handful seriously damage lawns. The timing and type of damage are dependent upon the life stage and cycle of the insect itself, which results in season-long risks. And depending on the type of insect, the damage could impact the roots, shoots, crown, or all of the above. Damage from insects can become widespread and cause serious damage.

The abiotic reasons for brown turf are endless. It could be cultural practices like mowing or nutritional deficiencies, sun scald from surface water, pets, excessive traffic, drought, or heat stress.

Today it is 95 degrees Fahrenheit; cool-season grass prefers peak air temperatures of 75 degrees Fahrenheit (warm-season turf is 95 degrees Fahrenheit). Anything beyond these optimal ranges may cause general heat stress, where plant metabolic processes slow, energy stores are reduced, the plant turns brown and goes dormant, or in extreme cases may die.

All to say, the reason your grass is turning brown is complex. I noted the current temperatures, and there is no rain in the forecast for the next week. Japanese beetle eggs are being laid in the soil, soon turning into root-eating grubs. The first generation of chinch bugs is emerging. Disease pressure is significant, with high humidity and nighttime temperatures. And my kids keep putting a slip-and-slide out. All causing some sort of brown spot.

Summer is a very difficult time to grow grass, and brown spots seem to pop up overnight. Diagnosing these areas is as much of an art as it is a science.

Even after my educational journey, I consider myself a novice. It requires observation, experience, and sometimes a little help from a friend with a microscope.

Best of luck this summer!