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Help! What is going on with my St. Augustine grass?
Posted on 11/5/26 at 2:23 pm
Posted on 11/5/26 at 2:23 pm
Most of the front yard is a nice thick green, but there are a few patches where it all seems to be going brown/dying. Example:
A little closer view:
Another little patch in the same yard:
Any ideas, suggestions? This is in Old Metairie.
A little closer view:
Another little patch in the same yard:
Any ideas, suggestions? This is in Old Metairie.
Posted on 11/5/26 at 2:40 pm to BRich
I noticed the same thing in my yard yesterday actually. There are areas of general dying due to the drought, but then in a really healthy area there's a patch that's very dead, and suddenly. I guess some sort of worm?
Posted on 11/5/26 at 2:49 pm to TDsngumbo
I bet Chinch Bugs. Haappened to me a month ago. Now all good after spraying that section
Posted on 11/5/26 at 3:29 pm to HeyShowMeYourTDs
Chinch bugs going crazy
Posted on 11/9/26 at 9:06 am to Spelt it rong
Sod web worms were active 2 months ago.
Posted on 11/9/26 at 9:31 am to BRich
That definitely looks like Chinch bugs. They devasted my yard this year. However, it is a bit cold for them to be so active right now. You will have to get on your hands and knees and pull the grass back and check the soil for them crawling around. They are tiny tiny little bugs. The nymphs are red/orange and the adults are black with a white X on their back. Those are their wings folded over. Ortho Bugclear will take care of them if that is the case, but their damage is permanent. You will have to re-sod that area in the spring.
The giveaway that it is Chinch bugs is the fact that only the St Aug is dead, and the nutsedge and other weeds are still alive.
To check for web worms, look at the individual blades. It they look like bites have been taken out, it is web worms. The blades will look like a saw.
I don't think that is brown/large patch, but now is a great time to put down a fungicide. I spread a huge curative rate of Azoxystrobin & Propiconazole at the same time about a month ago.
The giveaway that it is Chinch bugs is the fact that only the St Aug is dead, and the nutsedge and other weeds are still alive.
To check for web worms, look at the individual blades. It they look like bites have been taken out, it is web worms. The blades will look like a saw.
I don't think that is brown/large patch, but now is a great time to put down a fungicide. I spread a huge curative rate of Azoxystrobin & Propiconazole at the same time about a month ago.
This post was edited on 11/9/26 at 9:39 am
Posted on 11/9/26 at 9:54 am to BRich
Could be a long shot but dogs pissing on the same spot over and over will kill it.
Posted on 11/9/26 at 10:15 am to BRich
I live in Metairie and every lawn on my street looks like this.
Posted on 11/9/26 at 1:11 pm to dblwall
quote:
Could be a long shot but dogs pissing on the same spot over and over will kill it.
Yeah; we don't have a dog, and we live on a little dead-end street and don't get folks walking their dogs down this way.
Posted on 11/11/26 at 11:12 am to BRich
I told Google Gemini AI where you were and time of year, then described the pic. It said probably brown patch at this time of year, but could be chinch bugs.
I then pasted in one of your photos, and it again leaned to brown patch. It pointed to aspects of the photo and commented on what they indicated.
Visual Clues in Your Photo
• Distinct Border: The transition from healthy green grass on the edges to bleached, tan turf in the center is typical of an expanding fungal patch.
• Intact Stolons (Runners): Notice how a few green blades and runners are still poking up through the dead patch. Fungal diseases rot the base of the leaf blades while often leaving the thicker runners alive underneath.
• Matted Thatch Layer: Thick, dry thatch at the soil surface traps moisture overnight, creating the exact environment Rhizoctonia fungus needs to thrive in fall.
How to Confirm Before Treating
1. Perform the Tug Test: Grab a few yellowing blades right along the green border and gently pull upward. If they slide out effortlessly and have a dark, brown, mushy base, it is brown patch fungus.
2. Check for Pests: If the blades are firmly rooted and resist pulling, run a soapy-water flush along the green border to rule out lingering chinch bugs or sod webworms.
3. Rule Out Localized Dry Spots: Push a screwdriver into the center of the brown patch. If the soil is rock-hard compared to the green grass around it, water may be repelling off that spot.
Recommended Next Steps
• Stop Nitrogen Fertilizer: Do not apply winterizer or high-nitrogen fertilizer right now, as it fuels fungal spread.
• Adjust Watering: Water only in the early morning if rainfall is scarce, ensuring grass blades dry completely before sundown.
• Apply a Fungicide (If Tug Test Passes): Treat the area and a few feet of the surrounding green turf with a lawn fungicide labeled for large patch (active ingredients like azoxystrobin, propiconazole, or myclobutanil) following the product label instructions.
I then pasted in one of your photos, and it again leaned to brown patch. It pointed to aspects of the photo and commented on what they indicated.
Visual Clues in Your Photo
• Distinct Border: The transition from healthy green grass on the edges to bleached, tan turf in the center is typical of an expanding fungal patch.
• Intact Stolons (Runners): Notice how a few green blades and runners are still poking up through the dead patch. Fungal diseases rot the base of the leaf blades while often leaving the thicker runners alive underneath.
• Matted Thatch Layer: Thick, dry thatch at the soil surface traps moisture overnight, creating the exact environment Rhizoctonia fungus needs to thrive in fall.
How to Confirm Before Treating
1. Perform the Tug Test: Grab a few yellowing blades right along the green border and gently pull upward. If they slide out effortlessly and have a dark, brown, mushy base, it is brown patch fungus.
2. Check for Pests: If the blades are firmly rooted and resist pulling, run a soapy-water flush along the green border to rule out lingering chinch bugs or sod webworms.
3. Rule Out Localized Dry Spots: Push a screwdriver into the center of the brown patch. If the soil is rock-hard compared to the green grass around it, water may be repelling off that spot.
Recommended Next Steps
• Stop Nitrogen Fertilizer: Do not apply winterizer or high-nitrogen fertilizer right now, as it fuels fungal spread.
• Adjust Watering: Water only in the early morning if rainfall is scarce, ensuring grass blades dry completely before sundown.
• Apply a Fungicide (If Tug Test Passes): Treat the area and a few feet of the surrounding green turf with a lawn fungicide labeled for large patch (active ingredients like azoxystrobin, propiconazole, or myclobutanil) following the product label instructions.
Posted on 11/11/26 at 11:42 am to Twenty 49
all of that is probably true but those pathogens always exist in a lawn. The vigor of the grass keeps them at bay. We are in an extended drought and lawns are stressed
everything is about to go dormant
everything is about to go dormant
This post was edited on 11/11/26 at 11:59 am
Posted on 11/12/26 at 2:05 pm to BRich
Get on it or the damage will end up big. Grass probably stressed from no rain when it was hot. Could also be a fungus.
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