Brown spots can appear on a lawn for a number of reasons. Fortunately, most of the time, these spots are easily correctable. One potential cause of brown spots is unsharpened mower blades. This is because they have a tendency to shred only the tips of the grass blades, causing them to dry out quickly and resulting in a brown appearance, particularly in warm temperatures. In order to resolve this problem, you should try sharpening the blades or purchasing a new set.
Another potential cause of brown spots is soil compaction, which occurs when the soil particles of the lawn become packed together tightly. When this happens, the roots of your lawn are not able to grow correctly. In turn, this causes the tops to grow improperly. Soil that has a great deal of clay or that is walked on frequently tends to become more compacted, which leads to discoloration. Aerating the lawn can assist with this problem.
Uneven areas of the lawn may also become discolored. This is because the areas become scalped, which is when too much grass is removed from the tops of the high areas. The soil then becomes dried out and causes brown spots to develop in the lawn. To fix this problem, you should raise your mower blade when mowing areas at a higher elevation.
Buried debris, such as bricks, rocks, and lumber, can also lead to brown spots in the lawn. Sometimes, the dirt covering these buried objects is not deep enough to allow the roots of the grass to penetrate properly. This causes the roots to receive insufficient amounts of water, which causes the grass to dry out. Removing the buried debris can resolve this problem.
In some cases, a spongy layer called thatch can develop between your grass and the soil. This can also cause brown spots if the layer becomes too thick, causing the grass to dry out. In addition, areas with thatch tend to receive less oxygen and fertilizer. Removing the thatch can help reduce the potential for discoloration.