Hello Mary Jo,

Thank you for contacting us with your question about your dead patch of grass.

You could try raking over the area of dead grass to loosen the soil and remove the dead blades. You said you have aerated the soil for root stimulation, so this is good. You could use a spreader and lay down new grass seed over the dead spots.

Although, the problem may be caused by a turf disease, insect, water issues, drainage, or a number of environmental causes for the dead patch in your grass and if this is the case, simply raking, aerating, and spreading more grass seed might not take care of the problem.

Here is a link to a good paper on turf-grass disease control, insect control, and weed control. https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2016-guide-weed-insect-pest-control-in-turfgrass.pdf

We could help you more to find a better solution for you if we can narrow it down to what might be causing the brown spot.

If you can email us with some answers to the questions below we can help you to better troubleshoot.

What type pf grass you have. Is it Bermuda, St Augustine, Zoysia, or some other? When did you last test your soil? If not within six months please go to https://soiltesting.tamu.edu/ send in a current soil sample.

Also, when did you first see damage? Was the brown patch sudden or gradual?

What is your water source? Is it city, well, rain, recycled water?

How often per week/month, and what time of day do you water?

Is there a drainage problem in the area of the dead spot of grass?
How high is the setting on your mower and how often do you mow?
When did you last fertilize and what did you use?

What herbicides if any have you used in the last 12 months?

What insecticides have you used in the last 12 months?

How many hours of full sunlight does the damaged area get each day?

Pull up several blades. Did they come away from the roots easily or did the roots remain attached?

Please send us pictures of your damaged area, both up close and from a distance so we can see how your total lawn is affected. We also need to see the full environment including what is providing shade to the lawn.

Pull up several blades and also blades with roots attached. Put them on white paper and send us the pictures. Be sure to show both sides of the grass blades if you have discoloration or deposits on the leaves.

Please contacts us with what you can share with us about your lawn and we look forward to helping you more.

Rhonda