Sometimes dead spots on a lawn can be attributed to a specific cause, but often they appear without many clues as to their origin.
Pets or wild animals urinating - the high concentration of urea burns grass
Lawn diseases - look for signs of disease like cobwebby fungus, multiple or coalescing spots, or favorable weather conditions.
Buried rocks - During hot weather, rocks or ledge just beneath the lawn may heat up and burn the grass from the bottom up.
Incorrect sprinkler coverage - Sprinklers that do not overlap or miss an area completely, may cause small areas of turf to brown-out and go dormant.
Spillage or misuse - Probably the most common cause of dead spots and a large reason for the stigma associated with lawn care and its affiliated industries.
A small circular or irregular dead patch in a lawn could be caused by;
- Gasoline - never add gas to your lawn mower when its on the grass. Fuel it up on the sidewalk or driveway. Always use spill-proof nozzles on your gas cans.
- Herbicide - READ THE LABEL, do not fill or mix chemicals on the grass. Non-selective herbicides like Round-Up will kill everything, including grass.
- Fertilizer - fill spreader off the lawn. Always keep moving when spreader is open and close it before you stop. Urea in the nitrogen burns turf in high concentrations.
Other potential lawn burns are hot mufflers from mowers, trimmers or , blowers and hot liquids like coffee or boiling water.
Fixing a dead spot is simple with the right materials. Read How to Repair a Bare Patch on a Lawn.
