10″ of rain
4 days
Low sunlight

Heads up: Northeast Florida recently got about 10 inches of rain in 4 days with very little sunlight. Those are prime conditions for brown patch. If you’re seeing new patches, now is the time to act.

What is brown patch?

Brown patch (also called large patch) is a lawn disease caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani. It lives in your soil all year, waiting for the right conditions: mild temperatures, heavy rain, and grass blades that stay wet for long periods.

In Northeast Florida it hits St. Augustine and zoysia lawns hardest, usually from fall through spring. It rarely kills the roots, but left alone it can spread fast and leave large dead areas that are slow to fill back in.

Seeing the signs of brown patch

  1. Circular or oddly shaped patches

    From a foot to several feet across, often with a yellow-orange edge.

  2. More damage in warm, humid weather

    Patches show up or grow after rainy, overcast stretches.

St. Augustine lawn with irregular yellow-orange patches of brown patch fungus
Front yard, Northeast Florida
Side yard lawn with a round dead patch caused by brown patch
Side yard, Northeast Florida

  1. Yellowish or brownish spots on the grass

    Blades pull out easily, and their bases look dark and rotted.

  2. Patches that grow larger and spread

    Mowers, foot traffic and running water can carry it across the yard.

What you can do right now

The fungus is always in your soil. The goal is to take away the conditions it needs.

Standing water pooled in a front yard lawn after heavy rain
Where it starts. Standing water in a front yard after days of rain. Spots like this stay wet, feed brown patch, and need a drainage fix.

Reduce watering

Turn off or cut back irrigation after heavy rain. When you do water, water early in the morning so the grass dries during the day.

Mow properly

Keep St. Augustine at 3.5–4 inches, never scalp it, and keep your blade sharp. Mow infected areas last so you don't spread it.

Improve drainage

Fix low spots where water sits, relieve compacted soil, and point downspouts away from the lawn.

Tip Hold off on heavy nitrogen fertilizer while brown patch is active. It feeds the disease.

Revive your lawn with Xquisite Lawn & Pest

“Quality Rooted in Science” means we treat the cause, not just the symptom. Our Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach builds a lawn that resists disease to begin with.

Nutrient Management

Balance essential nutrients to help strengthen turf and support healthy growth.

Simply Xquisite Monthly Lawn Care

Cultural & Soil Adjustments

Improve soil conditions, moisture management, and mowing practices to reduce disease pressure.

Soil Aeration

Recovery & Restoration

Help damaged turf recover and restore a healthier, more resilient lawn.

Topdressing & Compost Service
A healthy Xquisite-treated lawn beside a neighbor lawn damaged by brown patch Xquisite Lawn Neighbor's Lawn
Same street, same rain. Left: an Xquisite customer. Right: the neighbor's lawn with brown patch.

Brown patch FAQs

Is my lawn dead?

Usually not. Brown patch attacks the leaf blades, not the roots. With the right care, affected areas typically grow back as temperatures warm and conditions dry out.

Will it come back?

It can. The fungus stays in the soil, so it may return any time the weather turns wet and mild. Good watering, mowing and drainage habits make outbreaks smaller and less frequent.

Can I just spray a fungicide?

Fungicides work best as prevention, before patches appear. They won’t turn brown grass green again, and they don’t fix the watering or drainage problems behind the outbreak. That’s why we pair targeted treatment with soil and cultural changes.

Is it brown patch or chinch bugs?

Chinch bug damage shows up in hot, dry, sunny spots, often along driveways and sidewalks. Brown patch shows up in mild, wet weather, and the blades pull out easily at a rotted base. Not sure? We’ll take a look.