The Basics · Brown Patch
Prevent
in October.
Brown patch (Rhizoctonia solani) is the fungal disease that takes Gulf Coast lawns apart every fall. It is preventable. It is rarely cured. Scapes runs a preventative window in October — never a reactive program in December.
The Premise
A fungal problem.
When the nights drop below 70°F and the leaf canopy holds moisture, Rhizoctonia activates in St. Augustine and Zoysia. The lawn yellows in a doughnut pattern, the perimeter goes brown, the center recovers — but slowly, and never fully, going into spring.
The window to prevent it is short. Mid-October to mid-November, before symptoms appear. A systemic fungicide applied to a dry leaf, watered in lightly, repeated 28 days later, holds the fairway. Applied after symptoms, the same product is half as effective.
Scapes schedules brown patch as a calendar item, not a reaction. The lawn never sees the disease — because the window was never missed.
Begin
Book the October window.
A two-application brown patch preventative program scheduled mid-October and mid-November. We mark the calendar in August.
