Question
I have brown patch on my lawn and used cornmeal on it and it seems to be working. My question is how soon can I start to fertilize help these spots green up.

Answer
Brown Patch Disease -- 'Rhizoctonia solani' -- usually hits Warm Season Grasses.  Are you living in Warm Season Grass territory?

'The first symptom is Yellowing or chlorosis of the foliage.  Wilting of the foliage can be associated with the chlorosis.  Affected leaves dry and assume various shades of reddish-brown to straw brown.  Under favorable conditions, an affected area may grow from a few inches to several feet in diameter.'

Sound familiar?   

Wait, there's more.

'The affected area usually appears in a circular pattern, but mowing and other practices may alter the shape of the affected area by spreading the Fungus...The Grass in the outer margin of the circle is frequently wilted and darker, giving a 'smokering' appearance. Surviving sprigs often grow and recover in the center of the patch so that the diseased area has a doughnut pattern...'

The essay, Fact Sheet RF-LH002, appears at the Florida Agriculture Extension Department website:

www.arborman.com/brownpat.htm

The most important step you can take to cure your Grass and get Brown Patch under control is to KEEP YOUR GRASS DRY!

To quote the Colorado State Cooperative Extension Service: 'With Fungal diseases, moisture on the foliage determines the production of spores and their survival. Gross et al., report the severity of Brown Patch ('Rhizoctonia solani') increases as the length of leaf wetness increases above 9 hours.  The longer the leaf surface is wet, the greater the risk of infection and the greater the number of infections per leaf.'

In other words, they are saying that study after study proves that Fungi CAN'T attack dry Grass.

There's more.

'Irrigation in the afternoon is directly associated with an increase in infection, especially when warm day temperatures are followed by cool night temperatures ... '

You want to 'green up' your damaged Grass.  Note please: If the Grass is DEAD, it will not be greening up.  Ever.  If the Grass is damaged, your BEST treatment will be a single dose of 'Messenger', available at your local garden center.  Spraying is ideal, since this is the part of the Grass that was damaged; you can water in the leftover spray and dose the roots, but spraying is a VERY efficient treatment that alters plant chemistry within the first 10 minutes of application.  You may not SEE it that quickly, but some dramatic changes take place when you use Harpin Protein on your plants.  It's a very new concept, Harpin Protein, and I think it is going to be around for as long as the company is able to license it.

As for fertilizer, don't touch the stuff unless it's Organic.  You want to build up your Soil.  The last thing your Grass needs it extra leaf-stretching Nitrogen without the root system to support it.  Isn't it funny, that Nitrogen fertilizer always seems to be around in high doses when someone has a problem with Lawn Fungus?

Thanks for your question.  Keep me posted.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER