Melting out

Close inspection of grass blades and sheath may show purple-brown blotches. Melting out starts as the leaf spot, then works its way to the grass base and attacks the roots and crown. It often leaves the grass blades a pale brown and flattened to the ground. Large mottled patches of dead grass may spread quickly across the lawn.

1. Apply LawnPro Fungus Control at 10-14 day intervals as necessary.
2. Avoid irrigation that leaves grass blades wet through the night. If irrigation is necessary, do it in the morning so the lawn dries out through the day.
3. Avoid high nitrogen fertilisers.

Patch Repair Preparation

1. Use a rake to remove dead grass and debris from the bald patch and to loosen the top layer of the soil a little.
2. Water the bare patch with a watering can or sprinkler until the soil is moist.
3. If the level of the bare patch is much lower than the surrounding soil, you will need to level it off using a fine layer of top soil.
4. Rake this over to level it off and incorporate a little soil with the surrounding lawn so the patch is not so defined.
5. Apply LawnPro D-Thatch to reduce the excessive lawn thatch that may have encouraged the brown patch fungus.

Sowing Seed

1. Ensuring the contents are well mixed, scoop out a handful of LawnPro Smart Patch Mix* and scatter onto the soil of the damaged area.
2. Make sure that the mixture covers all the bare patch.
3. Rake lightly to incorporate with the top soil.Water gently with a watering can or gentle sprinkler.

After Sowing

1. Keep the patch moist by watering gently but deeply every couple of days taking care not to wash the seeds away.
2. Protect the patch from being disturbed by keeping children and pets off the area.
3. The new patch can be mowed when new growth is established (5-8 cm high).

*For large areas and new lawns use LawnPro Smart Lawn Seed. For thickening lawns that have thinned out but don't have distinct bare patches use LawnPro Lawn Thickener.

• Healthy Lawns and Grasses Technical Sheet
• Download your Kiwicare Lawn Maintenance Calendar
• Glossary of Gardening Terms

Melting out is also known as leaf spot melting out.