How do I know if I have grub worms in my yard? If not what other things make the yard turn brown? I water it.

Answer 1

To determine if you have grubs is to dig. Go to the edge of the brown and start digging. Problem is time time of year, they are probably gone....pupated into beetles and flying around, looking for mates and dropping eggs onto your lawn to start a new generation.

The grubs are white to grey and curl up a bit.

There are also caterpillars (they have legs) that live in the thatch layer just at the soil line. Thatch is compacted dead grass roots and stems, not old grass clippings (tho it does look like it). Ideally it should decompose, but sometimes it doesn't. The caterpillars live in the thatch and come out and graze on the lawn after dark.

Then there are various diseases that get into lawns. No use going into a long triste on that when http://www.lawndiseases.com/ does such a good job and has pictures.

Brown spots could also be compacted soil, an especially high tree root that isn't allowing the lawn above room for roots or is aggressively drinking all the water, leaving none for to the grass.

Try some extra water just on those spots, poke with a pitch for or some other device to open the soil. After poking a bit, make up a solution of dishwashing soap and water and pour it over the brown spots (If you had a can without a bottom to contain the water in one spot) the extra water and soap may drive any grubs to the soil surface for ID. If not, the soap helped the water penetrate just a tad deeper.