Brown patches in an otherwise green lawn are rarely a grass problem — they’re almost always an irrigation coverage problem. Here’s what we look for.
The head-to-head rule
Sprinkler heads should be spaced so each one’s spray reaches the next head. When that overlap breaks down, the gaps between arcs dry out first. It’s the number-one cause of patchy lawns.
Common culprits
- Mixed nozzles on one zone — rotors and sprays put out water at very different rates
- Low pressure starving the far heads on a long zone
- Blocked or sunken heads hidden by grown-in turf
- Wrong arc settings watering the sidewalk instead of the bed
How we fix it
We run a catch-cup test to measure real output across the zone, then re-nozzle, adjust arcs, and rebalance pressure until coverage is even. No more chasing brown spots with a hose all summer.
If you’re dragging a sprinkler around to patch dry areas, your system is telling you it needs a tune-up.