Hydrophobic Dry Patch

During periods of dry weather, a fungus builds up around the soil particles and will have the effect of repelling the water droplets in the soil. A severe case of the dry patch will result in the soil becoming hydrophobic & unable to absorb water.  In this scenario, any rain will run across the surface of the soil like water on a glass plate. The grass suffers as moisture is not reaching down to the roots. Aerating your soil by spiking or hollow tine aeration combined with an application of a wetting agent to tackle the fungal disease will improve the water absorption properties of the soil and benefit the grass. Dry patch is an increasing problem in our dry windy summers.