Lawn issues - inquired with Sumter county IFAS office

[golfmundo]

I have been having lawn trouble for a while now and have inquired with the Sumter county IFAS office however in the meantime was hoping to get some advice and recommendations for landscapers to help with the problems.

On a side note, I do not own a dog

One piece of advice I received was:
"Looks like brown patch fungus from the pictures. This is extremely common in Florida. It can get on the blades of your mower and even the bottom of your shoes and spread to other areas of the lawn. Treat with fungicide and avoid any kind of fertilizer! this is key, nitrogen will make it bloom up like gas on a fire.
Another option is mole crickets. With all the rain we have been getting I wouldn't rule them out. Check the blades of grass on the leading edges of the brown batches. Get low and check the blades of grass and slowly pull them apart where the blade folds over. If you see tiny black bugs its crickets. otherwise Im gonna say Fungus. 80-85% positive its fungus from the photos. Good luck!
-after looking through the pics again I'm positive it's brown patch. Get some granular fungicide and treat heavily. Good luck"

[big guy]

I have been having lawn trouble for a while now and have inquired with the Sumter county IFAS office however in the meantime was hoping to get some advice and recommendations for landscapers to help with the problems.

On a side note, I do not own a dog

One piece of advice I received was:
"Looks like brown patch fungus from the pictures. This is extremely common in Florida. It can get on the blades of your mower and even the bottom of your shoes and spread to other areas of the lawn. Treat with fungicide and avoid any kind of fertilizer! this is key, nitrogen will make it bloom up like gas on a fire.
Another option is mole crickets. With all the rain we have been getting I wouldn't rule them out. Check the blades of grass on the leading edges of the brown batches. Get low and check the blades of grass and slowly pull them apart where the blade folds over. If you see tiny black bugs its crickets. otherwise Im gonna say Fungus. 80-85% positive its fungus from the photos. Good luck!
-after looking through the pics again I'm positive it's brown patch. Get some granular fungicide and treat heavily. Good luck"

IFAS/UF Extension Master Gardeners are a great resource but we can't always tell 100% by pictures. Bring in a grass sample about 6"x6" square. Dig it the morning you come in and dig it from the edge of the brown spot. In other words, dig it so that we can see the brown area leading into the green area. With the rain and heat we've had, it's likely Brown Patch fungus.