Lawcare is a year-round task; autumn is as important a season as any to look at the problems lurking in your garden grass.

During the tough, cold weather, lawns need enough nutrients and growing power to dodge seasonal disease.

Feeding grass with a nutrient-rich fertiliser in the summer is a gardening task many Britons undertake in the lead-up to summer and can even be applied well into autumn, as long as the product you use is specifically formulated for autumn application.

However, many gardeners face brown patches due to what they think is their heavy-handed approach to lawn feed, as experts at Greener Gardens explained.

The experts, who specialise in total lawncare services, said: “We often get asked about “brown” patches in the lawn. Typical customer comments are, “It is a result of poor fertiliser application.” In reality, when we examine the patches, it’s normally down to animal damage.”

Brown patches caused by animal urine are difficult to spot early on, as the nitrogen’s initial effect actually makes the grass look healthier.

Described as “lush green patches” filled with lengthy blades of grass, the lawn experts explained that this happens as the animal urine breaks down into an additional source of Nitrogen.

“This then creates a nice green flush. However, too much Nitrogen will burn and damage the grass plant, creating a brown spot in the lawn”, said the Greener Gardens team.

Reversing the damage done to garden grass can achieve the same green flush. Sometimes, all you need is water.

Water should be poured in where the animal has urinated to neutralise the nitrogen, but that may not always be possible, especially if it’s a wild animal.

If you suspect your pet is doing the damage, train them to use other areas in the garden. Alternatively, according to lawn experts, feeding the lawn with a fertiliser specially formulated for use in the cooler months of autumn will mask the brown spots.

Another worthwhile method is to scarify the area, aiming for bare soil by removing as much of the damaged grass as possible.

The Grass people suggested: “Rake the patch so that the soil is fine, loose and level. If it is not level with the rest of the lawn, fill it in with topsoil and rake it to level.”