Practical Tips To Prevent Brown Spots In Your Lawn
The following tips are a good start to a healthy lawn:
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What Causes Brown Patches In Grass
When the weather becomes hot and humid, the inactive fungus can quickly infect areas of your lawn, leading to its signature brown patches. Knowing what causes brown spots in your lawn can help you prevent it. You know what they say: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here are some factors that cause brown patches:
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Types Of Fungus In St Augustine Grass
St. Augustine grass fungus disease is generally referred to as brown patch disease, but thats just one type of fungal diseases that affects most warm-season turfgrasses. Most lawn fungal infections eventually manifest as visible patches of brown discoloration in lawns, hence the name.
Here are the different types of fungus that can affect St. Augustine grass:
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Grass Diseases Underfoot Now
Leaf spot causes brown spots on leaf blades.
The cooler fall temperatures bring welcome relief from the summer heat. As we trade bare feet for shoes, the grass underfoot in our lawns is relieved to see some cooler, wetter weather. But the autumn weather also makes many fungi happy, and several fungal diseases of lawns may show up this time of year.
RustPerhaps the most noticeable disease of turfgrass is rust, a fungal disease that causes orange spots on the grass blades. The overall lawn can have an orange or yellow cast. A closer look reveals that the orange spots are actually raised pustules, full of bright orange, powdery spores that are easily picked up on shoes, pant legs or mowers that traverse the lawn.
Rust typically first appears in midsummer, but often persists until fall. Rust does not kill the grass but can weaken the grass plants, making them more sensitive to other stresses, such as drought stress or winter injury.
Powdery mildew Powdery mildew is another fungal disease with distinctive symptoms. Affected grass blades appear to be covered with powdery white residue, and a lawn may have a whitish cast. Powdery mildew is especially common in the shade and in wet areas with little airflow. In some lawns, powdery mildew reappears in the same shady spots every year.
Like rust, powdery mildew does not kill the grass, but can weaken it and make it more sensitive to other stresses.
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Symptoms Of Brown Patch
As its name suggests, Brown Patch presents itself on the lawn in the form of circular, brown patches. These can range in size from a few inches to several feet in diameter. In the early morning dew, strands of a cobwebby fungal growth called mycelium may be evident on the grass blades. The affected grass will discolor and, in severe cases, may die.
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What Does Brown Patch In Grass Look Like
They are likely to be roughly circular, though a bit irregular. If brown patch has been active for a while, the spots might look like patches of good grass with rings of dead or dying grass around the edges. They can also be found on sidewalks and in parking lots. Brown patches may also appear on trees and shrubs, especially in the spring and early summer.
Why Is Grass Green
You can get all technical about why is the grass green, and it is the pigment in the grass blades called chlorophyll. After this, the chlorophyll absorbs blue light and red light, and it reflects the green light is what we can see. Hence, we see green grass.
In simple terms, if your grass is green, it is healthy. If it happens to be any other color, it isnt producing chlorophyll, and thus it cant reflect the green light, and it will turn brown spots around your grass.
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Catching The Disease Early
The best way to stop the spread of brown patch fungus in your lawn is to follow the guidance in the previous section, as removing the conditions needed by the fungus to grow will force it back into dormancy. If youve just noticed that the fungus has started to grow, you can fight it back by raking and fluffing the grass in the affected area to speed up the drying process. Then, you should apply an organic fertilizer to provide the grass with a healthy dose of nutrients to fight off disease. This Garden Care Organic Fertilizer from Milorganite can be used on your lawn all year round to keep your grass and plants strong and resistant.
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How To Identify Control And Prevent Brown Patch
In summer, your healthy lawn serves as the welcome mat for pool parties, barbecues, and Fourth of July celebrations, but brown patch can be a party pooper. How do you identify, control, and prevent brown patch? Its easier than you think.
Whether youre a beginner to lawn care or a seasoned expert, brown patch can happen to anyone. Heres how to stop brown patch in its tracks to get your home lawn back to its gloriously green best.
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Replace The Affected Sod
The best way to get rid of fairy ring fungus is to replace the affected lawn sections with new St. Augustine sod. This is a more eco-friendly option compared to the use of chemical fungicides.
Dig out the affected soil sections and refill them with a new St. Augustine grass sod. However, if you find this option to be too labor-intensive and time-consuming, you can opt for an appropriate fungicide such as flutolanil or Consan 20. For maximum efficiency, pick a fungicide product that combines at least two of these active ingredients.
Too Much Moisture Can Bring Brown Patch Disease To Lawns
If doughnut-shaped rings of dead grass are popping up in your lawn, it may be because the recent onslaught of rain created ideal conditions for brown patch disease
Brown patch on turfgrass is caused by a fungal disease known as Rhizoctonia solani. Circular patches of dead grass that range from a few inches to several feet in diameter occur during periods of high humidity and warm temperatures .
It loves humid summers
Georgia’s summer climate is ideal for this fungus. Brown areas of dead grass are surrounded by a reddish-brown or purplish halo. After two to three weeks, the center area of the brown grass may recover and turn green, resulting in a doughnut shape of dead brown grass.
This common lawn disease is prevalent during warm, humid summer months. It attacks all turfgrasses including bermudagrass, tall fescue, centipedegrass and zoysiagrass. This time of year it affects tall fescue the most. Some varieties of these grasses are resistant or less susceptible to the disease, but none are totally immune.
Conditions that favor brown patch include excessive nitrogen fertilizers, frequent watering, watering late in the day and high humidity.
Follow these tips
Mow your lawn often enough that no more than one-third of the grass height is removed in a single mowing. This may require mowing as often as once or twice a week, which can be a challenge with all the rain weâve been getting. Keep your mower blades sharp and donât mow grass when wet.
Bring in a sample
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We Offer Residential Lawn Care Services In Lawrence Ks
All these tips should help heal your grass and get your lawn back to its evergreen self. The work can be difficult, but it will do the trick. If you want to see quicker results or would like to have a professional take care of the brown spots in your yard, Lawrence Landscape is available for your call at 843-4370.
If you have any questions about lawn maintenance for your home or commercial building, contact us today!
What Causes Brown Spots In My Lawn
It is nice to have a lush green lawn, yet there are times you begin seeing brown patches appear. If you stand there wondering why is my lawn turning brown in spots.
You can find a number of issues that cause brown spots on the lawn, and some more straightforward to deal with than others. A brown patch or two may be nothing more than your mower blades are not sharp, and it has caused a patch of dead grass.
Although, other reasons may cause brown spots on lawn. Here you can learn all you need to know about lawn care for these brown patches and, ultimately, how to fix brown spots in lawn for good.
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Prevention And Control Tips
The best defense against Brown Patch and other turfgrass diseases is a healthy, hardy lawn. Weed Mans granular, slow-release fertilizer applied at the right time will strengthen your lawn and help it fight off common stressors. Core aeration will also help. Aeration improves soil drainage, relieves compaction, and reduces thatch .
If brown patch is already present on your lawn, try the following techniques:
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Withhold water from affected areas until the soil dries. Then, practice deep, infrequent watering rather than frequent short periods of watering.
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Water in the mornings ONLY. This will allow the grass and soil to dry before the sun goes down.
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Mow frequently at the highest setting.
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Mow with a razor-sharp blade.
Brown patch can also be controlled with the application of fungicide. To ensure continuous control, fungicides must be applied every 21 to 28 days . Your local Weed Man professional can help you create a disease control program that is right for your lawn.
Dont let your brown lawn make you blue this summer. Effective disease management and the lush, healthy lawn that comes with it are only a phone call away.
What Are Fairy Rings Fungi
Fairy Rings, or Mushrooms, are a clear sign of beneficial microbes at work in your lawn, which is all part of your lawns ecosystem.
In fact, mushrooms and toadstools are the reproductive part of a type of fungi that lives in the soil.
For much of the time, these fungal structures remain hidden underground, breaking down organic material in your lawn a very good thing!
When the conditions are right , mushrooms shoot through from the underground structures and appear in your lawn.
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How To Get Rid Of Brown Patch Fungus On Your Lawn
The average lawn sometimes experiences brown patches, whether theyre caused by dehydration or something more sinister. Brown patch fungus is one of the more serious culprits, and if youve found it on your lawn, you probably want it gone.
What is brown patch fungus? Brown patch fungus, also known as Rhizoctonia fungus, is a foliar disease that attacks the blades of grass on your lawn. It affects many types of grass but doesnt always need chemical intervention to get rid of, depending on its severity.
If youve noticed brown spots on your lawn and youre certain this fungus is to blame, have no fear. Weve got some tips you can use to get rid of it and prevent it from returning in the future, for a fungus-free lawn thats as healthy as ever.
What Is Powdery Mildew
Powdery Mildew on lawn is caused by a fungus and usually first seen as isolated fine, grey-white, cobwebby growth seen on the upper surface of the leaf blades.
Powdery Mildew growth rapidly becomes denser and often involves the entire leaf surface of your lawn giving the appearance of having been dusted with talc powder or flour.
When Powdery Mildew becomes severe, the entire lawn appears a dull white or pale green and severely infected leaves usually turn yellow and wither and may lead to a widespread thinning of the stand.
Powdery Mildew occurs most often on slow-growing turf, usually in shaded areas and it favours cool, cloudy conditions that occur in spring and autumn.
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Brown Spots = Fungal Damage
Fungal damage is a key cause of yellow or brown spots on lawns. In a Zoysia lawn, Rhizoctonia Solani is the name of the fungus that attacks the grass sheathes during cool periods in the fall or spring and often ramps up during hot and humid weather. Fungal damage usually appears in irregular patches and spreads outwards from a central point. You can work to prevent fungal damage by dethatching , aerating, watering deeply but infrequently , and improving runoff. If you have fungal damage, you can try to treat it with a fungicide.
How To Control Fusarium Patch
Proper lawn care maintenance which includes adequate fertiliser, reduction of thatch levels, aeration, morning watering that is deep and infrequent and mowing at regular intervals is recommended to prevent Fusarium Patch.
Alternately if the above lawn care maintenance procedures do not work, Fungicides with the Common Active Ingredient Iprodione should be used.
myhomeTURF recommends using Indigo Voltar an effective Broad Spectrum Fungicide that can be purchased through our myhomeTURF online store.
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Signs Of Brown Patch Fungus In Your Lawn
There are many potential causes of turf damage in the South Florida landscape, from improper mowing height or irrigation, various lawn pests or diseases, nutritional deficiencies, improper application of herbicides or fertilizers, etc. Each of these receiving a specific recommendation or treatment program, making a correct diagnosis of the issue crucial. Incorrect diagnosis and treatment may worsen the damage. For these reasons, it is not recommended that a homeowner attempt to apply product without a proper diagnosis. Hulett Environmental Services will complete a total inspection of your landscape and discuss with you the correct treatment program to get your lawn back on track, before a complete re-sod is needed. Unfortunately, this disease will not go away on its own. The symptoms may reside when the temperatures increase, but the disease itself is still present, and the symptoms will return when the conducive conditions return, often more severe. For this reason, it is important to call a professional for treatment before the disease spreads.
What Is Lawn Rust
Rust is a fungal disease that occurs on your lawn when its growth is slowed.
Rust usually appears in late summer or early autumn and during periods of dry weather or when the grass is low on nitrogen.
Lawn Rust weakens the strength of your lawn and makes it more susceptible to other diseases and turf problems.
The Rust is identified by pulling a couple of blades out of the lawn. The lawn blades will be coated with orange-red to yellowish brown dust or spores.
Lawn rust begins with yellowing leaf blades and small yellowish spots which mature to orange, red or brown colouring.
The Rusts spores can be rubbed off the grass blades with a finger.
Overall, rust patches of the grass will become thin and weak.
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Which Fertilizer Would Green Up A Lawn The Fastest
Nitrogen is the number one way to improve the appearance of your lawn. The production of chlorophyll in plants is promoted by it. Nitrogen also promotes the growth of beneficial micro-organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, which are essential to the health of your turfgrass. In addition, it is essential for the development of healthy root systems. This is especially true for turfgrasses that have been fertilized with a high-nitrogen fertilizer.
If the soil is not rich in nitrogen, the roots will not be able to absorb the nutrients and the grass will die. So, if you are using a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, make sure that the fertilizer is applied in a well-drained area. Also, be sure to use a fertilizer that has been properly formulated for your soil type and climate.
How To Treat And Prevent St Augustine Grass Fungus
The best way to control brown patch disease in St. Augustine grass lawns is by following a proper lawn care program that includes regular mowing, dethatching, core aeration, and a proper watering schedule. In case there are signs of the disease, early treatment using a fungicide is key in managing the damage. You may need to apply fungicides as a prevention measure in turfgrasses and regions that are prone to fungal infections.
Here are 7 ways to treat and prevent fungus in St. Augustine grass:
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Prevent Brown Patch Pythium Blight & Dollar Spot Contact Ryan Lawn & Tree
If youre worried about losing your lawn permanently as you watch it turn brown, piece by piece, consider contacting the Pros at Ryan Lawn & Tree for a free inspection and quote. Ryan Lawn & Tree goes the extra mile to find and utilize only the best products that arent sold in big box stores. Why? Because they work better to control disease and save your beautiful lawn!
RYAN Pros study the latest university research to make sure they are using the best products at the best rate and times to achieve the best results for your lawn. Our educated, experienced lawn care experts will examine your brown patches and determine the cause, then give you a no-obligation quote for providing the appropriate preventive fungicide program. Get a Free Estimate or just a quick phone call to 855.216.2293 will get you started! Contact us today!
