How To Tell If Your Lawn Has Fungus
The most important step when you spot fungus or another problem on your lawn is to correctly identify the specific type of disease thats present. Different lawn issues have different causes and symptoms, and treating your grass for the wrong thing could only lead to more damage not to mention, youll still have to deal with the original issues. Before you invest in a treatment, therefore, take the time to closely examine the issue or better yet, get a professional to identify the disease so you know exactly what youre dealing with and choose the right treatment the first time.
There are a number of signs to watch out for that indicate a problem with your lawn, and some of them are more obvious than others. In most cases, discoloration is the most obvious sign, as grass will turn yellow, tan, or brown in spots. Keep in mind, though that its not always a disease that can cause this. Higher than normal temperatures, inadequate watering, and insects can also cause dead or dying areas, only underscoring the need for adequate identification.
Assuming that everything else is normal, discoloration is just one sign that your lawn is sick. Brown patches not attributable to pets, slimy patches of grass, a film covering the grass and spots on individual blades of grass are all signs of an issue. While specific fungi and lawn diseases have unique signs, some of the most common types of disease and fungus include:
The First Step To Get Rid Of Summer Lawn Fungus Ispatience
These diseases are challenging to get out of a lawn, but Boulder Landscape and Design offers some tried and true methods for coping with these fungi. The first is to have patience. It takes up to a couple of years to reclaim your yard from a fungal attack. There is no easy, fast answer short of soil reclamation and a re-sod of your property with a resistant grass variety. Follow these simple tips, backed by the Boulder County Extension Service, to start fighting fungus now:
- Sharpen your mower blades before you cut again, and set your mower at 2.5 to 3 inches. Dull blades wound grass and provide an entry for leaf blight too short turf invites baked soils.
- Use a balanced, natural fertilizer in late August or early September. Natural fertilizers are better for both lawns and environment and are available in most garden centers or online.
- Overseed a few weeks after fertilizing with a fungus resistant grass variety by sprinkling it into your existing grass just follow directions on the bag. This will strengthen your existing lawn.
- Use a natural winterizing fertilizer by early November. If it is a warm, dry winter and spring, water your lawn every few weeks to keep it from becoming stressed.
- When the ground thaws in early spring, core-aerate to prevent compaction and encourage healthy root growth.
- Do not fertilize early in spring! Wait until early May and use a regular-strength balanced natural fertilizer as well as a natural fungicide and repeat in June and early September.
How Much Does Lawn Fungus Control Cost
Due to the need for specialty products, lawn fungus control costs more than your typical lawn care treatmentsmore specifically, about one and a half times what a normal lawn treatment would cost. For instance, if you typically pay $50 for a fertilization and weed control treatment, a fungicide treatment may come in around $75. This obviously changes based on the size of your lawn.
Because a lawn fungus problem can become costly after several repeated applications, your best course of action is to focus on prevention.
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How To Get Rid Of Grass Fungus
Have you been finding it hard to stop those ugly, brown patches from ruining your beautiful lawn? This may be due to the growth of grass fungus and you are right to feel concerned.
Grass fungus is one of the biggest nightmares of every lawn owner. It can rapidly undo all the hard work and time you have spent creating the perfect lawn.
Once grass fungus infestation sets in, it quickly spread and can be quite difficult to control. For that reason, I have put together this guide to show you how to get rid of grass fungus and prevent it from re-emerging.
Diy Fungicides For The Garden
Learning how to make your own fungicide gives you control of the ingredients, many of which are already in your home. Here are some of the more popular items for use in making fungicide for lawns and gardens:
- Mixing baking soda with water, about 4 teaspoons or 1 heaping tablespoon to 1 gallon of water .
- Dishwashing soap, without degreaser or bleach, is a popular ingredient for homemade plant fungicide.
- Cooking oils are often mixed into homemade plant fungicide to make them cling to leaves and stems.
- Pyrethrin leaves that come from the painted daisy flower are widely used in commercial fungicide for plants. Grow your own painted daisies and use the flowers as a fungicide for plants. Dry the flower heads, then grind them or soak overnight in 1/8 cup of alcohol. Mix with up to 4 gallons of water and strain through cheesecloth.
- Bordeaux mixture for use during the dormant season can control some fungal and bacterial diseases. You can make your own Bordeaux mix with ground limestone and powdered copper sulfate. The most recommended strength for dormant application is 4-4-50. Mix 4 parts of each with 50 gallons of water. If you need less, like for a gallon, reduce the recipe for this homemade plant fungicide to 6.5 to 8 teaspoons of the copper sulfate and 3 tablespoons limestone to 1 pint of water.
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Dont Mow Your Grass Too Short
How To Identify Lawn Fungal Diseases
Signs that a lawn fungus may have caused a disease in your lawn include:
- White, yellow, or brown patches or rings that grow in diameter.
- Thin patches of frayed, distorted, or discolored grass blades.
- Gray, black, red, orange, or purple spots on blades or stems.
- Gray, black, or pink powdery or threadlike coatings on and around grass blades.
- Areas of darkened, wet-looking, slimy, or greasy-looking grass.
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Spray Neem Oil On Fungal Patches
How To Spot Fungal Diseases In Your Lawn
From highly-obvious spots, rings, threads to dead-looking patches brown patches, fungal diseases can take many forms. Examine your grass for signs of dampness, squishy roots and stems or fine white threads in your soil.
Others signs your lawn may have a fungal disease include:
- A wet-looking, slimy or greasy-looking lawn
- Patches or rings, usually white, yellow, or brown, that grow in diameter.
- Discolouration, frayed or distorted-looking blades of grass.
- Spots on the stems or blades of your lawn, often gray, black, red or orange.
- Powdery or threadlike coatings around and on grass blades
Fact: Mowing your grass too low can encourage fungal diseases.
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Abc Can Keep Your Yard Healthy
Yard fungus is unsightly and hard to diagnose and treat on your own. The professionals at ABC Home & Commercial Services can help you determine what is affecting your yard and the best methods to treat any kind of condition so you not only protect your beautiful lawn from dying but also protect your investment of time and money. Well cut out the guesswork for you so you can focus on enjoying your outdoor spaces.
How To Prevent Fungus
Water early in the day
Watering early in the day will allow your lawn to absorb the water and then dry off throughout the day. Watering late in the day or in the evening does not allow the lawn to dry and will promote fungus. Because fungus moves through water, a wet lawn will allow fungus to spread much faster.
Sharpen mower blades
It is always important to mow with sharp mower blades, but especially so when trying to prevent fungus. A dull blade can shred the grass blades leaving many openings for disease to enter.
Raise mowing height
When mowing, do not remove more than of the grass blade. This will allow the grass to stay healthy and strong. Scalping the lawn stresses the root system.
Dont over or under fertilize
Use high nitrogen fertilizer only in the spring. High nitrogen in late October/November will promote snow mold next year. When lawns have the right nutrients they need to grow, they are less susceptible to disease. Diseases such as red thread can often be controlled by adding nitrogen to your lawn.
Dethatch
Thatch is a layer of organic matter between the crown of the grass plants and the soil layer. Thatch can appear as a result of an imbalance in your soil or improper lawn maintenance practices.
We recommend removing thatch in the fall. Thatching brings up weed seeds and these are more prevalent in the spring. Use a heavy rake or thatching machine as needed to keep thatch to a minimum. The regular use of organics will help to keep thatch in order.
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The Most Common Way It Can Spread Is Through Your Very Own Footsteps And Lawn Maintenance Habits
Your footsteps and lawnmowers can easily be vehicles in which the lawn fungus can spread across your yard. So you see, it is not such a bad idea to avoid stepping on your lawn even in winter. When you mow, be sure to remove all grass clippings afterwards.
Choosing the right fungicide is also a must. It an be tough, so if you dont have a selected brand in your shelf, it is best to approach a lawn care expert to weigh the pros and cons for you. After all, you need to have the right fungicide or treatment that addresses the specific lawn fungus problems you have in your yard.
How Many Times To Spray Lawn Fungus
The weather conditions will determine the exact answer to this, however, in general, most lawn fungicides need to be applied every 14 to 21 days throughout the most active growth period for the lawn fungus youre dealing with. Most lawn fungus infections occur in the late spring and the summer but this is, again, weather dependent. Fungus spreads rapidly in hot and wet conditions.
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Diy Lawn Fungus Control Vs Professional Treatment
If you discover fungus on your lawn, you want to address it right away. But should you DIY it or call a professional for help?
If the issue is a simple fix, and you know exactly what it is and how to go about killing the disease, doing it yourself can save time and money. However, if you dont choose the correct treatment, you could do more harm than good, and end up spending more in the long run. Not to mention, lawn fungus treatment products designed for consumer use arent always as powerful as those used by professionals, so it may take longer to solve the problem on your own.
Lawn fungus and disease is a common problem, and it doesnt have to mean that all of your hard work was in vain. Sometimes its due to factors out of your control, but taking the right steps to prevent and treat disease can keep your grass looking beautiful all season long.
Replace Affected Grass With New Sod
This DIY treatment method is best for fairy ring fungus a type of grass fungus that manifests itself as a brown ring of dead grass enclosing a dark-green patch.
Fairy ring fungus can be treated through the removal of any white soil sections on the outer parts of the rings. Once youve removed the affected areas, refill the excavated lawn area with a fresh layer of St. Augustine grass sod.
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Making Sense Of Snow Mold
Freeze-tolerant fungi can develop on any species of lawn grass in locations with cold, wet, and snowy winters, resulting in pink snow mold and gray snow mold . Snow mold-causing fungi can be found in almost any soil, but the damage they inflict is slightly different in both cases.
- There are often dead areas of snow mold with a pale gray or white bleached appearance under enormous snow drifts, which can be classified as gray snow mold. Soggy grass and moldy mold are a result of snow drifts melting more slowly than the surrounding snow. Patches of gray snow mold can range in size from a few inches to several feet across. It is possible for gray snow mold to damage the grasss roots if the soil remains moist for long periods of time, but in most circumstances, only the surface blades of the grass are affected.
- As a result of pink snow mold, circular dead patches with pinkish or rust-colored borders are formed. In a long, rainy spring or a particularly wet fall, pink snow mold can begin to form if the grass is chilly and wet . Pink snow mold can flourish all winter under a coating of snow, causing broad damage to the grass if it starts growing in the fall. This pink snow mold can generate spots of less than 12 inches in diameter, yet they can appear in large numbers throughout the lawn. Patches of pink snow mold-infected grass will not grow back.
Treat Small Spots With A Baking Soda Solution
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Preventing The Spread Of Fungus
They say that prevention is better than the cure and the same goes for treating fungus on your lawn as well. If you want to ensure brown patch disease and others dont arrive on your grass, follow these tips:
- Aerate the lawn regularly to give good air and nutrients to the root system of your grass. Follow up with a seeding process and lawn rolling once a year to ensure they grow more effectively.
- Be cautious not to overwater your lawn and have an irrigation system that prevents this from happening.
- Ensure the soil under your lawn has the right level of drainage, as this can provide a beneficial condition for fungus to thrive. Even though brown patch disease grows on the leaves, its still a factor to consider.
- Excess nitrogen can cause fungal growth on your lawn, so understanding the current nutrient levels and how to correct them will help. Things like over-fertilizing your lawn can cause excess nitrogen levels, so be mindful of how much youre applying.
- If you notice a spot of fungus, try to deal with it as soon as possible. Diseases like brown patch can spread quickly and easily, so dont let them get out of hand.
Why Does My Lawn Have Brown Or Discolored Patches Of Grass
You put hours into your lawn, doing everything you were told to do to make the grass green and lush. Youve aerated, fed, watered, and mowed, and everything looked great until suddenly, it didnt. Almost overnight, there are patches of dead grass. Or maybe some spots are an unusual color, or just look off somehow. Whatever the issue, its unsightly, and it looks to be spreading.
Oftentimes, when a lawn develops problems like dead or discolored areas, the culprit is disease or lawn fungus. But before you give up and decide to just replace your lawn with artificial turf, you should know that your grass can be saved. By correctly identifying the problem, and applying the proper treatment, you can eradicate the disease and go back to enjoying a yard full of healthy grass.
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How Do You Remove Fungus From Topsoil
How Do I Get Rid of the Mold on My Plant Soil? Some gardeners swear by cinnamon as a natural anti-fungal. Simply wipe off the mold and sprinkle the spot with some cinnamon from your spice drawer. If cinnamon doesnt work, Gaumond says to try a houseplant fungicide spray or a homemade baking soda and water mixture.
