Causes Of Lawn Fungal Disease
Lawns are full of fungal spores that are usually harmless, although certain conditions can cause them to germinate and lead to the harmful diseases mentioned above.There are several causes of lawn fungus, most commonly:
- Underwatering
- Weather conditions
Whilst some of these are uncontrollable factors – the unpredictable British weather for example – keeping an eye on how much or how little you are watering your turf and mowing to appropriate heights are both aspects of lawncare that you can control.
Does Lawn Fungus Control Work
The short answer is, yes, lawn fungus control products definitely work when applied properly to treat various types of fungal diseases. Of course, the timing is important.
Getting fungal activity under control quickly is important. Thats because it can be highly destructive in a short amount of time, even overnight. The type of products utilized also matters. Obviously, professional-grade products are going to work better than store-bought ones.
There are various formulations for disease control products. While a lot of companies utilize liquid fungicide products, we have found a top-of-the-line granular product that is ultimately more effective and accurate.
Instead of mixing up a huge tank of product and hoping we have the right amount from property to property, we can apply just the right amount of granular product exactly where it needs to go.
Lawn Fungus Treatment How To Get Rid Of Fungi In My Garden
Posted on 15.10.2020
So you’ve spent time and money on buying and laying your new turf and other bits to make your garden the envy of all your friends and now disaster has struck – you have found mushrooms growing amongst your beautiful lawn!
Fungi are one of the most active of all micro-organisms found in turf and can have a positive effect on your lawn as they supply it with nutrients that are important for growth and wellbeing. Whilst it is not a good idea to try and remove all traces of fungus from your turf, you need to be able to identify and manage them as they can lead to diseases such as red thread, fusarium patch and rust disease.
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Are There Any Ways To Prevent A Lawn Fungus
Always avoid overwatering and only water the grass when necessary. 1 inch of water every week should be enough for most lawns. Also try not to dry out your lawn as this can also make it prone to infections.
Try to keep the grass at a desirable height and do not cut it too low. Try mowing one-third of the grass blades at a time.
Remember to aerate the soil once every year to prevent the chances of soil becoming compacted.
Another important tip is to water your lawn in the mornings, ideally from 6am to 10am. This ensures that the water is properly absorbed and that the sun comes out and dries it on time.
Finally, choose the right grass type according to your soil, climate and light conditions. The ideal grass type will be stronger and better at fighting off diseases.
Aerate Your Yard Annually
Air in the lawns soil allows water to move more freely, allowing the flow of nutrients. By aerating your lawn, youre allowing your lawn to breathe freely, controlling the fungus. If the soil is compacted and you suspect it could be the reason fungus is invading your lawn, use these tips to aerate it:
- Use a garden fork to poke the surface down to at least 30mm. Use the back-and-forth spiking method. Avoid aerating in extremely dry or wet soil. Do a soil moisture test on the top 1-inch using your fingers. During the rainy season, soil gets wet most of the times. Therefore, its best if you waited until the rains go down to aerate it.
- Use a slitter to spike small air spaces in the soil. The soil should neither be too wet or dry.
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Use The Sharpest Mower Blade To Mow Your Lawn
A blunt mower blade doesnt make sharp cuts on grass. If your lawn already has fungus infestation and you decide to use a mower with blunt blades, grass blades will create an open ground for the fungus to enter. Since mowing is part of the natural fungi control method, it would be best if you used a device with sharper blades.
Dethatch The Lawn When Theres Need
The presence of excessive thatch, a layer of organic matter, in grass signifies soil pH imbalance or lawn care malpractices. Naturally, thatch should be only ½ an inch. Too much of it robs the grass of nutrients, sunlight, and water. Upon close examination, youll notice they sit between the soil top layer and crown of the grass. As long as microbes arent enough to eliminate organic matter, the fungus will attack the lawn.
The thatches attract weeds, particularly in spring, which is why you should plan your dethatching activity in fall. It works best using a thatching machine or gardening rake to keep them to a minimum. Alternatively, you can apply organic matter to keep them at bay.
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What Is Lawn Fungus
Fungi are a family of organisms that survive by breaking down organic matter. In this way, fungus is often beneficial humans not only consume fungus as food but also use it in medicinal and fermentation processes.
However, fungus can be harmful, too. The parasitic nature of the organism leads it to damage home gardens and lawns.
Lawn fungus can leave turfgrass spotty and weak as the tiny organisms absorb nutrients from the grass. Luckily, many treatment methods and products are available to weed out fungal infections before they take over your whole yard.
The following sections will provide tips for identifying and handling common types of fungus.
Common Lawn Fungal Diseases
There are quite a few fungal diseases that can impact lawns, but theyre usually pretty specialized, targeting specific lawn types, at certain times of year, under certain conditions. For example:
- Brown patch strikes during hot, humid weather.
- Fusarium blight prefers hot, drought conditions.
- Dollar spot tends to spring up when nights are cool and dew is heavy.
Before treating your lawn, its important to identify not only whether your lawn indeed has a fungal disease, but to identify the fungus itself.
All fungicides arent the same, and some diseases can be easily treated by making changes in your lawn care.
Knowing your grass type and recent weather conditions can make it easier to narrow down, but you may need help in figuring out exactly whats going on.
Your local cooperative extension center is your best resource for determining which diseases are most common in your area, or you can take a small baggie of the infected grass to your local garden center for help.
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Can Grass Fungus Go Away On Its Own
When left uncontrolled, the fungus will spread to the rest of the lawn, destroying the efforts youve put to ensuring your lawn stays healthy. Consequently, it wont disappear or reduce unless you treat it naturally, organically or chemically. Treating your lawn for fungi should start as soon as you notice the unusual signs pointing to an infestation.
Remember, beneficial fungi are a key ingredient your lawn needs for healthy growth. That means fungi will remain in the soil even after successful treatment.
Ways To Treat Brown Patch And Lawn Fungus
Despite all the recent rain, many lawns are covered in random brown patches. The reason? Too much rain. Extremely wet grass promotes fungus growth and can actually harm your lawn.
Here are 8 ways to treat brown patch and lawn fungus:
1. Only water your lawn as much as necessary. Avoid watering at night, as this is when fungus tends to grow.
2. Avoid walking over brown patches and affected areas. Fungal diseases can easily spread.
3. Fertilize your lawn. Grass that does not receive enough nitrogen and potassium can become weak, leaving the grass vulnerable to fungal diseases.
4. Mow your lawn at a healthy height. Never cut your lawn on the lowest setting.
5. Be patient. Give the fertilizer time to work.
6. Keep leaves off your lawn. Leaves can promote fungus growth.
7. Keep an eye on shady areas. When especially wet, these areas are first to show signs of brown patch or fungus.
8. Apply a fungicide. If you simply cant battle the brown spots with any of the 7 steps listed above, go to your local home improvement store and purchase a fungicide. While costly, this will help battle the lawn fungus.natural treatments can be used instead, especially while the fungus is still small. Neem oil, compost tea, and baking soda solutions are some of the most common.
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How To Treat Brown Patch Lawn Disease
Since wet conditions help promote brown patch, make sure your lawn has good drainage and air flow, and consider pruning overgrown trees to prevent too much shade and increase air movement for faster drying. It may also be helpful to aerate and dethatch the lawn every 1 to 3 months to allow air, water, and nutrients to move more freely into the soil.
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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How Do You Get Rid Of Grass Fungus Naturally
Mix one tablespoon of baking soda with a gallon of water. Spray affected areas every three days until the mold or fungus is gone. Both smothering plant pests and keeping fungus under control can be accomplished with the last two options. Although it is safe for use on lawns, turf, and trees, it is not recommended for indoor use.
Be Careful Mowing Your Yard
Check the settings on your lawnmower. Cutting the grass too close to the root will weaken it and make your grass more susceptible to fungus and other diseases.
You might find yourself cutting it closer in some areas than in others, which is probably because the soil is uneven.
If you have this issue, you should get a heavy lawn roller and try to get the yard as even as possible.
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How To Treat Lawn Fungus Naturally
A waterlogged lawn is a conducive breeding ground for fungi. While your lawn may look lush and green, eventually, its almost inevitable, that you may need to apply natural fungal control measures, as part of your lawn care routine.
However, the success of fungi control using natural methods depends on the severity of the infestation, grass type, and your routine lawn care practices.
Dont Mow Your Grass Too Short
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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:
Cultural Ways To Prevent Lawn Fungus
Following the correct cultural practices are a great way to reduce problems associated with fungus and disease and also will make you less likely to have to rely on fungicides:
- Feed your lawn regularly and keep the nutrients balanced
- Mow taller, more often, and with sharp blades
- Follow the important summer lawn care tips found here: Summer Lawn Care
- Bag your clippings! I know this causes a lot of controversy among landscape professionals but personally Im a big advocate of collecting your clippings. See my rant about this here: Leave Clippings on Lawn or Not?
- Avoid watering at night. Night watering keeps your lawn too wet for too long and fungi can thrive under these conditions.
- Use slow release fertilizers low in nitrogen and high in potassium during seasonal transitions. Synthetic fertilizers that are high in nitrogen will encourage quick blade growth. This is fine for when conditions are ideal, but during seasonal transitions when the lawn is stressed you want to minimize blade growth and allow the grass to focus on overall health and combatting disease. Using a product such as Stress Blend 7-0-20 is a great fertilizer to apply leading up to period of stress for your lawn. The increase in potassium is what helps aid in the overall health of your grass.
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The Ultimate Guide To Lawn Fungus: Types Symptoms And Treatment
- The Ultimate Guide to Lawn Fungus: Types, Symptoms and Treatment
Lawn fungus can quickly undo good landscaping work. Fungus can quickly spread, and once it reaches enough of the lawn, becomes extremely difficult to stop. Thatâs why Earth Development provides businesses with reliable, professional, and knowledgeable teams of lawn maintenance experts who understand just what it takes to get lawn fungus under control.
We believe itâs important not just to provide these experts, but also to ensure property owners know the basics of fungi identification in lawns across and when to take action. In this ultimate guide to lawn fungus, weâll explore how to tell if your lawn has fungus, outline common lawn fungus symptoms, and discuss the measures you can take to get it back under control.
Remember â your landscaping is an extension of your companyâs brand. A badly maintained lawn can quickly transform attractive commercial premises into something that looks run down and old. Whether you own a strip mall, a retirement home, a medical facility or a bank, your outdoor space is just as important as your indoor space â and we can help you keeping it look healthy, well-kept, and inviting.
How To Prevent Lawn Fungus In The First Place
Unfortunately, a lot of times turf disease is beginning to fester before homeowners realize it and they make the problem worse. Watering habits and mowing habits are two practices that can ultimately have a pretty big impact on disease.
For one, it is recommended that you water early in the morning which gives the sun time to dry your lawn out. When you water in the evening hours, that water sits on the lawn and creates a habitat that can breed fungal growth.
Mowing habits also make a difference. You should keep your mower blades sharp and clean in order to prevent spreading disease. If you are utilizing a professional lawn mowing service and they are not cleaning their mower deck after each lawn , they could be spreading disease from one lawn to another.
In addition to certain cultural practices, you can also invest in preventative care. At Master Lawn, our Gold Program includes preventive turf disease treatments already built-in, allowing you to put disease worries out of your mind.
Given the severity of some of these diseases, a proactive approach is ideal so that you never even give these menaces the chance to wreak havoc.
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Identify Leaf Spot Lawn Disease
Leaf spot or melting out disease takes the form of brown or black spots on grass blades. During infestation, these spots widen and develop a tan center. After the root dies off at its base, it undergoes what’s known as an “out melt” phase before drying up completely in order to release any surviving pests from inside of it!
Leaf spot is a serious lawn disease that can make your grass look terrible. It initially resembles drought or insect damage and it’s difficult to tell the difference because of its random patterning, but this makes identification all-the more important! Leaf spots are most active in summer on bluegrasses when theyre growing fastest – which means these areas will have higher populations than fall/spring time… unless something happens like rain storms where everyone gets wet at once again..
The melting out phase occurs when roots rot from an infection spreading through soil pores into them crowns start turning brown too as sunlight promotes deeper shades within those colors.
