St Augustine Grass Brown Patch Fungus

How To Treat St Augustine Grass Fungus + Identify Brown Patch

Fungal disease in St. Augustine grass typically begins to show as s 6-12 inch patches of discoloration that progress from yellow to brown. As the fungus spreads, the patches can merge to form larger areas of grass that are turning brown. So, how do you identify and get rid of the fungus in St. Augustine grass?

St. Augustine grass is prone to brown patch disease but other types of fungi can also infest it. Irregular brown patches and gray threads are a sign of fungus. Apply a lawn fungicide such as Scotts DiseaseEx early to treat the infection. Proper lawn care practices can also prevent lawn fungus.

How To Spot The Fungus

The funny thing about brown patch is that it doesnt start out brown at all. In fact, the first signs of trouble are when a circular or oblong pattern of light-yellow discoloration appears in your grass. Eventually, the affected area will turn from orange to tan. It will continue to spread outward, sometimes leaving small green patches at the center. The discoloration is caused when the fungus infects each leaf, causing them to rot.

Brown patch fungus can affect all cool-season grasses, but it is especially harmful to ryegrass and tall fescue. Brown patch also affects a variety of warm-season grasses, including St. Augustine grass, Bermuda, and zoysiagrass.

One of the most frustrating aspects of brown patch is that once you spot it, the damage is already done and the fungus is thriving. The trick to successfully eradicating brown patch is understanding the fungus lives beyond where the eye can see, in your soil. When the conditions are right, the fungus strikes, making preventive measures all the more important.

Causes Of Brown Patch Disease

Your lawn is more likely to suffer from fungal diseases under certain harsh weather conditions including high humidity and extreme precipitation. As such, homeowners in Coastal regions like Florida and California are more likely to experience brown patch disease on their lawns.

In general, the common causes of brown patch disease in St. Augustine lawns are:

• Prolonged periods of wetness especially in shaded areas .
• Overfertilizing and overwatering your lawn.
• Too much shade.

Mild daytime temperatures of between 70-90 degrees Fahrenheit and cool nights also provide perfect conditions for the spread of brown patch disease on St. Augustine lawns.

Poor lawn maintenance also provides the perfect conditions for brown patch fungi to invade your lawn. Lawns that are scarcely watered during spring-summer and lawns that experience high-foot traffic leading to soil compaction are, thus, more likely to be infected with brown patch fungal disease.

Read Also: Nail Polish That Lasts Like Gel

How To Prevent Brown Patch

The fungus thrives on conditions that leave your lawn damp for 48 hours or more, making mid-late summer prime time for it to thrive with damage rearing its ugly head in the fall. Not to mention excessive irrigation, rainfall, and humidity all exacerbate the problem. For this reason, water management is key to preventing brown patch. Irrigation should only be used to supplement rainfall. Rain sensors and smart controllers solve for this and ensure youre not overwatering.

One of the toughest parts about treating brown patch is that its likely to reoccur in lawns that have previously struggled with the fungus. If your lawn tends to be affected by brown patch annually, your landscape partner will probably prescribe a prophylactic fungicide application in the fall, with follow-up applications at regular intervals as the weather continues to cool.

Even if your lawn has been spared, you should still remain vigilant. Brown patch can remain dormant in soil for years until favorable conditions are achieved. In fact, some properties that struggle with brown patch might notice signs of infection subside when the weather warms, only to return later in the year when conditions become favorable once more.

Rotting Roots Stolons And Rhizomes

Rotting roots are not easy to identify, but if you see above-ground symptoms such as a thinning lawn, irregular brown spots in your lawn, check the roots to see if they are healthy. Rotting roots with white and black lesions are a sign of take all root rot fungal infection.

Stolons and rhizomes in creeping turfgrasses such as St. Augustine grass and Bermuda grass may also show signs of rotting. The grass becomes stunted and will develop bare patches rather quickly.

You May Like: What Vitamin Makes Your Hair And Nails Grow

St Augustine Grass Diseases

We have now covered some of the most common spring lawn fungi in St Augustineand ways you can water your lawn in the smartest way in order to avoid pooling. Remember fungus can happen in late summer or the fall season as well. At the first sign of fungus, call an expert, like Weedex Lawn Care, for professional treatment programs that get results. This knowledge should make you feel more confident in caring for your lawn! Remember, you are looking out for brown patches, yellow patches, thin turf, circular patches, and straw-colored spots of grass. These might be indicators of a disease or fungus in your St. Augustine.

Inspect your sprinkler system to determine if youre overwatering your lawn or if water is pooling in areas. To do this, we suggest that you avoid watering at night when pooling water is harder to see! Lastly, either apply a fungicide treatment or call a professional company. Weedex is here for you! Like we always say, greener lawn, happier you! Let us help make your lawn greener and your life just a bit happier if we do say so ourselves. Call us now for a free estimate for your lawn care needs!

727-9207

Abc Can Help Treat And Prevent Lawn Problems

Coming up with a specialized maintenance schedule for your lawn can be a challenge for many homeowners, since every lawn will have slightly different requirements. The professionals at ABC Home & Commercial Services have the experience and knowledge to troubleshoot common lawn problems on any type of lawn and implement a treatment plan that will keep your lawn beautiful and green all year long. Our lawn experts can handle everything from regular mowing to chinch bug control to fertilizing. With ABCs help, your lawn will be one less thing you have to worry about.

Read Also: Where Can I Buy Young Nails Products

Gray Leaf Spot Disease

The root cause of Gray Leaf Spot disease is Pyricularia Grisea which causes perennial ryegrass and tall fescue to move smoothly in rainy and warm climates. The spot on the grass leaves comes in the form of an oval and round in color, having dark brown borders.

High humidity or when the leaves are completely wet, the leaf spots make them fuzzy and gray, perfusing spore production. The leaf spots extend with time, allowing the leaf to wrap. These issues cause the leafs death coming from the tip. The harm to your lawn starts when this disease progresses faster.

The diseases early symptoms include having gray spots on the leaves of small spherical size and having a yellow mark around them. The disease is difficult to discover as the gray leaf appears like rust. However, with time they grow in size, becoming gray spots.

If you notice a high pressure of this disease, frequent fungicide application can help reduce the impact on yield. However, these applications remain expensive and prove effective only when you find the disease pressure to be high.

Avoid Using Nitrogen Rich Fertilizer In Early Spring And Late Fall The Only Thing In Common With Brown Patch Mold And You Is You Both Like Fresh Green Grass

Nitrogen fertilizer promotes lush green growth, and this soft growth is just what brown patch fungus enjoys. This new growth provides a nice platform for the fungus to grow on. Fertilizing too early or late can lead to fungus growth. Instead use nitrogen fertilizer only in late spring or in the summer.

You May Like: What Is The Best Glue For Acrylic Nails

Irregular Brown Spots And Patches

The size of these brown patches will vary depending on your soil conditions. Fungus thrives in:

• Soil with low nitrogen levels

The fungus has already spread When your lawn exhibits brown patches, a few inches to several feet in diameter. When under fungal attack, St. Augustine grass blades form dark-brown color around the patch edges near the soils surface and irregular tan spots that resemble a burned cigarette.

Additionally, brown spots and patches might show grub infestation or pet urine on your lawn.

If you suspect fungal diseases in your lawn, send a grass or soil sample to lawn care experts or invite them to analyze and give conclusive results.

Fungus In St Augustine Grass

Posted on October 29, 2021

Is that fungus in your St. Augustine grass? Yikes! If you are frustrated by straw-colored or brown patches on your lawn, we feel you. Our lawns should be a place of relaxation and enjoyment, not a host for a lawn fungus! Lets figure out how you can get a greener lawn and control any lawn fungus you may be dealing with in your St. Augustine grass this year.

Theres nothing more irritating than caring for your lawn all winter, prepping your St. Augustine grass for the warmer months, and looking forward to that lush green lawn, only to see fungus in your St. Augustine grass come spring! However, springtime and the fall season sets your lawn up to be vulnerable to several kinds of lawn fungus due to rapid temperature changes. As we know, that is not the lawn youve been dreaming of all winter long! Take-All Root Rot, Grey Leaf Spot or Brown Patch fungus in your St. Augustine grass may be develop in your lawn. The good news is, there are ways to treat these problems!

Are you doing your own lawn care? There are several things to be aware of this spring when it comes to avoiding or lawn fungus in St. Augustine grass. If you do not have the problem already, lets make sure youre equipped to prevent any type of fungus from invading your beautiful lawn this season!

Before we get into the DIY tips, lets first find out what we are dealing with here.

Don’t Miss: How To Apply Opi Nail Lacquer

When To Get Rid Of Brown Patch Fungus

Begin your efforts at brown patch control in the spring, with aeration and dethatching. Application of fungicide should be done when the fungal patches appear, usually mid to late summer, Reseeding with different grass species, where necessary, can be done by over-seeding over several fall seasons, or, if you want quicker results, eliminate the old turf grasses in spring and reseed immediately.

How To Revive St Augustine Grass

After applying needed treatments to your yard and eradicating your St. Augustine grass problem entirely, its time to get your grass growing again. By cutting your grass at higher lengths and only cutting it once every ten days, you can make your grass stronger. This practice helps the healthy grass protect the grass that has been damaged, allowing it time to grow and become healthy. When mowing the healthy parts of your lawn, leave your grass clippings instead of bagging them, so that you can bring nutrients back into the soil. Also, to reduce stress on your grass during your restoration efforts, restrict use or even stay off it entirely.

As weve already mentioned, the single most important thing you can do, whether your grass is healthy or showing signs of a problem, is to create a lawn care maintenance schedule. You shouldnt just be concerned about how to keep your lawn green in summer heatthese fungi, weeds and bugs all have different seasons where they are most active so your lawn care should take these seasonal considerations into account.

Also Check: How To Get Your Nails To Grow Faster

Random Yellowing Of Grass Blades

Lush grass is a good indicator of healthy turf. Any slight change in grass color indicates disease or infestation by pests.

Since brown patch disease primarily affects the grass blades, yellowing will be the first indicator of a fungal attack. The Rhizoctonia fungus causes St. Augustines grass blades to turn yellow.

If you do not catch the fungus at this stage, the grass blades will turn brown, and magnified grass degradation will start.

If you have pets, pet urine might also cause such yellowing. Consult a professional to confirm whether your lawn has fungal infections.

Brown Patch Fungus Active In St Augustine Grass Lawns

October 26, 2005 by cmwood

Brown Patch Fungus Active in St. Augustine Grass Lawns

The day/night temperatures the past few weeks have favored development of the turfgrass fungal disease called Brown Patch. This disease of lawns is caused by a fungal pathogen, which has the scientific name of Rhizoctonia solani. Turfgrass affected by brown patch generally will exhibit circular or irregular patches of light brown, thinned grass. Under conditions that favor this disease, these patches can coalesce increasing the size of the affected area. Understanding this disease, which is all too common in the fall on St. Augustine grass, includes the following.

How it looks and conditions that encourage development.

What can be done to minimize Brown Patch?

• Water infrequently, only as necessary to prevent wilt. Water early in the day to remove dew and allow the grass to dry quickly.
• Avoid over fertilization in spring and fall.
• Improve the lawn health and correct poorly drained areas to reduce damage caused by brown patch.
• Fungicides to control Brown Patch are available to the home consumer at most garden centers. These products are most effective when used on a preventive basis . Multiple applications may be necessary. Always follow pesticide label directions.

What to expect this fall, winter and next spring?

David Chalmers, State Extension Turfgrass Specialist, Texas Cooperative Extension

Read Also: What Is The Best Polygel Nail Kit

How To Recognize Pythium Root Rot

Pythium root rot will result in a decline in turf quality and density, however, the turf seldom dies. Some areas or patches will turn yellow, light green, or brown.

Note: Pythium root rot can also be confused with herbicide damage on St. Augustine grass, as herbicide damage may cause the same overall symptoms of yellow or brown patches. The leaf may still pull out of the leaf sheath, but the base of the leaf will not be dark or rotten.

Ask The Hulett Experts

Are you concerned about the health of your lawn, or worried that you may have Brown Patch Fungus? Contact us today. We offer several convenient options to help you determine if your yard is in danger, and will then advise you on the best course of treatment. Your lawn can be lush and green again in no time, if Brown Patch Fungus is treated correctly.

First, schedule an entirely free lawn inspection with our experts with zero obligation. We will come to your home and look at any areas of concern. Our experts are trained by a fully state certified and licensed operator to recognize a wide variety of lawn diseases, as well as Brown Patch Fungus. They will identify the condition accurately, provide you with our best recommendation, and schedule your new program to begin as soon as possible.

You can also use our free online expert portal which enables you to receive a professional evaluation and opinion from the comfort of your home, on your schedule. Complete basic information on the form, select lawn treatment from the drop-down bar, and briefly explain the areas of concern. It is best to provide as much detail as possible so that we can comprehensively evaluate your situation. Next, upload pictures of the lawn damage you are worried about.

Recommended Reading: How To Get Rid Of Nail Polish Stain

Avoid Overwatering Your Lawn

St. Augustine requires about 0.5 inches of water per week to grow fast and thick. Overwatering encourages fungal activity as it keeps the lawn wet for prolonged periods. If this is whats causing brown patch disease in your lawn, adjust your watering schedule and check the amount of water youre providing.

• Water your lawn twice a week, each time providing it with about ¼-inch of water.
• Place a measuring cylinder in your lawn then run the sprinkler until the ¼-inch mark is reached every time you irrigate the lawn to prevent overwatering.

Gray Leaf Spot On St Augustinegrass

Factsheet | HGIC 2151 | Aug 1, 2022 | |

Gray leaf spot of St. Augustinegrass caused by Pyricularia grisea. Photo by Lane P. Tredway, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Gray leaf spot is a fungal disease that occurs most commonly on St. Augustinegrass , but occasionally may also be found infecting tall fescue, bermudagrass, centipedegrass, and ryegrass in home lawns. On St. Augustinegrass, the initial leaf spots are small and brown, but they expand rapidly into large, oval or elongate, tan to gray leaf spots, which are surrounded by purple or brown borders. A yellow halo may surround some of the spots, or a general leaf yellowing may occur.

During warm, humid weather, the fungus produces a grayish mycelium and numerous spores on dying foliage, which gives a grayish appearance to the spots. Blades of grass will wither and die if leaf spots are numerous. Under favorable conditions for disease development, large areas of turf may appear to be scorched, resembling extreme drought stress.

You May Like: How To Stop Nails From Peeling

Treating St Augustine Grass Fungus

When treating your lawn for fungus, avoid using nitrogen fertilizer, as it encourages fast growth. What you might not realize is that encouraging your St. Augustine grass to grow can actually make your lawn more susceptible to fungus.

Many homeowners will turn to fungicides to address lawn issues. However, if you apply a product that is not specially formulated for St. Augustine grass, you may inadvertently cause other problems.

If youre wondering when to apply fungicide on your lawn, the answer is as soon as possible. The more the fungus grows, the harder it will be to eradicate.

When applying fungicide, be sure to follow the manufacturers instructions. Keep in mind that fungicide does contain chemicals, so be extremely cautious during application. Wear eye protection, heavy gloves, pants, a long-sleeved shirt, socks and closed-toed shoes to protect yourself. Most of the time, hiring a professional to apply fungicide for you can be the easiest option.