Dont Overwater Your Lawn
Brown patch mold thrives in damp conditions which is why you should avoid frequent watering. You should water St. Augustine grass twice per week during Daylight Savings Time, and once per week during Eastern Standard Time.
Depending on the drainage of your lawn, the quantity of the water required varies. However, a water depth of a 1/2 an inch, is the typical recommendation for St. Augustine.
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:
How To Prevent Lawn Fungus & Disease
One of the most common causes of a fungus infestation is a lack of proper drainage. Ensuring that your yard is not compacted and has proper drainage is a great start to preventing excess moisture from building up and creating the perfect environment for fungus to grow. If the diseased area is in a low spot in your yard and the disease starts there every time, you are likely experiencing a drainage issue. In this instance, many products and treatments may not be enough to cure the disease, and the drainage issue will have to be remedied to prevent constant reoccurrence.
An easier fix is simply adjusting your watering schedule. Fungi infestation can often be prevented by watering early in the morning, typically before the sun has fully risen and definitely before it gets too hot outside. When you water in the evening, especially during cooler seasons, it doesnt get hot enough outside for the sun to evaporate the excess ground moisture, which then leads to an ideal area for the fungus to take over.
Regular lawn maintenance will also make it difficult for fungus to grow. Tasks such as routinely fertilizing and watering your grass, removing excess amounts of debris and leaves, mowing periodically, aerating your lawn once a year, and applying a compost topdress in the late summer and early fall are all great preventative measures. These prevention methods are especially important in avoiding diseases like Take-All Patch.
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Best Fungicide For St Augustine Grass Reviews In 2023
Combat fungus problems in your St. Augustine grass lawn when you apply the best fungicide. We reviewed eight highly recommended fungicides to help you make the right choice.
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If your St Augustine Grass lawn was thriving a few weeks ago and suddenly you see some brown rings on it, this is a sign of a fungus problem. You need to act fast before things get worse. But how do you treat fungal diseases?
To help your lawn fight fungal diseases and thrive again, we put together this list of the best fungicide for St Augustine grass.
- Best for Easy Application Heritage G Fungicide 30 lb Bag
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Basic Ways To Identify Lawn Fungus & Diseases
The most fail-safe way to confirm that the issue with your lawn is without a doubt being affected by a fungus is to reach out to an AgriLife Extension Service or a local lawn care professional who can come out to your property and provide expertise regarding what problems you might be facing.
A simple DIY at-home test is to pull one of your pieces of sod up and check the soil for a mushroom smell. A lack of a mushroom smell does not mean that you dont have a fungus, but the presence of one usually indicates that your lawn has some sort of fungus-related issue.
Mowing Schedule For Your Grass
Once your soil temperatures warm up and your grass emerges from its winter dormancy, you can begin to mow your St. Augustine grass. The ideal lawn height for St. Augustine grass is between 2.5 and 4 inches. You may wish to allow grass growing in shady areas to grow slightly taller. Be sure that your mower blades are sharp before mowing your lawn. Raise the mowing height by about half an inch if your lawn is suffering signs of drought stress or prevent drought stress during periods of little rainfall.
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Identifying & Preventing Fungus And Diseases On Your Lawn
October 26, 2022 | Blog
There are many reasons why a fungus or a disease may overcome your lawn. The cause could be something as simple as watering too late in the evening to having a grass variety that is prone to fungal diseases. Its essential to not only identify the cause to allow preventative measures to be taken but also rule out other lawn problems, such as pests that can mimic similar symptoms.
Fungicides are harmful to the environment, so its best to use them only when necessary. Its important to note that the purpose of fungicides is to prevent the disease from growing or spreading they do not repair dead or affected vegetation. Therefore, results would not be noticeable until the new grass begins to grow back in. Additionally, when choosing a fungicide to use, you must choose the one that corresponds with the variety of sod you currently have.
Spectracide Immunox Fungus Plus Insect Control For Lawns
Spectracide Immunox Fungus Plus Insect Control Fungicide fights typical lawn diseases as well as kills lawn pests on contact.
It prevents brown patches, powdery mildew, scabs, black spots, rust, and more. Plus, it controls harmful pests like sod webworms, brown dog ticks, and ants. For best results, apply this fungicide every 2 weeks as a preventative measure or as soon as you notice signs of disease.
Spectracide says that this fungicide becomes rainproof just a few hours after application, so you dont need to worry about it getting washed away.
Pros:
- Able to kill harmful bugs on contact.
- Treats large area covers up to 2,500 square feet area.
- Rainproof the fungicide will not get washed off.
Cons:
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.
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Coping With St Augustine
Im a big fan of St. Augustine. Its a handsome grass that many of us love. But, it does have its issues, and as a group they constitute some of the most commonly asked questions I encounter.
Diagnosing St. Augustine woes is extremely difficult without actually being on the lawn looking at it first-hand. Even then, it can be confusing, even to professionals. Several issues may get stirred into the mix enough so that its hard to decide which specific problem caused the grass the biggest challenge. Im going to mention all I can think of, and Ill let you work at diagnosing the problem yourself.
St. Augustine in the shaded Sperry landscape eventually was replaced with shade-tolerant groundcover.
St Augustine Grass Fungus Treatment
Lets take a look at some of the ways that you can change your lawn care habits in order to optimize the health and growth of your St Augustine grass while also looking out for and/or treating any lawn fungus or diseases that could be infiltrating your yard.
Are you trying to treat your lawn infected with a St Augustine fungus? Here are some of our pro tips that you may want to keep in mind when trying out treatments for St. Augustine grass fungus!
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What Is St Augustine Fungus
St. Augustine fungus is unfortunately common in lawns, especially in the spring season. Some of the top fungi that we see in St. Augustine grass are take-all rot, brown-patch, and Grey Leaf Spot. With the proper attention to treatments, grass fungi can be controlled. Lets take a closer look at each of these fungus diseases.
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What Is Azoxystrobin Fungicide
Azoxystrobin fungicide is a broad-spectrum, systemic fungicide used to combat fungal diseases affecting fruits and vegetables, turf and ornamentals, and other agricultural and horticultural plants. It is used as a preventative and curative treatment, and is a member of the strobilurin family.
The active ingredient helps to protect plants from infection, and it moves through the plants via the vascular system. Azoxystrobin has strong translaminar and systemic properties, meaning it can move within the leaf tissue and be redistributed and absorbed by other parts of the plant.
This increases the spread and effectiveness of the fungicide, which can protect plants from lesions, leaf discoloration, fruit and vegetable rot, wilting, or other fungal damages. Azoxystrobin is normally applied as a wettable powder or suspension concentrate, with a typical rate of 9 to 13.
5 ounces per acre.
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.
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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.
How To Treat Prevent And Identify Weeds In St Augustine Grass
Since each type of weed may require a slightly different approach to eliminate, youll want to determine exactly which variety is on your lawn before you begin your control efforts. Some of the most common weeds youll find in St. Augustine grass include:
- Dandelions: These weeds are easy to spot, since their bright yellow flowers make them stand out against your green grass. Dandelion petals are long and slim, and additional green leaves sprout near the base. Youve likely seen these weeds before and maybe even thought they were prettyuntil they appeared on your lawn.
- Goosegrass or silver crabgrass: This grasswith its long, thick leaves that can reach up to a foot longis often confused with crabgrass. You can determine the difference between the two because goosegrass will be a white or silver color near the root.
- Crabgrass: Crabgrass has long, thick leaves that grow outward from shallow roots in a star-shaped pattern.
- White clover: While some homeowners enjoy having white clover in planted flower boxes, this plant can easily overtake your lawn. The flower of this weed will be pink in the center with white crescent-shaped petals.
- Dollarweed: Also known as pennywort, this weed gets its name because its leaves are the shape of a silver dollar. Dollarweed growing in your lawn is often a sign that youre watering too much, as these weeds thrive in wet environments.
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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 Do I Prevent Brown Patches In My St Augustine Grass
If you live in an area with a humid climate, then you are probably familiar with the problem of brown patches in your St. Augustine grass. These patches can be unsightly and difficult to get rid of. Luckily, there are some things that you can do to prevent them from occurring in the first place.First, make sure that you are mowing your lawn at the proper height. St. Augustine grass should be kept at a height of 2-3 inches. If you cut it any shorter than this, it will be more susceptible to damage from heat and foot traffic.Second, water your lawn regularly and deeply. This will help to keep the roots of your grass healthy and prevent them from drying out and dying back. Brown patches often occur when the roots of the grass are stressed due to lack of moisture.Third, fertilize your lawn regularly with a high-quality fertilizer designed for use on St. Augustine grass. This will help to keep thegrass green and healthy looking.Fourth, if you see brown patches starting to form, treat them immediately with an herbicide or fungicide designed for use on turfgrass.
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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.
Common Causes Of Fungus In Grass
Fungal diseases and fungal growth typically occur in excessively moist conditions. Your lawn may become saturated with water due to a variety of reasons, such as:
- Improper mowing
- Excess fertiliser
Addressing these causes helps reduce the risk of fungal growth and protect against brown patches on lawns.
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How To Maintain Your Lawn To Help Reduce Brown Patch
A healthy lawn is a stronger lawn and will be better able to withstand fungal diseases like brown patch. Follow these guidelines:
- Plant disease-resistant varieties and seed mixtures. For example, Scotts® Turf Builder® Grass Seed Heat-Tolerant Blue® Mix for Tall Fescue Lawns combines improved turf-type tall fescue varieties with a heat-tolerant Kentucky bluegrass to help reduce the impact of brown patch on your lawn.
- Reduce the amount of time the grass blades are wet. When needed, water during the early morning hours. Dont water between 7:00 PM and 3:00 AM, as the blades will stay wet overnight.
- Feed the lawn regularly with Scotts® Turf Builder® Lawn Food. Be sure to follow label directions, as overfed lawns are more susceptible to brown patch.
- Unless it is a controlled-release product, dont apply nitrogen fertilizer when hot, humid weather is expected .
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 years to allow air, water, and nutrients to move more freely into the soil.
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