St Augustine Lawn Fungus Can Be Controlled
If you have lawn fungus in your St. Augustine grass, you might feel like throwing in the towel. Dont panic when you see those thin, brown patches creeping into your yard because as annoying and lawn devastating as lawn fungus can be, it actually can be treated and controlled!
There are several ways you can treat your lawn to inhibit the spread of lawn fungus, as well as stop lawn fungus that is already infecting your grass. The two biggest factors here are having timely applications of a good fungicide and ensuring that your lawn is being properly watered. Seems simple enough, right? It can be! However, it does take some effort and expertise to figure out exactly which fungicide is best for your St Augustine lawn. You need to find the right balance of water to keep your grass green and lush without overdoing it.
When given proper attention, water, and treatments, your lawn will thrive! There are things that you can do yourself to figure out what could be causing the fungus you see affecting your lawn. There are also treatment programs that you can have a professional lawn care company come out and apply for you. Before we look at preventive measures, lets look at common causes of fungus you see in your St. Augustine grass!
What Is Brown Patch In Your Lawn
Brown Patch is a lawn summer disease caused by a fungus and is rife during warmer months when the humidity is high.
Once started, Brown Patch can quickly spread on your lawn with damage first appearing as a circular area of brown and dead grass enclosed by a darker colour.
Typically, Brown Patch infects lawns of poor health.
What Is Fusarium Patch
Fusarium Patch is a type of fungus on your lawn that appears in a small circular, water-soaked patch less than 5cm in diameter.
Fusarium Patch change in colour from orange-brown to dark brown and finally to a light gray.
The Fusarium Patches may enlarge indefinitely but are usually less than 20cm in diameter.
On a low-cut lawn, a halo-like smoke ring may appear on the outer margin of the Fusarium Patch and the outer ring may also have a water-soaked appearance.
Conditions favouring Fusarium Patch include consecutive wet days of cool temperatures which could occur in either autumn or spring.
If a lawns soil is high in nitrogen but low in phosphorous and potassium, then conditions are rife for the growth of Fusarium Patch.
Lawn areas with slow growing conditions and heavy thatch development also favour Fusarium Patch.
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Time To Identify And Cure Your Lawn Disease
With a firm grasp of the various grass fungi and the diseases they cause, you can now scout your yard effectively and sniff out these diseases. In most cases, quick action is essential, so use this new understanding to get a quick jump on these fungi and diseases before they ruin your gorgeous turf.
How To Control Dollar Spot
The best approach to control Dollar Spot in your lawn is through proper lawn care maintenance.
Proper lawn care maintenance ensures a healthy lawn and includes adequate fertiliser, reduction of thatch levels, aeration, morning watering that is deep and infrequent and mowing at regular intervals.
Alternately if the above lawn care maintenance procedures do not work, fungicides with the Common Active Ingredient Propiconazole should be used.
myhomeTURF recommends using Bumper an effective fungicide that can be purchased through our myhomeTURF online store.
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Tips For Brown Patch Fungus Prevention
Now that weve told you a little about brown patch and how it thrives, lets discuss how to prevent it. Your best and most assured way is to be part of a professional lawn care program and get regular fungicide treatments. However, there are some things you, as a homeowner, can do to help your lawn avoid a brown patch infestation.
- Water. We recommend deep, less frequent watering. Irrigate. Make sure your lawn has good drainage and no standing water. Its best to water in the morning between 6 and 10am. This allows ample time for the grass to dry throughout the day. And be sure to try the tuna-fish can trick to make sure youre watering appropriately.
- Drainage. Make sure your lawn has good drainage and no standing water.
- Prune. Prune your trees and shrubs to allow air movement and light penetration to the grass.
- Collect waste. Remove and dispose of clippings. This reduces thatch build-up and improves air circulation.
- Mow. Mow your lawn on a regular basis, when the lawn is dry, and at the proper height. For Fescue, we recommend 3.5-4. Mowing your lawn lower than suggested can increase disease severity, as can mowing too high. Mow often enough so you are not removing more than a of the leaf blade with any one mowing.
Increase The Soils Ph Using Weak Baking Soda
Baking soda is a safe remedy for controlling fungus in your lawn since it is alkaline-based. This helps increase the soils pH, reducing fungus ability to keep thriving in the grass. Heres how to apply it:
Youll need the baking soda, water, and spray bottle
Remember not to go overboard with the baking soda-water solution as it can increase the soil pH level, more than expected. Doing so may compromise the soils ability to recover should a disease erupt again.
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How Often Should You Spray Lawn For Fungus
For three or more applications, fetal control products should be applied once a week. You will have to apply the fungicide in 7 to 14 day intervals over the growing season. weathering and decay are the reasons for this. Fungicides should not be reapplied more than once a year.
The best way to determine if your plants are in good condition is to check their leaves. If the leaves are green, then the plant is healthy and ready to be planted. However, if they are yellow or brown, the plants may be in poor condition and you may want to wait until the following spring to plant them.
You can also check the soil by using a soil test kit. These kits can be purchased at most garden centers, or you can order them online from the U.S. Department of Agricultures National Organic Program website at: www.nop.usda.gov. .
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.
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Protect Your Grass From The Threat Of A Lawn Fungus This Fall
The summers here in South Carolina can be tough on our lawns. The intense heat, lack of rain, and heavy traffic can significantly weaken the immune system of our lawn. This leaves it open to a number of threats, including fall lawn fungus. Knowing how to deal with grass fungal diseases in your lawn is important. Being able to identify, treat, and prevent lawn fungi from invading your lawn will keep your grass healthy and beautiful all year long.
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Mow The Diseased Parts
Grass fungus spreads quickly, which is why mowing is a suitable solution to control it. When mowing, pay attention to the infected parts. Remove the grass clippings, fallen leaves, or debris that could be sitting on your lawn. Dont leave the grass clippings as they still carry live fungi that may spread to the rest of the grass.
On the other hand, mowing the diseased parts is only effective if the infestation is still fresh. Prolonged fungus infestation might need other control measures before mowing.
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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.
Water Your Lawn In The Morning
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How Lawn Fungus Control Works In Maryland
Now that you know what conditions turf disease prefers, lets talk about what you can do for lawn fungus control.
The three most common turf diseases in Central and Southern Maryland are brown patch, dollar spot and pythium blight. They have similar symptoms with some slight differences the trained eye can spot. But all three can be controlled with similar strategies.
Unfortunately, 80 percent of all lawns in Central and Southern Maryland will get turf disease in the summer. This is particularly true in Southern Maryland. The conditions listed above just tend to line up perfectly as a breeding ground for lawn fungus.
What this means is that even the best lawns will look run down and pretty shabby during June, July and August.
But there are some things you can do to keep your lawn looking its best.
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!
This one can be tricky to master but so effective when trying to avoid fungus in your lawn! Lets talk about top tips for watering your grass in the most effective and efficient way so that you dont end up with any lawn fungus and you dont break the bank with your water bill. Sounds like a win-win, right?
When watering your lawn, you want to make sure that you do not drench your yard to the point of pooling or building up standing water in any area. Standing water invites lawn fungi to move right in! In order to avoid pooling in your lawn, you will need to be very precise and strategic with your watering plan.
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How To Treat Your Yard For Lawn Fungus
Once you have determined what type of fungus or disease is present, its time to treat. Its best to treat a diseased lawn as soon as you spot the problem, as some diseases can spread and kill the whole lawn.
The type of disease or fungus you have will determine the best treatment option. In some cases, the issue is weather or seasonally dependent and will clear up on its own once the weather changes. Other problems need immediate mitigation, such as fairy ring, powdery mildew, or smut, as they can kill the plants or cause permanent damage to the lawn.
To treat your issues, first identify whether it can be eradicated via changing your practices. Powdery mildew, for example, may be able to be taken care of by rinsing the plants and getting rid of leaves or any other nearby debris that is causing it to spread. Avoiding overwatering, letting the grass grow a bit longer between mowing and not over fertilizing can also help clear up the problem.
Some homeowners prefer to try to treat lawn diseases organically, rather than using fungicide. If your areas of fungus are small, using treatments like neem oil, cornmeal or baking soda solutions can be effective. Before you opt for an organic approach, though, do your research and be aware of the potential drawbacks. In some cases, using home remedies can only make the problem worse, or introduce new, unexpected issues.
Does Mowing Spread Fungus
How does it spread? Fungi are spread by wind, rain, grass clippings, and even by lawn mower. This is the reason why lawn professionals dont mow a lawn with a disease that can be spread to other areas of the lawn.
If you notice a change in the appearance of your lawn, you should contact your local lawn care professional to determine if the problem is caused by a fungus or if it is due to a problem with the grass itself.
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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.
How To Control Lawn Rust
The best approach to control Rust in your lawn is through proper lawn care maintenance.
Proper lawn care maintenance ensures a healthy lawn and includes adequate fertiliser, reduction of thatch levels, aeration, morning watering that is deep and infrequent and mowing at regular intervals.
Alternately if the above lawn care maintenance procedures do not work, fungicides with the Common Active Ingredient Propiconazole should be used.
myhomeTURF recommends using Bumper an effective fungicide that can be purchased through our myhomeTURF online store.
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Fungus In St Augustine Grass Causes
What causes fungus in St. Augustine grass? If you are anything like us, your lawn is pretty important to you. We enjoy our lawns in many different ways, whether its relaxing in the back yard while our kids play in the grass, watching our pets run and play, or just enjoying the view out of the front window of our lush green lawns. As with anything that we consider important, caring for our lawns takes a high priority on our to-do list! If you are concerned that your St. Augustine grass might be infected with a disease or fungus dont wait. Its time to either call in a professional lawn service or try to DIY to remedy the problem.
Here are the three most common causes of fungus in St. Augustine grass.
1. Over-watering your lawn, or certain areas of your lawn, could be causing a lawn fungus to thrive! When you have standing water, it can promote the growth of a lawn fungus.
2. Change in temperature is also a cause! The spring season is a big culprit for lawn fungus in St. Augustine because of all of the ups and downs in temperature. While we love to think of spring as a time of growth and blossoming , its also a good time to check your lawn for lawn fungus and lawn disease.
3. The fungus can often spread from a neighboring lawn that is infected with a lawn fungus disease.
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