Is That Brown Spot A Sign Of Lawn Disease
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Lawn diseases are not usually a threat to a homeowner’s lawn. Occasionally an outbreak will occur after an extended period of heat and humidity but for the most part, a lawn will remain relatively disease-free as long as it is maintained properly. Sports fields and golf courses are more susceptible to turf diseases due to their extensive use and intense conditioning but rarely will a homeowner need to apply a fungicide to the lawn either as a preventative measure or even as a treatment.
However, if there is a dead or dying spot on your lawn, it is beneficial to know if it might be a disease or simply the neighbor taking the dog to its favorite spot. Identifying a lawn disease may also give you clues as to what is causing its presence and if there is anything you can do about it.
How Can I Solve The Problem
Knowing how to treat grass fungus is important for any business with lawns, and at Earth Development, we share our knowledge with you.
Here are the most effective ways you can prevent lawn fungus growth.
- Fungicide and Fertilizer
Feed your grass a slow-release, organic fertilizer. Nitrogen-blended fertilizer can also help prevent dollar spots.
Using a high-quality fertilizer gives your grass the best chance to grow healthy, and when used alongside a good quality fungicide, youâll minimize the chance of growth.
- Mow Your Grass Properly
Mowing grass extremely short might seem like a quick and easy way to minimize the frequency of mowing, but it can causes serious damage to your grass. The shorter the blades, the less light the grass is able to absorb from the sun.
And, as the grass gets less healthy, it becomes easier for weeds and fungus to take hold and destroy your lawn.
Remember to catch your clippings and remove them from the lawn, too, to stop fungus spores from being spread by the mower.
- Water Your Lawn in the Mornings
Itâs always wise to water your lawn between 6am and 10am. It gives the grass time to absorb water, and then plenty of time for the sun to dry it again during the day. Give your lawn 1.5 inches of water per week .
Natural Remedies For Lawn Fungus
There are many natural remedies for lawn fungus. These include baking soda solutions, neem oil, and compost teas. For the best results, you should use these natural options early in the season as a preventative rather than waiting to treat your lawn after you already have a fungus.
Neem Oil
This is one of the better natural solutions available. Dilute 2 oz of neem oil into 1 gallon of water. Apply 2.5 gallons of the spray solution per 1,000 sq ft. You will typically need to apply this solution two or three times on a 7 14 day interval to ensure effective control.
Baking Soda
Using a weak baking soda solution to treat lawn fungus issues can be effective but you must be cautious. Baking soda is a salt and like all salts, can damage your lawn.
Grass type and environmental conditions such as rainfall, air temperature and lawn stress all affect how your grass reacts to the baking soda, so you run the risk of doing more harm than good.
Compost Tea
While the use of compost teas are generally considered a good way to increase the organic content of your lawn, research on using them as a natural fungicide is limited. When applied in the spring, compost teas will help to boost the overall health of your lawn and can help your lawn to be less susceptible to getting a fungus in late spring or summer.
However, compost teas alone are usually insufficient in preventing turfgrass diseases.
Clove Oil
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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.
Why Is Neem Oil Banned In Canada
While lauded in most of the world, neem oil is currently banned in Canada due to the potential side effects of misuse. One must know how often to apply neem oil to protect plants from potential damage. It also will help protect beneficial insects from coming into contact with this natural insecticide.
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How Do I Know If My Lawn Has A Disease
May 11, 2017
Every lawn, no matter how healthy, is susceptible to disease. And when your lawn is suffering, you know it. Several factors can make a lawn struggle, so lawn disease comes in several forms. Its important to recognize the various possible signs. Heres a quick guide to identifying our areas most common lawn diseases:
What Causes Lawn Fungus
Excessive heat and humidity are the leading causes of fungus. As mentioned above, fungus often occurs in times of stress, such as drought, long rainy seasons, and overwatering.
Fungus often develops because water stays on the leaf surface far too long. Mycelia use the water as a highway to travel from leaf-to-leaf. This allows the fungus to spread to other parts of the lawn.
This is also the reason that you should not walk through your lawn when it is battling fungus. If there is moisture on the lawn you can spread the fungus across the grass.
Another cause of fungus is undernourishment. When grass does not have the right amount of nutrients it is more susceptible to disease.
After it rains, theres typically more water available in the soil for the grass plants. When plants take up that water, they are also taking up nutrients thats in the soil. The more it rains, the faster that nitrogen is used up. If the nitrogen is not replenished, the problem will continue.
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How To Identify & Treat Lawn Fungus
Grass, just like any plant, can be afflicted with fungal diseases. Fungal diseases spread through fungus spores that usually do nothing to grass. However, under the right conditions, these fungal pathogens can spread and cause disease.
There isnt just one type of fungal disease, either: there are dozens, and some types of fungal disease are more common in some areas than others. For this reason, its important to understand what fungal infections can be hurting your grass, how they spread, and how to prevent them.
How Do I Know If My Lawn Has Fungus
How To Identify Lawn Fungal DiseasesWhite, 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.More items
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How Much Does It Cost To Spray Lawn Fungus
The cost can vary based on the severity of your case and what products need to be used. Its important to know that there are also preventative products that can be sprayed proactively in order to prevent problems in the first place. In this case, the cost to repair damage is much greater than the cost to prevent it.
How To Identify Lawn Fungal Diseases
Signs that your lawn may have a fungal disease 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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When Should I Apply Antifungal To My Lawn
We recommend beginning lawn fungicide applications when nighttime low temperatures rise to 60°F. Typically, preventative applications are made at 14 to 30 day intervals, depending upon the fungicide. There are an abundance of lawn fungicides available that prevent brown patch and other lawn diseases.
Will Hydrogen Peroxide Kill My Grass
When using hydrogen peroxide for plants, however, the solution is generally diluted, making it especially safe. This extra oxygen gives hydrogen peroxide its beneficial properties. So, the answer to the question does hydrogen peroxide hurt plants is a resolute no, provided the strength is sufficiently diluted.
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Lawn Fungus Types: What To Look For
What is brown patch? How serious is root rot? The following are two of the most common diseases that are likely to develop on warm-weather lawns. Do keep in mind that there is a wide variety of fungal diseases that can affect your lawn. If you arent quite sure whats wrong with your lawn, call a lawn care company to help diagnose the problem.
What Is Powdery Mildew
Powdery Mildew on lawn is caused by a fungus and usually first seen as isolated fine, gray-white, cobwebby growth seen on the upper surface of the leaf blades.
Powdery Mildew growth rapidly becomes denser and often involves the entire leaf surface of your lawn giving the appearance of having been dusted with talc powder or flour.
When Powdery Mildew becomes severe, the entire lawn appears a dull white or pale green and severely infected leaves usually turn yellow and wither and may lead to a widespread thinning of the stand.
Powdery Mildew occurs most often on slow-growing turf, usually in shaded areas and it favours cool, cloudy conditions that occur in spring and autumn.
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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.
Fungal Diseases In Your Lawn Here Are The Steps To Follow To Take Control Before Its Too Late
If you suspect a fungal disease in your lawn, you should do the following
- Test the Soil Conducting a soil test can not only identify nutrient deficiencies that lead to stressed lawns and disease but sometimes can be used to diagnose the disease itself.
- Aerate Loosen soil by aerating your lawn every year or two
Lawn fungal diseases take on a variety of forms, from dead-looking brown patches to highly visible spots, threads, rings, or slime. And once they strike your yard, grass fungal diseases can be difficult to treat. Nearly every single lawn disease is caused by fungus, and while there are many different types of fungi, its important to make sure you understand how to prevent, control, and eliminate fungal infections on your property.
How to Know When A Fungus is Affecting Your Lawn
Fungi are more likely to affect your lawn if you have weak grass, or you over water, or the thatch protecting your yard isnt thick. Thats one of the reasons that proper lawn care is so important. Great lawn care will choke out all invaders, and make it much harder for fungus to grow. Fortunately, the right lawn care practices can go a long way toward prevention and treatment and in severe cases, a fungicide can help eradicate the spores to keep it from spreading. If these conditions are affecting your lawn, you are already at risk for fungus. You can also help identify fungal invasions with the following:
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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.
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.
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How To Id Lawn Insect And Lawn Fungus Problems
How do you know if the brown spots in your lawn are caused by the heat or something else ?
Are the brown grass blades mixed in with the green grass blades in no particular pattern almost like the lawn is dry, yet you have been getting rainfall? This could be an insect problem or your lawn could be starving if it has been more than a few months since the last feeding. One clue to look for with insects is the presence of lawn moths when you mow. The moths do not damage your lawn, however they lay eggs for sod webworm, cutworm and other lawn damaging insects. Chinchbug damage also looks like the grass in this photo. Solution: Feed and protect your lawn with an application of Turf Builder with SummerGuard. Be sure to water after spreading. If your lawn does not need feeding, apply Ortho Bug B Gon MAX.
Are the brown spots following a particular pattern such as a circle? Within the circle the problem may start with some of the grass blades turning brown with spots on them. There are a range of lawn fungus problems like dollar spot, brown patch, red thread and summer patch that show up as circular patches in your lawn. These problems can crop up when you are getting higher temps during day and night and more rain and humidity. Solution: Treat your lawn with Scotts Lawn Fungus Control.
Why Not Leave It To Our Local Lawn Maintenance Experts
You can fight lawn fungus yourself, or you can leave it with our local experts to handle instead. At Earth Development, we provide lawn maintenance for commercial properties of all sizes. We know how to fix lawn fungus, and we keep lawns looking beautiful throughout the spring and summer.
Our lawn fungus treatment plans ensure that your commercial property looks good from the outside, and we take the burden of keeping it in top shape off our shoulders.
For a free quote or consultation, call the Earth Development team today. Weâll save you valuable time!
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How Do I Get Rid Of Lawn Fungus
First and foremost, you want to spot it early as many lawn fungus diseases can spread rapidly. If you are already utilizing professional lawn care and have a lawn care technician visiting your property regularly, then theyll be keeping an eye out for early signs of a problem.Even so, breakthroughs can occur in between visits. If you spot fungus on grass, you should contact your lawn care provider. There are lawn fungicide products that can be used to control the fungal spores.