Water Your Plants Only At The Roots
Rust prefers a moist environment. Your watering technique will need to change to help keep your plants safe. Stop watering from overhead so that the water does not splash onto the foliage.
Rust is also spread through water droplets if you water from overhead with a can or water hose. You can spread the spores from infected leaves to healthy ones through the water splash. Using drip irrigation helps deliver water to the roots, only leaving the foliage dry and healthy.
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How To Get Rid Of Gnats In Lawn
Fungus gnats are common pests that many people struggle with at some point. Trying to figure out how to get rid of gnats in lawn and garden areas can cause a major headache for homeowners. They are often confused with biting midges and are related but not technically the same thing. These small flying insects infest soil, potting mix, other growing soil, and media with organic decomposition. It is very difficult to get rid of gnats once they get established.
Their larvae primarily feed on fungi and organic matter in the soil but can damage the roots as they burrow and chew. And adult gnats can fly around in the air and be a nuisance and can also feed on the leave of plants in the area. Outdoor gnats are less of an issue unless they get out of hand and then they can be annoying like any other flying insect. When gnats get established in the lawn and feed off the abundant garden soil and dead plants, it can be difficult to get rid of fungus gnats completely.
When To Apply Fungicide On Lawns
The best conditions for developing various lawn diseases are warm temperatures and a high level of humidity. Therefore, your grass is the most vulnerable during the late spring or early summer. I always recommend my friends to apply the fungicide on the lawn no matter whether you have the sign of the grass diseases or not during this period of time.
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Is Baking Soda Good For Your Yard
Baking soda can be good for your yard, but it can also be harmful. An infrequent application of a mild baking soda spray can effectively kill fungus and mildew, and harmful grasses.
However, the qualities that make baking soda an effective pesticide will eventually end up damaging your healthy plants as well. Spraying too much, too often, will begin to corrode the plants.
Too much baking soda can begin to effect the pH balance of the soil as well. When the pH balance falls off, then the soil can become inhospitable. This stops new plants from sprouting, and kills well established plants.
As one of the primary components of baking soda is sodium, over spraying can lead to a build up of salt on plants. In the short term this is okay, and will have no repercussions for edible plants, but can be harmful in the long run.
Always check on a small patch first. As a homemade solution you may want to try different formulas to achieve different results. Hardier plants will withstand a greater application of baking soda, where new growth may find it overwhelming.
Spray a small area first to see how the plants react, and adjust the formula as necessary. Take care not to over spray, as too much may damage.
Other homemade options include apple cider vinegar solutions, mouthwash solutions, and milk solutions.
How To Identify Lawn Fungus Diseases
Its not always easy to tell whether or not your lawn has a fungal disease or if theres some other issue. However, most fungal diseases have tell-tale signs that will tell you whats going on.
Some signs that your grass may be dealing with a fungal disease are:
- Patches of grass that are white, yellow, brown, or slightly gray in color that are growing in diameter. Or, patches of frayed, mangled, or dried out grass blades.
- Possible diseases: Brown patch disease, summer patch disease, rust lawn disease.
There are other fungal diseases that we havent listed that may be a little less common. Consult a lawn care professional for a diagnosis!
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What Are Lawn Fungus And Disease
- Lawn fungus and disease are ailments to lawns caused by pathogens that take hold on grass and can range from cosmetic damage to your lawn to grass death.
- There are a large variety of different lawn diseases and fungi which can affect a lawn. Observe your lawn closely and view the symptoms to figure out what disease is present.
How To Kill Lawn Fungus
Lawn fungus, in addition to being an eyesore next to your home, destroys grass. Normally it shows up as brown splotches on your lawn and it spreads rapidly. Once established, its tough to get rid of, so the sooner you get to work fighting it, the better chance you have of ridding your lawn of it.
If you happen to live in a rainy area such as Seattle, odds are that you will encounter more problems with lawn fungi than those living in drier areas of the country. Moist environments are the perfect habitats for all kinds of lawn enemies such as mold and fungus. With moisture, mold can grow in less than a day.
Fungus sort of creeps up on you without notice. In fact, the biggest problem with lawn fungus is that it starts out unobtrusive and almost unnoticeable. Youll see a brown patch and think nothing of it. Then suddenly, two days later, patches of brown spots are overlaying your lawn.
As always, the absolute optimal remedy for lawn fungi is to prevent it from getting a foothold. If you are able to prevent it from getting a foot hold in the first place, you wont have it to worry about. A healthy lawn has a healthy immune system and is unlikely to be susceptible to fungus. A healthy lawn means that its getting enough food or nutrients, and water.
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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.
Scotts Lawn Fungus Control 5000
- Make sure this fitsby entering your model number.
- Controls brown patch, dollar spot and other common lawn diseases* *See label for listed diseases.
- Use any time on any lawn to prevent or control listed lawn diseases
- Systemic-action formula
- Controls major lawn fungus problems without fertilizer application
- Does not contain fertilizer
There is a newer model of this item:
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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.
How To Identify And Control Dollar Spot Fungus
Dollar spot is one of the worst grass diseases you can have on your lawn. If left unchecked, what begins as bleached, dollar-sized spots on your lawn can spread into a warzone of dead patches of grass.
To fight back against dollar spot, reduce watering to twice per week and water only in the early morning. This reduces nighttime soil moisture, slowing or stopping the spread of dollar spot. Fertilize your lawn to help it battle against the fungus, cut your grass higher, dethatch your lawn, and clear your yard of leaves, debris, and grass clippings.
Finally, use a fungicide to kill dollar spot fungus. Sometimes, this is the only option to reclaim your lawn from this disease.
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Tips For How To Get Rid Of Dollar Spot Fungus
Known for afflicting golf courses, dollar spot fungus commonly attacks lawns, starting in spring. Because almost all grass species are at risk for dollar spot, its common across many regions. An especially wet spring may cause a lawn invasion unlike any before. Read on to discover ways to fight back and kill this fungus.
Treat Lawn Fungus Early ^
Now that you have a basic understanding of lawn fungus and understand the importance of a balance PH, you can consider treating. There are a few things to consider regarding treatment but remember, the aim of the author is to keep decision making minimal and to avoid over diagnosing the problem. There are countless thousands of products available in the market place today and they all have their pitch or target fungus. However, most fungus can be knocked out with one or two products which have been around for awhile. THE KEY IS TIMELY APPLICATIONS DONE PROPERLY AND CONSISTENTLY. This sounds simple enough yet failure to follow these simple guidelines is the main reason fungus is allowed to reinfest. Let me explain.
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Take Care Of Your Lawn
Like with anything else, if you neglect your lawn, youll run into problems. Always mow your lawn correctly, and ensure it receives enough water, air, and sunlight. Those best practices should keep brown spots off your lawn for good.
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How Exactly Can Mowing Spread Fungus
Even if you have the cleanest, most sanitized and disinfected lawn mower in the world, the fact is, you can still introduce fungus to your lawn just by mowing it.
This can happen in a few ways. But usually, it is connected with weakening the grass.
When you are mowing the grass, you are cutting parts of it. This creates stress. If you cut large pieces of the grass in one go, this will weaken it and make it more susceptible to fungal disease.
This is why people often recommend cutting no more than one-third of the length of the grass at a time, then waiting a few days before cutting it again.
Another way mowing can be highly stressful to the grass is if you are using dull blades or mowing the grass while it is still wet I even have an article about the possible dangers of mowing wet grass, you can check it out here.
This can result in rough cuts that are not clean, pulling the grass out of the soil and damaging it enough so that fungus can take over.
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What Are The Causes Of Fungal Infection
One of the most common reasons can be that you are mowing your grass too low. Other reasons include variation in temperature and humidity, drought, compacted soil in your field, wrong grass type, overfeeding, and using too many fertilizers can result in such conditions.
Let us see how we can make sure if its a fungus occupying your lawn.
Is Fungus Or Mold Growing In Your Lawn Heres How To Stop It
Richard Nunn, The Morning Show meteorologist
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Throughout parts of the Jacksonville area, we have seen more than 9 inches of rain for the month so far. All of this wet weather might be leading to growth you dont want, namely fungus and mold.
Believe it or not, I have the same issues in varying amounts and coverage in a few persistent wet spots. Here are some verified tips you can use to bring these lawn wreckers to heel or get rid of them once and for all.
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Got milk? Yes, milk does your body and your yard good. Mix one cup of skim milk to nine cups of water. Spray affected areas twice a week to control and kill mold. Skim milk contains amino acids and salts, which help control and kill fungus. This is safe for pets, plants and wild animals.
Or how about baking soda? Sodium bicarbonate can help control fungus from household plants to yard ornamentals. Be careful with application as too much will increase the soils pH levels. Mix one tablespoon of baking soda with a gallon of water. Spray affected areas every three days until the mold or fungus is gone.
These last two options work to both smother some plant pests and keep fungus in check.
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The Problems It Causes
One of the primary problems that lawn rust creates is when the blades are coated with spores.
These coated blades minimize the capability of the grass to photosynthesize. Grass blades collect solar energy from the sun which they transform into plant sugar/ carbohydrates which fuels the growth of the sod.
However, if these blades are coated with spores, they are unable to capture enough solar energy to photosynthesize and their growth and energy become inadequate.
It is much like if a person were unable to gain sustenance through food.
If you do detect grass rust on your lawn, do not fret.
So long as the rust is not dire, it will be simple enough to deal with, much like with humans, as long as the grass is healthy, you can assist it to fight off the rust itself. Heres how
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Should A Fungicide Be Applied
Fungicides can control many of the common diseases like lawn rust. A fungicide treatment will stop the spreading of a disease for a designated period of time. Fungicides will not replace good cultural practices that reduce stress to your lawn. The effectiveness of a fungicide depends on the correct diagnosis of the problem and proper timing of the applications. Fungicides need to be applied before the disease shows up or at the very first sign of disease activity. In most cases lawn rust disease does not reach levels that will damage a lawn before the grass can grow it out naturally. Therefore, fungicides are not usually needed for this disease.
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Fungus Control Granules ^
Liquid treatments can take some time and effort but they do work the best. However, if you want something which will last longer and is easier to apply, get some FUNGICIDE GRANULES. This product can be applied with one of our SPREADERS. Once on the turf it will release slowly over a 2-4 week period. It also holds up much better to rain and moist, humid conditions. The granules are also the best way to avoid getting the fungus in the first place. All you would need to do is apply some a few weeks before fungus season starts. This will allow them to dissolve and get absorbed by the grass in a kind of systemic effect. It is best to apply them at least once a month there after to prevent any outbreaks and in some regions, applying them every two weeks will be necessary. In the south where the growing season is longer than other regions of the United States, you may need to apply them from May through September. However, the average growing season where fungus will be of concern is from June to September.The point is simple do the treatments early in the summer and you wont get any.