There are several categories of lawn diseases, and they can be caused by a number of factors. According to Scotts,“Even when you give your lawn excellent care, the grass can still become infected with various lawn diseases that can lead to dead or discolored areas. Disease spores can float by in the air or hide in the soil, and when conditions are right, they multiply.”
How toRecognize Lawn Disease
Lawn disease is a common lawn problem. It’s important to know how to recognize its signs. The first indication is usually brown patches on the grass, which can be accompanied by dead or
yellowing grass.This symptom typically appears during late winter or early spring when the soil is moist from rain or snow melt and the weather has been cooler for a few months prior.
Over time, these patches can grow bigger and spread outwards from their source. Lawn disease can also cause the lawn to change texture , creating clumps of grass that are more coarse or spiky than normal.These patches may be circular or irregular in shape and may vary in size from a few inches to several feet across.
Types of Lawn Diseases:
• Summer Patch appears in irregular or circular shapes of yellowing colors. It’s a summer
lawn fungus that affects all parts of the plant.
• Fairy Ring is caused by mushroom-forming fungi which form circular or semi-circular
rings of highly variable size.According to Sunday, fairy ring typically presents as darker
green rings that surround lighter turf, and rings of mushrooms can sometimes appear as
well.
• Powdery mildew is identified by mycelium, which are fine white filaments that appear
on your blades of grass.The turfgrass infected with powdery mildew can start out yellow
and end up brown, eventually thinning or dying.
•Pythium blight typically presents as dark, greasy-looking spots in your lawn, but it can
also cause white fluff to appear in infected areas.
•Brown Patch brings dead spots to an otherwise healthy lawn.It’s a fungal lawn disease
that causes your grass leaves to thin and wilt.
•Dollar Spot presents as small, circular dots within your lawn.This is an alarming issue
that can cause lesions that will destroy your turfgrass down to its roots.
•Gray Snow Mold is usually behind graying turfgrass. It shows up only after the snow
has melted.It often creates white, spotty areas in your lawn just before spring shows up
and can stick around long into the warmer seasons.
•Red Thread spreads quickly and can assist other diseases and insects intaking over. You can recognize it by its peachy red grass blades peeking out from the rest of your turf.
•Rust Diseases cause yellow flecks to appear on your grass leaf blades. It can thin grass and make it more prone to other problems and additional diseases.
5 Things You Can Do to Prevent Lawn Disease
As with most things, it’s easier to stop the problem of lawn diseases by preventing it from
happening in the first place. Follow these five lawn disease prevention tips to give yourself better odds of not having to deal with this issue in the first place:
1. Water the right amount. Too much watering can create lawn disease.In particular, avoid watering in the evening or throughout the night.Watering during these times will keep the grass blades wet all night long, laying the preliminary conditions for molding and disease.
2. Maintain proper mowing.If you mow your grass too short, then you weaken it. However, on the other hand, too long can be more susceptible to molding. Most grass types should be kept using a high three-to-four-inch mowing setting.
3. Stay vigilant and on the lookout for signs of any of the lawn diseases listed above.
4. Fertilize regularly with quality lawn fertilizer suitable for your type of turfgrass.
5. Prevent mold by mowing shorter before the first snow, dethatching, and preventing
leaves or snow from piling up for long periods of time.
Treatment Options if Your Lawn has Disease
Unfortunately, even with the best prevention practices in place, lawn diseases can still occur with otherwise healthy lawns. Knowing how to treat these issues ahead of time will make them a minor nuisance instead of the maze of frustration they can often be.
Once you notice an infected area, you’ll want to gently rake it to loosen any matted grass and leaves. This will give your lawn breathing room to dry and grow. Afterwards, the affected areas can be treated with a fungicide, exposure to sunlight, overseeding, and being given less water.
Lastly, refer back to the prevention steps listed earlier to keep the issue from repeating itself.
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