Tips For Dealing With Lawn Fungus


Once lawn fungal diseases strike your yard, they can be difficult to treat. Lawn fungus is a serious matter, which can take on a variety of forms, including dead-looking brown patches, and highly visible spots, threads, rings, or slimes. When left untreated, it can easily destroy the green grass that you’ve been working toward. Fungi cause almost all lawn diseases. A fungal disease, to thrive, requires the right plants to infect, the right conditions, such as temperature, moisture, aeration, etc., and a way to spread. The right Simpsonville lawn care practices can go a long way toward prevention and treatment. There’s no two ways that prevention is the best remedy to nip the problem in the bud (to avoid fungus in the first place).

It is factors like the type of grass, watering, temperature, fertilizing, mowing, thatch, and pesticide use, which influence whether or not your lawn gets a disease. The key to preventing lawn diseases is to plant the right type of lawn and then take good care of it.

Common lawn fungal diseases and their causes:

Your lawn is naturally full of fungi and spores, some harmful and some not, but the right or wrong conditions can lead for them to turn into a harmful disease, devastating your lawn to no end. Common causes of a lawn fungal disease include improper mowing (mowing too low), compacted soil, overwatering, drought, too much fertilizer, wrong grass type for your lawn, and weather conditions, especially humidity and temperature.

Talking about the common lawn fungal diseases, there are quite a few that tends to affect lawns, at the same time they tend to target specific lawn types, at certain times of year, and under certain conditions, with the most common grass fungal diseases being

1.      Brown patch

2.      Fusarium blight

3.      Dollar spot

The key to treating your lawn is to identify both if your lawn indeed has a fungal disease and the fungus itself, since treating your grass for the wrong thing will only lead to more damage. Hence, take the time to closely examine the issue, or better yet, go for a lawn care Simpsonville provider to identify the disease in order to be able to choose the right treatment the very first time.

Steps homeowners can take to prevent and treat lawn fungal diseases:

Mowing- Practice good mowing techniques, such as mow your grass to the correct height and keep the mower blades sharp (so they cut the grass evenly to prevent ragged edges). Cutting too short makes it more prone to lawn diseases like fungus.

Watering- The best time to water is early in the morning, which will allow the grass blades to dry during the day. Also, water less frequently, but deeply, for stronger roots.

Fertilizing- Under- and over-fertilized lawns are much more vulnerable to fungal disease. It is advised to choose organic, slow-release fertilizers for your lawn, and strictly follow the instructions for application.

Dethatch- Remove thatch (thick layer of decaying plant material) from your lawn to give your soil the breathing space.

Grass Type- Select a grass type that’s suited to your climate, soil, and light conditions (take help of a professional), which will make your lawn strong enough to fight off fungus, usually without the use of fungicides.

Fungicides- If all else fails, resort to a fungicide (preferably organic), which will keep the fungal spores under control, rendering your improved lawn care practices effective.

The best approach is always the preventative one when it comes to lawn diseases. To hire Curb Appeal Lawn Care in Simpsonville SC, call us at 864-399-9185.

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