Worried About Fungus In Your Lawn?
All lawns get a few brown patches during the growing season and chances are you’ve tried to identify the cause. The truth is that brown spots can show up for any number of reasons, but more often than not, it is due to a fungus problem. Here are some quick tips to help you should your lawn develop a disease issue this year.
Frequent rains and humidity coupled with higher temperatures allow for a perfect storm of fungal problems. This is especially true during the months of April, May and June. During these months, your turf is under constant fungal pressure.
Some of the more prevalent lawn diseases we see in much of the country are red thread, rust, dollar spot and summer patch. The good news here is that most of these fungal problems don’t cause a lot of turf injury as long as you are willing to follow proper cultural practices (watering and mowing mostly) and allow the pros to assist you should the problem get out of hand.
We can’t control the weather, but we can make adjustments in spite of it. The primary cultural practices that homeowners should be aware of are watering and mowing. Mow tall and catch clippings during humid conditions, and always water your lawn deeply, consistently and never at night.
Homeowners can get good results preventing lawn disease problems using over-the-counter fungicides and disease applications. Just be sure to apply these products early, prior to infestation. It is best to aim for early May and June applications, following package labels of course.
It is also a good idea to feed your lawn with plenty of nitrogen during times when lawn fungus pressure is high. Nitrogen helps the lawn grow, thus passing through any disease problems effecting it. If you are stumped by how much nitrogen to apply or what products to you, consult your local lawn care pro for advice.
The final step in ensuring minimum disease pressure in your lawn is to manage the thatch layer. Thatch is the layer of dead grass, leaves and other organic material that all lawns have just above the soil line, right at the grass plants crown.
All lawns must have some thatch. When in the correct balance, the thatch layer provides protection for the turf roots and prevents soil erosion. However, when this layer becomes thicker than one-half-inch, it will work against you and harbor fungus. If this is the case, you need to get out and aerate your lawn now and again a few months later to help break it down.
Aerating the lawn is a process whereby holes are punched into the thatch layer and down into the soil using a large machine. You can hire a lawn care company to aerate for you, or rent the machine yourself for around $40 per day. The best times to aerate are spring and fall, but you can do it anytime or both. One last tip: never power rake your turf. Power raking will remove 100% of the thatch layer and cause you bigger problems in the future.
However you go about taking care of your lawn, don’t get too worried about the brown spots that pop up here and there. Grass is very resilient and tends to recover from most any damage very quickly. Just be sure to do your part with proper mowing and regular irrigation and your lawn will stick up thick and emerald green all season long.