If you care for your lawn instead of hiring a company, you likely spend many hours each week cutting, trimming, and treating your grass to keep it in top shape. Depending on your climate, that could add up to a significant amount of time year-round. Knowledge of proper lawn care techniques and available products can save you time, money, and aggravation in dealing with common lawn conditions, including lawn fungus.
Do you know the signs of a fungal infection in your yard? Many fungi can take hold in your lawn without proper care, including run-of-the-mill mushrooms, which are fungi. When fungus attacks your sod, you need a fungicide for the lawn to take care of the problem. Below are four signs your lawn has a fungal infection that requires treatment.
Brown Patch
Just like it sounds, brown patch leaves brown patches all over your yard, especially during the summer, as it loves the heat and humidity of the season. This unsightly condition only kills the blades of the grass, leaving the roots underneath unscathed. The grass is alive, but brown patch make very unattractive, dead-looking spots. In particular, perennial ryegrass, bent grass, and tall fescue are affected.
Powdery Mildew
If your lawn looks like it is coated with talcum powder, the culprit is a fungal issue called powdery mildew. This fungus starts as powdery-looking white dots on your grass and possibly surrounding foliage in warm, dry climates but needs some humidity to thrive. The wind spreads the spores of this whitish fungus, which can quickly spread throughout your yard. Although this fungus doesn’t do any real damage, it is highly unattractive and can be easily treated with a fungicide for lawn application.
Anthracnose
This dual-stage fungus works on the surface of your lawn and at the bottom of your grass. Anthracnose begins by killing the tender leaves of grass on the top before moving on to the lower stems of grass blades. Your lawn will turn from healthy green to yellow with spotty lesions before decomposing from the base up. This condition is prevalent when lawns are stressed from drought and high temperatures.
Leaf Spot
Leaf spots can take hold of your lawn and recur frequently without proper treatment. Lesions or spots on your turf rot away, leaving bare spots, and are called “melt out” in the industry. What starts as small areas meld together into more extensive areas of your yard. If you begin seeing larger patches that are spreading, they will likely need to be reseeded after being treated with a fungicide for the lawn.
Get Familiar With Fungi
To keep your lawn in top shape and fungus-free, learn about the common fungal conditions most likely to attack grass in your region. Knowing the signs to watch for will help combat these common issues. Treatment is readily available at your local lawn care companies. With the knowledge and proper cure, your lawn will return to the lush, healthy green it once was. For more information on the subject, search online for “fungicide for lawn.”
