The summer can bring on some nasty diseases for your grass. Some people in the landscaping business refer to this time of year as the season for turf disease. All this dread and despair is caused by warm overnight temperatures, paired with relatively high humidity. These conditions are just perfect for the proliferation of fungal diseases. Here is a list of a few of these diseases to lookout for.
Dollar Spot
This fungus manifests as circular patches on your lawn that are tan in color. In the beginning stages of development these spots can be silvery in color and roughly the size of a silver dollar, thus the name.
When the spots start to get bigger, the spots can begin to overlap, causing large splotchy areas that are several feet wide. You can recognize this grass disease by examining the individual blades of grass. They will each display a characteristic pattern of tan stripes across the blade of grass, bordered by a reddish brown color.
The good news is this fungus doesn’t attack the roots of your grass, just the blades. For this reason, a good application of fertilizer can encourage new growth, pushing the fungus out before it can do too much harm.
Brown Patch
Brown patch fungus thrives in conditions that are humid and hot. It can also easily take hold in grass that has been over fertilized with nitrogen just before the humid and hot weather begins.
These patches can also be roughly circular, and up to several feet in diameter. The patches can often be a yellowish color with notes of darker colors like burgundy and purple around the edges of the patch. If you look closely at the individual blades of grass you might be able to identify a characteristic tan spot with a darker perimeter.
The best way to prevent, and control this fungus is with moisture management. Ensuring good drainage is key, and aeration and dethatching may be useful as well.
Pythium Blight
Also known by the nicknames, cottony blight, grease spot, and spot blight, this fungus can be detrimental to your lawn. It was thought that this fungus only affected golf courses when it was first discovered in 1930, but since then it has become more prolific.
Living up to its nickname, pythium blight has the ability to make your grass feel oily and wet. It can have an appearance of cotton candy, which is the fungus’ mycelial network. Again, this one really takes hold when the weather is hot and humid.
The best way to combat pythium blight is by controlling the moisture in your lawn. Make sure you have proper drainage, and don’t water your lawn more than once per week.
Red Thread
This one is typically one of the first lawn fungus that you will see popping up in the early spring. Around here in the Pacific NW, it can stay active through the wet and mild winters. Contrary to the others on this list, red thread does best in cooler weather.
If your grass is undernourished, a good feeding can remedy the problem. If the grass is given some nutrients and allowed to sprout some aggressive growth, then it can usually take care of this menace on its own.
These are just a few of the common funguses that are likely to plague your lawn. As with most things, prevention is usually the best treatment. Making sure that your lawn has good drainage and is not overwatered can go a long way in preventing these turf diseases. If you need help calibrating your irrigation system or ridding your lawn of these pesky fungus invasions, be sure to contact an expert at Seattle Landscaping Design.