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.
Heavy amounts of spring rain mixed with temperatures in the high 70s and 80s set up the perfect breeding ground for many common lawn fungus problems. Stir in some humidity, and you have a very good chance of starting a ’science project’ under your lawn.
Common lawn fungus problems across most of the country are rust disease, red thread, summer patch, and dollar spot. The good new is, however, none of these will do major damage to your turf if you are willing to do a little work and change some of your habits, as well as allow your lawn care company to assist you.
Since we can’t control Mother Nature and her weather patterns, we need to make effective choices where we can control the outcome. Mowing high and watering consistently, but deeply and never at night are just 2 of the best ways to help control lawn diseases. In addition, you should bag or catch your lawn clippings when conditions are favorable for disease development.
There are also a number of granular fungicides available at your local home and garden center. These will work very well if applied before any sign or fungus or disease occurs. I always recommend homeowners apply fungicides in May and again in late June if warranted. Of course, you should always follow the directions on the product you are applying. If you can’t get to it, hire a lawn pro to do it for you.
Soil nitrogen is also an important factor in keeping lawn diseases to a minimum. Proper amounts of nitrogen allow grass to basically, “grow through” the fungus problems before they become a problem. You lawn care provider can adjust the rates on the fertilizer he is using for you according to the disease pressure and type present in your lawn.
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.
Proper amounts of thatch are good. Thatch keeps the turf’s roots shaded during very sunny days and maintains moisture levels, but too much will harbor disease. If your thatch layer is more than one-half-inch thick, it is time to aerate your lawn.
Lawn core aeration is a mechanical process whereby holes are poked 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 optimum times of the year to aerate are spring and fall, but you can do it anytime or both. One last tip: never power rake your turf. This is called “de-thatching” and 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.
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