How To Control Lawn Fungus

Simple Treatment And Prevention Strategy

Heres the deal for cool season lawns you should mostly be concerned about fungus in late spring/early summer. Thats when your lawn is most vulnerable and fungus can overtake your lawn and kill infected areas.

For prevention, apply Scotts DiseaseEx in late spring/early summer before the real heat kicks in. Apply at 2-3 lbs per 1000 s/f. to your entire lawn.

If youre already starting to see disease pop up then apply with the curative rate of 3-4lbs per 1000 s/f rate, and apply whenever you notice that your lawn is infected, even if its early spring. Diseases such as Red Thread and Leaf Spot can hit cool season lawns before the summer hits so always be on the lookout since early intervention is so key in combatting disease.

Also, for a curative treatment have the Propiconazole in a tank sprayer on hand just in case you see signs of disease. Some diseases are widespread, while others may appear as specific patches. If you notice specific problem areas, or patches, then spot treat those areas with Propiconazole mixed at the curative rate of 2 oz per 1 gallon of water. If you see a widespread fungus such as leaf spot throughout your lawn, then spray your entire lawn with the Propiconazole. Just note that you should wait a couple days after applying Scotts DiseaseEx before spraying Propiconazole. If disease problems continue I would do a follow up treatment with the Propiconazole about 20 days later.

Natural Ways To Control Fungus In Your Lawn

There are several ways you can eliminate fungus in the lawn, either you can go with baking soda or with neem oil or you can also use milk.

• Baking soda the best natural and effective way to eliminate fungicide in the lawn is to apply a baking soda solution. When baking soda is sprayed on the lawn, the soda disrupts the balance of the ions in the fungal cells which eliminates fungus from the lawn. Baking soda also eliminates fungus by leaving alkaline residues on the surface of the plant. Mix one tablespoon of baking soda in one gallon of water and spray the solution twice a week in the lawn.

• Neem oil neem oil as the name suggest comes from the neem tree. Neem oil contains lots of essential nutrients and supplements which kills the fungicide in the lawn. Neem oil contains azadirachtin which acts as an insect repellent. Pour 5ml neem oil in one gallon water and spray it in the lawn once a week. Neem oil every month in the lawn will also helps the lawn to be healthy.

• Milk normal milk mixed with water sprayed in the lawn can also be very effective to kill all the fungus in the lawn as milk contains amino acids and salts which kills and controls the fungus in the lawn. Take milk and water in the ratio of 1:9 and spray the solution once a month in the lawn.

Use A Commercial Fungicide To Kill Fungus

You can use store-bought fungicide or a natural fungicide. Store-bought options come in two styles contact and systemic.

Contact fungicide is a liquid that coats the blades of grass and kills fungus on contact. Systemic fungicide typically comes in small granules that you spread across the soil.

Many fungicides are designed as all-purpose fungus killers while others are designed to target specific types of fungi. Always read the label to ensure that the product can treat your problem.

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Red Thread Lawn Disease

Red thread lawn disease shows up as bleached or red patches on the grass. However, you can easily control it when you identify it, and youll easily notice reddish threads on your shoes and mower. It typically appears on turf species such as bentgrass, bluegrass, fine fescue, and perennial ryegrass. Mild temperatures, too much shade, and humid conditions favor the disease and make it spread rapidly. This fungus wont kill your lawn, but it will make it look unappealing and may cause other lawn diseases too.

How to control it?

Providing adequate fertilization, regularly mowing, and not overwatering your lawn will help you control red thread lawn disease. You could also purchase a fungicide that will help control this disease, but its best to first try natural methods before switching to chemical solutions.

How To Identify Fungus On Your Lawn

Brown patches on grass are just one sign that your lawn is dealing with a fungus problem. You may also notice stringy red threads, mushrooms, and other forms of fungus and fungal diseases.

Understanding common fungal threats can help you identify the issue in your lawn. Some of the most common types of fungus and fungal diseases include:

• Red thread
• Lawn rust
• Mushrooms

Red thread, lawn rust, fusarium, and other fungal diseases can create brown, orange, or reddish-orange patches in your turf. A brown patch may also be a sign of weak grass instead of a fungal infection.

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How To Identify Fungal Infection

• Brown Patches or colonies observed
• Powdery or threadlike coatings on a leaf or stem blades
• Dead and rough grass
• Enhanced rings and spots
• Various colors association visible

Now let us see specifics about identifying the patches and the fungus associated with them. We will talk here about the most commonly observed fungus that you can observe easily.

• Brown patches
• Red Thread

What Are Lawn Fungus And Disease

• Lawn fungus and disease are ailments to lawns caused by pathogens that take hold on grass and can range from cosmetic damage to your lawn to grass death.
• There are a large variety of different lawn diseases and fungi which can affect a lawn. Observe your lawn closely and view the symptoms to figure out what disease is present.

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How Do I Know If My Lawn Has A Fungus

Pink snow mold: A law fungus that occurs under snow cover.

From highly obvious mushroom rings to odd-looking slimy areas on the turf, lawn fungus can manifest itself in many ways. Depending on the fungal disease, symptoms and signs will vary. However, you can examine your grass for the presence of white hair, squishy roots, and slimy dampness to see if you are at risk.

Other than that, here is a list of some of the most common signs and systems that might indicate a potential fungus problem in your yard and might need attention:

• Discoloration or distortion of grass blades
• Powdery or thread-like growths on and around the grass
• A wet, damp, greasy, or slimy-looking turf
• Presence of yellow, brown, red, or black spots on grass blades and stems
• Patches of brown or frayed grass without any apparent cause
• Presence of mushrooms or mushroom rings

Does Milk Kill Fungus

Milk is an organic fungicide and can be very effective at killing powdery mildew. You can create a spray by mixing the following two ingredients:

• 1 cup skimmed milk
• 9 cups of water

Every other week, apply this mixture to the lawn. Using too much milk can result in sooty mould, so stick to the exact recipe.

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When To Apply Fungicide On Lawns: Experts Weigh In

Homeowners lead busy lives, with a seemingly endless list of things that need to be done at any given time. Faced with the reality of juggling work, home and recreation, its easy for your lawn to become an afterthought.

As much as we wish this wasnt the case, healthy and well-manicured lawns dont take care of themselves. First, you need to make sure your grass is getting the amount of water and sunshine it needsand not too much. Then, you need to make sure you are mowing your grass to the proper height. Although most homeowners stop here, to keep your lawn happy and looking great youll also want to have an understanding of your soil chemistry to determine what nutrients might be lacking.

What are some of the risks you run if you dont care for your grass? Lawn diseases, weeds and a dead, yellow lawn, just to name a few.

Lawn fungus can look like brown, patchy grass. What can you do about it?

Ignore it and hope the situation improves? Choose one of the fungicide treatments and cross your fingers it works? If you decide to ignore the problem and it doesnt go away, you may start researching when to apply fungicide on lawns.

The short answer to the question is that you should apply a fungicide as soon as disease symptoms are discovered on the lawn. Why? Because while fungicides will destroy any fungus that might be damaging your lawn and stop the fungi from spreading, they cant reverse the damage already caused by the fungus.

Does Mowing Spread Fungus

While mowing, fungus can stick to the mower blades and it can spread it all over your lawn from an infected area. It is the reason why professional gardeners and lawn owners do not recommend mowing a fungi-infested lawn. So, make sure that you clean the underside of the lawn mower on every use and set a proper mowing height for your yard to avoid spreading the fungus from one place to another.

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Apply Calcium To Lower Ph

The right pH balance for lawn soils should range between 6.2-6.8, but that doesnt mean they dont need calcium. Calcium helps the grass to resist diseases , absorb other micro-nutrients, and build strong cell walls. If you test your soil for calcium and it indicates a deficiency, apply calcium immediately.

Dethatch The Lawn When Theres Need

The presence of excessive thatch, a layer of organic matter, in grass signifies soil pH imbalance or lawn care malpractices. Naturally, thatch should be only ½ an inch. Too much of it robs the grass of nutrients, sunlight, and water. Upon close examination, youll notice they sit between the soil top layer and crown of the grass. As long as microbes arent enough to eliminate organic matter, the fungus will attack the lawn.

The thatches attract weeds, particularly in spring, which is why you should plan your dethatching activity in fall. It works best using a thatching machine or gardening rake to keep them to a minimum. Alternatively, you can apply organic matter to keep them at bay.

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How Much Does Lawn Fungus Control Cost

Due to the need for specialty products, lawn fungus control costs more than your typical lawn care treatmentsmore specifically, about one and a half times what a normal lawn treatment would cost. For instance, if you typically pay $50 for a fertilization and weed control treatment, a fungicide treatment may come in around $75. This obviously changes based on the size of your lawn.

Because a lawn fungus problem can become costly after several repeated applications, your best course of action is to focus on prevention.

Common Causes Of Fungus In Grass

Fungal diseases and fungal growth typically occur in excessively moist conditions. Your lawn may become saturated with water due to a variety of reasons, such as:

• Improper mowing
• Compacted soil
• Excess fertiliser

Addressing these causes helps reduce the risk of fungal growth and protect against brown patches on lawns.

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Causes Of Lawn Fungal Disease

Lawns are full of fungal spores that are usually harmless, although certain conditions can cause them to germinate and lead to the harmful diseases mentioned above.There are several causes of lawn fungus, most commonly:

• Underwatering
• Weather conditions

Whilst some of these are uncontrollable factors – the unpredictable British weather for example – keeping an eye on how much or how little you are watering your turf and mowing to appropriate heights are both aspects of lawncare that you can control.

How Long Does It Take Lawn Fungus Control To Work

Its important to acknowledge that lawn fungus control products are not going to reverse the damage that has already occurred. Instead, its going to stop lawn fungus in its tracks. This might take around a week to workand you shouldnt see the lawn continuing to get worse after that point.

But you also shouldnt expect it to bounce back. A lot of homeowners mistakenly assume that their lawn will start to look better after treatment and this just isnt the case.

Once the application of fungicide products has stopped the active growth of fungus, then lawn repairs can begin. Generally speaking, one round of aeration and overseeding is often enough to fill in some of the thinned out areas that might have been caused by disease.

However, if your lawn was severely ravaged by lawn fungus, it might take several rounds before your lawn is truly looking its best again. Turf disease control only lasts for about 21-28 days, so if conditions persist, you may need additional measures for season-long control.

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What Is Fusarium Patch

Fusarium Patch is a type of fungus on your lawn that appears in a small circular, water-soaked patch less than 5cm in diameter.

Fusarium Patch change in colour from orange-brown to dark brown and finally to a light gray.

The Fusarium Patches may enlarge indefinitely but are usually less than 20cm in diameter.

On a low-cut lawn, a halo-like smoke ring may appear on the outer margin of the Fusarium Patch and the outer ring may also have a water-soaked appearance.

Conditions favouring Fusarium Patch include consecutive wet days of cool temperatures which could occur in either autumn or spring.

If a lawns soil is high in nitrogen but low in phosphorous and potassium, then conditions are rife for the growth of Fusarium Patch.

Lawn areas with slow growing conditions and heavy thatch development also favour Fusarium Patch.

Brown Patch Lawn Disease

Brown Patch and Dollar Spot can be easily confused for one anotherthey prefer similar conditions and even manifest in similar ways. The main way you can tell them apart is simple, though: Brown Patch will leave large, circular areas of discolored grass on your lawn as opposed to the small patches found with a Dollar Spot infection.

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If You Need To Water Water Properly

Many diseases infect lawns when the grass blades are wet. To keep grass blades dry, water only if needed and water deeply so you can go longer between watering. Watering in the morning, between 6AM and 10AM, is best since the grass blades have plenty of time to dry during the day. Especially avoid watering late in the day or at night, since the grass blades will stay wet all night long, encouraging leaf diseases. One simple way to ensure that your lawn gets just the right amount of water at the right time is to pair the Gro® 7 Zone Controller with your irrigation system. It automatically adjusts itself based on real-time local weather data and can be monitored from anywhere via your smartphone or tablet.

Control Brown Patch Naturally

Youve identified brown patch, and now you need it gone. Here are some ways to get rid of brown patch without using chemicals.

• Aerate: Increasing air circulation in your lawn can sometimes dry out and cure your brown patch problem. If nothing else, it often causes the fungus to return to its dormant state.
• Dethatch: Like aerating, dethatching will increase air movement and dry out the fungus, leading to dormancy or elimination altogether.
• Change your lawn care practices: Brown patch thrives in warm, wet, fertile lawns. Reduce your watering and avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer in high growth times. Avoid watering in the evenings, which increases the risk of fungal growth.
• Increase drainage: Improper drainage increases moisture, making brown patch thrive. With good drainage, diseased lawns will dry out easier, reducing and even eliminating the problem.
• Dont mow: Mowing a diseased lawn is like coughing without covering your mouth. Youll fling the disease everywhere, increasing the risk of infection in healthy areas.

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Fairy Ring Lawn Disease

Fairy ring lawn disease is common for all turf species, and youll easily recognize it because of the mushrooms that will appear on your lawn. They love humid, shady, damp, and wet conditions, so the spreading of this disease will depend on how well you take care of your lawn. The mushrooms can be well hidden under the ground, breaking the organic material of your soil. Fairy ring lawn disease typically appears during the summer months, but it can also happen in fall/winter in areas with warmer climates.

How to control it?

To prevent fairy ring lawn disease, you should regularly fertilize your lawn and provide enough nutrients. However, you should avoid overwatering and adding too many soil additions. Fairy ring is another disease you can cure with fungicides if other methods dont work.

What Is Lawn Rust

Rust is a fungal disease that occurs on your lawn when its growth is slowed.

Rust usually appears in late summer or early autumn and during periods of dry weather or when the grass is low on nitrogen.

Lawn Rust weakens the strength of your lawn and makes it more susceptible to other diseases and turf problems.

The Rust is identified by pulling a couple of blades out of the lawn. The lawn blades will be coated with orange-red to yellowish brown dust or spores.

Lawn rust begins with yellowing leaf blades and small yellowish spots which mature to orange, red or brown colouring.

The Rusts spores can be rubbed off the grass blades with a finger.

Overall, rust patches of the grass will become thin and weak.

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