What To Do Before Installing Your Lawn
The fight against fungus on the lawn in fact starts as early as the stage of establishing a new lawn. This is done by thoroughly clearing the soil under the lawn of any plant residues that may rot and decay in the future. These might be promoting the development of fungus.
If the soil is sandy, it may be useful to fertilize it and improve its physical properties. This is done by utilizing appropriate organic and mineral fertilizers before the lawn is laid. It may also be beneficial to install an irrigation system. Doing so will eliminate the exposure of the lawn to long periods of drought.
How to get rid of the fungi on an existing lawn?
First of all, regular lawn care is necessary. After each mowing, the remaining cuttings of grass must be removed. As a result of removal, they wont form a layer of felt when drying. Existing old felt will be removed by raking, scarifying and aeration.
Scarifying is a flat, vertical notch of turf, while aeration is a deeper puncture with spikes. These treatments loosen up the soil and aerate it. Scarifying should be done at the beginning of the growing season. it can be repeated 2-3 times per season.
If you decide to spray the fungus on the lawn, scarifying it beforehand will make it easier for the best fungicide to reach the grass roots deeper. A good lawn owner always ads nitrogen-rich fertilizers.
Lawn Fungal Diseases And Care
Your lawn is at the mercy of cryptogamic diseases because your grassy area is alive. Recognizing the main diseases of the lawn will help you to fight them.
Beware, not all the stains that can be found on a lawn necessarily come from diseases. It can also be from the urine of an animal or any other incident. Its also possible to burn the lawn by overlapping when spreading fertilizer or by not respecting the prescribed doses
When fungi are the cause of your lawn diseases, its more important to prevent them and ensure optimal growth conditions for the greenest-grass. Treating the symptoms alone is not effective as the sources of the disease must also be combated. Thats why its so important to match the right grass mixtures to the site and soil type.
Fusarium and snow mold
The disease appears after a long snowy episode or in cold and wet weather. A circular, large patch of varying size appears in the grass that appears to be washed out. You can see whitish or pinkish molds in the surrounding area as the fungus remains latent in the lawn all summer long. It survives in the soil or root felt.
Too much nitrogen stimulates disease. Rebalance the soil with phosphoric acid. Do not apply fertilizer after September.
Helminthosporiasis
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.
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How Does A Fungicide Work
There are many different modes of action for fungicides. Fungicides can:
- Alter fungal cell membranes
- Deactivate enzymes or proteins
- Interfere with breathing processes or energy production
Some fungicides interfere with metabolic cycles. Those are important for the survival of the fungus such as sterol production. In order to choose a fungicide, its not necessary to know exactly how all fungicides work. Its important to know that all fungicides belonging to the same chemical group have the same mode of action. The most convenient way to use fungicides is to mix different modes of action to avoid resistance or tolerance of the fungus.
Its worth noting that fungicides affect one or more metabolic activities of the fungus. Fungicides that act on a single metabolic site are generally effective only on certain fungi. However, its easier for the fungus to develop resistance. On the other hand, fungicides that act on several metabolic sites are more difficult for fungi to circumvent and the development of resistance is therefore rare.
Scotts Disease Ex Vs Bioadvanced By Bayer Fungus Control
Scotts Disease Ex vs BioAdvanced. ;These are two of the top brands for home lawn fungus applications. ;Both products can be used for preventative and control of most diseases. ;For best results applications should be made before symptoms occur or at the first sign of the disease. ;Each product is a broad spectrum fungicide.
Scotts Disease Ex
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Apply in 14 – 28 day intervals Coverage Area 5,000 sq ft for Preventative 2,500 sq ft for Control Do not apply more than 37 lbs. per 1,000 sq ft in a single year Do not apply directly to water and avoid runoff For best results apply fungicide prior to disease symptoms when conditions are favorable for the disease. Application is made using a spreader. ;Best results come with a Scotts Spreader that is calibrated for this product. |
Applications Apply in 14 – 30 day intervals Coverage Area 5,000 sq ft ;for most diseases 2,500 sq ft for Bermuda grass decline, Fusarium Blight, and Summer Patch Do not apply when lawn is under stress from heat or drought Do not apply when temps are over 85 degrees For best results apply fungicide prior to disease symptoms when conditions are favorable for the disease. Application is made by attaching your hose to the spray bottle |
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Why Should Fungicides Be Used
Despite their negative reputation, fungicides are an essential tool. Although they are used by almost every grower, theres a lot of confusion as to how fungicides work and how to best use the wide array of fungicides now available.
Lawn and garden crop diseases are common. Some can have significant economic impact on both yield and product quality. In some cases, the application of fungicides during the growing season can reduce losses in storage.
Fungicides are generally best used as part of an IPM program which may include:
- Good crop rotation
- Judicious sowing or harvesting dates
- Proper fertilization
- Microclimate management such as the seeding rate
- Crop debris management
Types Of Grass And Lawn Fungus
Hat mushrooms that appear on the lawn may initially cause curiosity. Some of themsuch as the roadside scleroderma or the kite tipare even edible. Usually, they quickly get hard to manage for lawn owners as they spoil the aesthetic value of the lawn.
They often grow on the lawn in circles, creating the so-called devils eye circles. Its worth knowing that the hat mushrooms we see are only fruiting bodies. The mycelium thats invisible to our eyes can cover larger areas of the lawn.
The main fungal diseases that can occur when the lawn is not properly maintained or the weather is bad are:
- Snow mold
- Base gangrene
- Real grass-mealybugs
Most of them have characteristic symptoms by which you can recognize the disease. In case of their occurrence, appropriate fungicides should be used.;
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How To Apply The Fungicide
Some products might require you to water the lawn and let it dry before applying the fungicide. Others have better results when you apply them during a particular time of the day.
All the products are different so do not imagine that the same rules apply to all of them.
Before utilizing the fungicide, make sure you carefully read the products label and instructions. These should include important details like after which period you have to reapply the treatment, dosage, whether it should be diluted with water , best temperature, and so on.
Depending on the fungicide of your choice, you might also need either a broadcast spreader or a general hose sprayer to apply the fungicide. If you opt for a liquid fungicide that comes into a recipient that should be sprayed by connecting it to the water hose, you wont need any of the tools mentioned above.
Also, when you apply the fungicide, its always advisable to wear safety goggles and gloves and avoid any skin contact. You should also not use the solution near any wells or animal drinking water sources or food.
Fungus Control For Lawns
- Works for up to 1 month
- Controls Red Thread, Brown Patch, Dollar Spot, Rust and other listed diseases
- Greater coverage and long, weatherproof protection*
- 32 oz. Ready-To-Spray treats up to 5,000 sq. ft.
- 10 lb. Granules;treat up to 5,000 sq. ft.
*Vs. leading competitor based on Ready-To-Spray product label comparisons.
To treat an existing disease: apply at first sign of disease.
To prevent diseases: make first application before conditions are favorable for disease.
Mix Ratios
Curative Rate: 3/5 lbs per 1,000 square feet.
Preventative Rate: 2 pounds per 1,000 square feet to treat Dollar Spot, Anthracnose, Brown Patch, Powdery Mildew, Rust, Red Thread, Gray Leaf Spot, Melting Out Leaf Spot & Stripe Smut.
Preventative Rate: 3.5 lbs per 1,000 square feet for Summer Patch, Take All Patch, Fusarium Patch and Pink or Gray Snowmold.
- Works for up to 1 month
- Controls Red Thread, Brown Patch, Dollar Spot, Rust and other listed diseases
- Greater coverage and long, weatherproof protection*
- 32 oz. Ready-To-Spray treats up to 5,000 sq. ft.
- 10 lb. Granules;treat up to 5,000 sq. ft.
*Vs. leading competitor based on Ready-To-Spray product label comparisons.
To treat an existing disease: apply at first sign of disease.
To prevent diseases: make first application before conditions are favorable for disease.
Can I use Fungus Control For Lawns Granules around ornamental plantings?
My spreader is not listed on the Fungus Control For Lawns Granules label.
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Scotts Diseaseex Lawn Fungicide
DiseaseEx from Scotts is another popular fungicide for lawns which is effective for a large spectrum of grass diseases caused by fungal pathogens.
If you know that your turf has been affected by a fungal disease but you are not exactly sure which one it is, you might try your luck with DiseaseEx. There are very high chances that your lawns disease is already among the ones which this fungicide can control.
According to the manufacturer, this product is effective in preventing and controlling about 26 different types of lawn diseases.
The ones mentioned in the products description are:
- Brown Patch
- Anthracnose
- Take-All Patch
Thats quite impressive. Hence, if youve tried another fungicide without having very noticeable effects, you should probably try DiseaseEx.
Unlike the liquid fungicides previously mentioned, this fungicide is granulated. Therefore, you will need a walk-behind broadcast spreader in order to apply the fungicide uniformly across the surface of your turf.
If you dont have a spreader already, you may want to check the offers on Amazon. There are several options which are not very expensive.
Besides spreading fungicide, this kind of tool comes also handy for other tasks such as spreading seeds, fertilizer, salt, etc. In essence, its a pretty useful tool for any gardener.
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Causes Of Lawn Fungal Diseases
Just like there are a plethora of species of fungi that live inside the human bodies without causing any diseases, there are also numerous types of fungal organisms that inhabit your lawn.
Many of these are beneficial, but there are also pathogens that if left will multiply uncontrollably and cause various maladies to the grass of your turf.
If allowed, these fungi dont only give your turf an unpleasant look but can destroy your entire lawn in favorable conditions. Moreover, the lawnmowers can quickly spread the fungus to other healthy parts of your lawn.
If you notice the fungal infection in an initial stage and you apply the right fungicide on time, the affected areas of grass have many chances to fully recover in 2-3 weeks.
Several factors that can cause a lawn fungal infection:
- High humidity level
- Sudden changes in temperature and humidity
- Mowing the grass too low
From all the causes mentioned earlier, I would say that the high humidity level is the most common cause.
Since your lawn grass grows outside, you dont always have full control over how much water it receives. For instance, during long periods of rain, plus an improper water drainage caused by poor landscape grading, your lawn is the proper environment for the development of harmful fungal pathogens.
Drought and the lack of enough water might as well favor the occurrence of these conditions. A balanced watering schedule is, therefore, essential for any lawn.
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Spectracide Immunox Fungus Plus Insect Control For Lawns
Spectracide Immunox Fungus Plus is another effective fungicide for lawns and turfs.
Besides protecting your lawn from dangerous funguses, this product has insecticide properties and will also kill the lawn-harmful insects such as ants, fleas, brown dog ticks, sod webworms, and others.
Another advantage of Spectracide Immunox Fungus Plus is that it cannot be easily washed away by rain once you apply it.
I usually use a garden sprayer to apply the fungicide, but this particular product can be directly connected to the water hose. Theres no need to manually dilute it with water since that will be done automatically once the water reaches the bottle.
While I love its design, the fact that you dont need an additional sprayer and the easiness with which you can apply the liquid fungicide, the recipient can clear fairly quickly.
Thus, if you decide to choose this product, you should probably consider ordering multiple bottles in order to have enough fungicide to repeat the treatment after two weeks as its stated in the instructions.
Spectracide Immunox Fungus Plus can prevent and control a large spectrum of grass diseases caused by fungi.
As this product is intended particularly for lawns, I would not recommend its use for the garden, vine or fruit trees without confirmation from the manufacturer.
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How To Identify Lawn Fungal Diseases
You can usually recognize the lawn fungus by the brown, yellow, or white spots that appear on the surface of the lawn.
Initially, the infection might start with tiny areas of discolored grass here and there, dark grass patches, or black, grey or other colored points on the grass stems.
Its pretty improbable not to figure out that your lawn has a problem when you see unusual shapes or circles that stand out from the regular green of your lawn.
Even though there are multiple diseases that can affect your turf, a fungal disease is relatively easy to identify in most cases.
The fungal diseases of lawns are caused by several different fungus-like organisms and pathogens such as Pythium aphanidermatum, Rhizoctonia solani, Clarireedia homoeocarpa, Microdochium nivale, Magnaporthe poae or Ophiosphaerella korrae.
Some of these infections are more common during the cold season, while others occur more frequently during hot summers.
The causes and triggering factors of the spreading of these fungal diseases might vary from one season to another, from climate to climate, from one area to another, and so on.
Below Im going to mention the most common reasons for the fungal lawn diseases and which conditions favorize the spread of these pathogens.
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Lawn Fungus Types: What To Look For
What is brown patch? How serious is root rot? The following are two of the most common diseases that are likely to develop on warm-weather lawns. Do keep in mind that there is a wide variety of fungal diseases that can affect your lawn. If you arent quite sure whats wrong with your lawn, call a lawn care company to help diagnose the problem.
What Happens If Bioadvanced Fungus Control For Lawns Ready
- Find Best Match: By default, your shopper will use their best judgement to pick a replacement for your item.
- Pick Specific Replacement: You can pick a specific alternative for the shopper to purchase if your first choice is out-of-stock.
- Don’t Replace: For items you’d rather not replace, choose “Don’t replace” to get a refund if the item is out of stock.
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Bioadvanced Fungus Control For Lawns
Fungus Control for Lawns from BioAdvanced is a liquid fungicide designed to cure and prevent the common lawn fungal diseases such as Brown Patch, Powdery Mildew, Dollar Spot, Anthracnose, Fusarium Patch, Red Thread, Stripe Smut, Summer Patch, Rust, Snow Mold, Gray Leaf Spot, and more.
According to the product info, this fungicide has a weatherproof formula that provides long protection for your turf after it is applied .
This product can easily be connected to the water hose and sprinkled over your lawn.
As mentioned before, the downside of the liquid fungicides that are spread using the water hose is that these are not very economical in terms of the quantity used.
Even though its specified that the product can be used for up to 5,000 square feet, if youre not careful and you use too high water pressure, you can quickly waste a big portion of the liquid.
Thats why I personally prefer the granular or the liquid fungicides that you manually have to dilute with water and spray them using a manual hose sprayer.
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