Just like you or your pets, your lawn can get sick, too. While grass and foliage can’t speak, they can show signs that they’re under stress or suffering from a disease. And when an infection strikes your lawn, the effects can be challenging to control.
Fortunately, proper lawn care services for your residential property can help prevent and solve most lawn diseases. But to successfully do that, you must be able to identify lawn and grass diseases and practice disease prevention techniques.
Lawn and Grass Diseases
The root of lawn damage can be difficult to pinpoint, but if your lawn is suffering from a disease, it’s usually because of fungal problems. The disease starts by affecting small patches of dying or susceptible grasses and spread over time, so it’s a good idea to inspect your lawn regularly. Some of the most common lawn diseases and their characteristics are as follows:
- Brown patch lawn disease – It usually affects the cool-season turf lawn in the spring and summer when temperatures rise. If your yard is affected, you will notices circles of dead grass that can vary in the perimeter.
- Large patch lawn disease – It affects warm-season grass subjected to overcast and moist weather conditions. It usually begins to show as small patches of brown grass that may develop into car-sized patches of dead grass.
- Pythium blight – Poorly-drained soils or humid conditions create the perfect environment for Pythium blight, characterized by circles of withered, grayish grass, waterlogged, and clumped together.
- Summer patch lawn disease – If you have Kentucky bluegrass turf, it’s susceptible to this disease this summer, especially if your lawn has poor drainage. This disease appears as circles of dead or dying brown-colored grass with small patches of healthy grasses at the center.
- Pink snow mold – Bentgrass and perennial ryegrass are susceptible to pink snow mold, which appears as circular, pinkish spots with the edges looking waterlogged.
Lawn Disease Prevention Techniques
For lawn disease to affect your turf, all sides of what is called the “Disease Triangle” must be present. These sides are the disease pathogens, a disease-conducive environment, and a susceptible host or your lawn. Here’s how you can ensure all three aren’t present at once:
1. Water your lawn properly
Both over-watering and dehydrating your lawn can result in a favorable environment for a disease to grow. So make sure to water it, depending on the type of turf you have. It’s also a good practice to water early in the morning so that the sun can naturally dry the grass.
2. Maintain the soil’s pH level
The soil is where the grass gets its nutrients. Most types of grass prefer slightly acidic soil sitting between 6.0 and 7.0 in the pH level, but it still depends on the type of grass you have. Make sure to regularly check the pH level so that the grasses in your lawn get their nutrients to stay healthy.
3. Mow your lawn properly
Grass blades cut too short become vulnerable to disease infection, so it’s crucial to keep your lawn mowed at its optimal level. Also, if you suspect lawn disease, don’t compost the grass since it can spread from the lawn clippings.
By identifying diseases and keeping up proper lawn care techniques, you can prevent infections from ruining your lawn and promote its overall health.
