We’ve seen a rainy week, with fall on the horizon. Right now, it’s important to know the signs of lawn fungus and how to identify it. Two main types of fungus cause issues here: take-all root rot and brown patch.
Identification
Brown patch: This fungus looks like circular patches of yellow/brown grass, resembling dog urine stains. The patches grow over time, eventually taking over the lawn. Brown patch is more common in the fall.
Root rot: Arguably the worst of the two, early root rot looks like yellow or highlighter green grass. Unfortunately, once you notice root rot, your grass is already damaged. As it progresses, it looks like uneven patches of brown or missing grass. During this time, it’s easy to lift the grass up from the soil because the roots are dying underground. Root rot is usually seen in the spring but appears in the fall as well.
Causes and Prevention
Lawn fungus is caused by overwatering, poor aeration, poor drainage, humidity, or fall weather (daytime highs and nighttime lows).
You can prevent fungus by de-thatching your yard, core aerating, properly mowing and watering, and making sure there’s no standing water on your property. It’s important to confirm what’s wrong with your yard before treatment, because fungus is easily confused for chinch bug damage, hotspots, or other lawn problems.
Treatment
If you think you have root rot or brown patch, act fast. Identify what the problem is, and start a fungicide treatment to prevent it from spreading to the rest of the grass. Double check that you’re watering as early in the morning as possible, giving your lawn 1 inch of water per week, mowing weekly, aerating once a year, and there’s no standing water around.
If you need help with your lawn, reach out to us! We offer fertilization, weed control, fungicide applications, and more.
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