Common Diseases Which Affect Lawns Articles | Lawn Care

Lawn diseases can turn drastic and ruin the lushness and perfect color of your lawn. These diseases affect your lawn in an unsightly manner and allow diseases to penetrate the root system of your lawn, this can also result in a lot of time and expenses spent in order to handle the level of damage which has been caused by fungus as well as disease.

Fungi tend to be the most common cause of lawn disease. Such microscopic and thread-like organisms tend to propagate through water as well as air. They also allow spores penetrate different areas of your lawn and cause brown dead grass to result which causes spots that affect entire areas.

Fungi also allow other diseases to take hold by weakening grass blades and making them susceptible to other pathogens.

Not always easy to recognize, watch out for these possible danger signs:

-Areas of withering or dead grass (the size and shape of the affected area may help you determine exactly what lawn disease has attacked your yard).

-Specific types of spots on leaves.

-Root damage.

-Root thinning.

-Change in color.

-Time of year and temperature (like common human viruses, diseases which attack grass often come at specific times of the year or after a temperature change).

What are some of the most common tuft diseases that may attack your luscious green grass? Here are a few:

Leaf Spot.

This disease commonly affects bluegrass and it tends to be caused by excess thatch as well. It can also be caused by too much water or mowing too close to the ground. It is easily recognizable and it features purple and brown spots as well as thinning.

Blight.

This rather common grass disease is usually recognizable by its donut-shape. It tends to affect grass in a circular pattern, affected areas are left looking brown and dead while leaving a greenish and grass-like center.

Summer Patch.

This usually occurs during hot and dry summer months and it usually leaves a yard looking rather yellow in patching and usually ranges from six to twelve inches in diameter.

Brown Patch.

This disease tends to leave a rough and circular patch of affected grass which initially tends to appear dark and water soaked as well. Later on it becomes dry and light brown, this occurs just a few days later. It usually appears during hot summer periods.

Powdery Mildew.

This disease usually attacks the turf in areas which are shrubbery covered and properly ventilated. After attacking it usually turns the grass yellow and dry, after this the look is followed by a white powder-covered look.

Snow Mold.

Appears in the early spring after the snow has melted away. It is caused by organic debris left lying in the yard over the cold wet winter months, allowing fungus to thrive until spring, when it attacks the grass causing severe brown spots.

Rust.

Cool-weather disease which strikes an otherwise healthy lawn when the temperatures dip to the 50’s and 60’s F for long periods of time. It creates elongated yellow striping of the grass, ultimately splitting blades in an unhealthy manner.

Mushrooms.

This is an unsightly condition which tends to be dangerous to human beings and animals when it is ingested. Otherwise they really do no damage to the lawn.

Moss and Algae.

These conditions tend to be most commonly found in areas which are densely shaded and kept moist. They can also be unsightly and detrimental to root growth as well.

By recognizing and understanding the kind of disease affecting your lawn, you understand the first step in treating your lawn properly. Once you have identified the culprit, you can ask your local nursery dealer how best problem areas can be treated.