If you care about having a lush and beautiful lawn, the last thing that you want to see is disease take over.
Unfortunately, due to our often hot and humid climate, lawn fungus can appear frequently here in North Mississippi.
In this article, we’ll help you understand some of the signs of fungus in lawns so that you can know when to take action. We’ll also discuss when lawn fungus treatments might be warranted.
Knowing some of the signs of fungus in lawns can help you spot a potential problem early on. Different types of lawn fungus can have different symptoms, but some general signs of fungus in lawns include:
Discoloration: Lawns affected by fungus often exhibit discoloration, appearing in various colors, such as yellow, brown, and red. Fungus is certainly not the only reason why lawns can turn color, but it’s one possibility.
With fungus, the discoloration typically appears in patches or circular patterns. For example, Dollar Spot lawn fungus causes small yellow circles (the size of silver dollars). And Brown Patch lawn fungus causes larger, irregularly shaped brown patches.
Powdery or web-like substances: Lawn fungus can also appear as powdery or web-like substances on the lawn. Mushrooms are a clear sign of fungal growth.
Patches of dead grass: When lawns die off in areas where fungus was growing, they’ll leave dead patches behind. It can take some time to reach this point. Grass will usually start to thin out in areas before it dies.
Some of the most common types of lawn fungus found in our region include Brown Patch, Leaf Spot, Dollar Spot, and Large Patch.
Yes, many types of lawn fungus can be detrimental to your lawn. That’s because as they grow and spread, they can disrupt healthy turf growth. If your lawn gets “sick” with lawn fungus, it can also become more susceptible to other problems.
Fungi can weaken your turf, ultimately causing it to thin out and die. If left untreated, lawn fungus might kill areas of the lawn.
It’s valuable to spot potential problems with lawn fungus early on, before they become serious. Different lawn diseases become more problematic at various times of the year. But the hot and humid months of spring and summer tend to be the worst.
At Lawn & Pest Solutions, our technicians are trained to scout for potential disease issues throughout the year. This is a reason why it’s so valuable to have a lawn care professional on your property regularly. They’ll be keeping a professional eye on your property, looking for early signs of trouble.
If our techs spot something, they will speak to the customer right away in-person or text them information about what was spotted and what the recommendations would be.
If lawn fungus is spotted, we do typically recommend starting professional fungicide treatments.
People will ask us: Do I need to kill fungus in my lawn? They don’t want to spend money on something that they might not need.
But we do tell them that it is typically best to be aggressive against lawn fungus. If you’re investing in lawn care, it just doesn’t make sense to lose areas of your lawn to a fungus potentially.
Lawn fungus can grow and spread rapidly, so you want to get the problem under control. Because of our hot and humid climate, it’s pretty rare for lawn fungus not to spread. We have a climate that is very conducive to problems.
Keep in mind that lawn fungus treatments will not fix areas of the lawn that have already been damaged or died. However, it will prevent the further spread of the fungus, which is crucial.
If you’ve already lost areas of the lawn to a fungus, they might need to be restored with a sodding service. Going forward, it’s essential to be proactive in identifying lawn fungus early.
It is not recommended to take lawn disease control into your own hands. While they do sell fungicide products in the store, be sure to choose a product rated for the specific disease you are dealing with.
Making a proper diagnosis of the lawn fungus you are seeing in your lawn can be complicated as many symptoms do overlap.
You also need to ensure that you apply the product properly to achieve success. Applying products improperly can even lead to potential damage.
Ultimately, professional-grade fungicide is more powerful and effective. When it comes to something as potentially destructive as lawn fungus, it’s not worth taking risks.
At Lawn & Pest Solutions, we do not include lawn disease control in our plans. The primary reason for this is that our region faces exceptionally high disease pressure.
Lawn fungus can pop up at any time. But that doesn’t mean you’ll always be dealing with fungus. If we were to include controls, you’d need to be paying for them throughout the year and you could end up spending money for times when they aren’t necessary.
Instead, we aim to be highly proactive by identifying problems early on and getting treatment under control promptly.
This benefits our customers as they’re only paying for treatment when it’s needed.
Unfortunately, there is no 100-percent foolproof way to prevent lawn fungicide. Sometimes the conditions are “just right” for lawn fungus to grow and spread. It’s essential to recognize that even healthy lawns can sometimes develop lawn fungus.
That being said, the healthier your lawn is, the better it will fare against disease. If your lawn is already thinned out and struggling, a lawn fungus can ravage it. But if your lawn is thick and healthy, it won’t be damaged so easily.
There are also cultural practices that you can take to help prevent exacerbating a fungus problem.
Proper mowing is a big one. You want to ensure that you cut your lawn to the proper height for your grass type and cut it frequently. When you cut your lawn too high or less often, it can be more prone to fungal growth. Lawns that are cut too high create issues that can lead to the spread of fungus.
Proper watering is also critical. It’s important to avoid watering at night as this does not give the lawn ample time to dry out. Since fungus is moisture-loving, watering at night can lead to a fungal problem.
We know that when lawn problems arise, it can be frustrating. You put in time and money to have a great-looking lawn and you don’t want to have to worry about losing it to something like lawn disease.
At Lawn & Pest Solutions, we’re here to help.
We take our role in monitoring your property seriously. We’re here to do more than just provide lawn treatments. We’re also always keeping a watchful eye and aiming to spot problems early on.
But not all lawn care companies are created equally. Not all lawn care technicians are going to be diligent about identifying problems and implementing proactive solutions. The key is to find a lawn care company that truly cares about your results. They’re not just there to treat your lawn as quickly as possible and move on to the next property.
When you make a smart, well-researched choice like this, you build a long-term relationship with a lawn care provider in North Mississippi and finally get the lawn—and the relaxation—you deserve.
Want to improve your lawn’s health and create a thicker, greener lawn? Lawn & Pest Solutions can help you with lawn care in North Mississippi. Get started today with a free quote. Together, we’ll customize a plan that gives you the most attractive lawn on the block.