The Worst Lawn Diseases in North Mississippi: Identification, Treatment & More

Are you worried about Mississippi lawn diseases? Unfortunately, our humid climate here in North Mississippi makes lawn fungus a common problem.

Even when you take all the right steps to care for your lawn, sometimes the conditions are just right for fungus to start growing.

And once it does, it can spread quickly.

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• What are the worst lawn diseases in North Mississippi?
• What does lawn disease look like?
• What’s the difference between lawn disease and drought damage?
• Do lawn diseases stop on their own?
• Will lawn disease kill my grass or will it come back?
• Can I prevent Mississippi lawn diseases?
• Choosing lawn care in North Mississippi to battle lawn disease

Fortunately, when you are well-prepared to fight back, you don’t have to worry about losing your entire lawn to disease.

In this article, we’ll talk about the worst lawn diseases in Mississippi, including how to identify and treat them.  We’ll answer the most commonly asked questions in order to help set you up for success.

There are several common lawn diseases that we see a lot of here in North Mississippi, including the following:

Rust

Lawn Rust is a largely cosmetic lawn fungus species.

It starts with yellow, orange spores or fruiting bodies that damage individual grass blades. In fact, if your lawn has Rust and you walk through it, you might notice bits of these yellow-orange spores coming off on your shoes.

This is how the disease spreads. If you look closely, you can even see them on the grass blades. Lawn Rust likes more moderate temperatures – anywhere from 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as long evenings – more than 10 hours – of dew, moisture, and humidity.

A healthy lawn that receives a balanced fertilization program is your best defense against Lawn Rust.

Dollar Spot

Dollar Spot is another common lawn disease in North MS. It shows up as small yellow or beige circular patches that resemble the size and shape of silver dollars (hence its name). While these circles start out small, they can quickly start to grow together as the disease spreads.

Dollar Spot usually comes along in late spring and can last through autumn, causing the most damage in June and July. It loves under-fertilized grass, as well as lawns impacted by drought and compaction.

Brown Patch

Along with humidity and summer temperatures comes a lawn fungus species called Brown Patch. Just like its name implies, Brown Patch shows up in circular patches that are brownish-yellow in color on some cool-season and warm-season grasses.

This disease thrives in heat and humidity, particularly when nighttime temperatures consistently remain above 68 degrees Fahrenheit and daytime temperatures are at or above 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Leaf Spot

Leaf Spot is another common lawn fungus that can cause trouble. It shows up as brown spots on the grass blades, which grow as they spread.

The “leaf spot phase” is not as damaging, though, as the “melting out phase,” which occurs as pathogens spread to the roots. When the crowns and roots become diseased, you may start to see severe thinning of the lawn.

What does lawn disease look like?

Most of the time, as described above, lawn disease looks like lesions or discoloration. Different lawn diseases are going to have different symptoms, as we’ve outlined above. Sometimes, with all diseases, you might start to notice wilting and dying grass at later stages of the disease.

Being able to have a sense of what you might be dealing with is helpful. But ultimately, you may need to rely on a professional for lawn disease identification, as it can be tricky. Even knowing some of the common signs of these different lawn diseases, it is often difficult to identify exactly what’s going on.

It’s important to note that lawn disease also sometimes mimics other problems, including drought stress and insect damage.

What’s the difference between lawn disease and drought damage?

Mississippi lawn diseases are often mistaken for drought damage…and vice versa. Both can cause the lawn to turn brown.

But one characterizing difference is typically that lawn diseases tend to impact the grass in patches or areas, and drought damage is usually a lawn-wide issue (since the entire lawn is probably drought-stressed).

You might also check to see if the soil is dry and cracked, as it would be with drought stress, with a visual inspection. You could also attempt the “screwdriver test” which simply involves attempting to insert a screwdriver or other sharp object into the soil and see if it penetrates the surface easily or not. If it does not, the soil is compacted and dry.

One thing of importance to mention here is that watering a lawn with disease is going to exacerbate and even spread the lawn fungus. That’s why it’s important not to jump to the conclusion that your lawn is experiencing drought stress and needs water.

If you have discoloration in your yard, call your lawn care technician so that they can perform an inspection. Sometimes, these issues are also related to an insect problem, which would require an entirely different treatment approach.

Do lawn diseases stop on their own?

No, a lawn disease will not usually stop on its own. In fact, it will often get worse before it gets better. Heat and humidity can continue to spread lawn disease rather quickly.

This is why we recommend fungicide treatments if you’ve had a lawn disease identified on your turf.

It’s important to note that fungicides only stop the spread of disease. They won’t cure or repair areas of the turf that have already been damaged. But they can play an important role in preventing your Mississippi lawn diseases from causing extensive damage.

We feel that if you’ve invested in your lawn, you don’t want to lose it. That’s where the value of fungicides is so great.

Will lawn disease kill my grass or will it come back?

If a lawn disease has killed your lawn in an area, it’s not going to come back. But with warm-season grasses, the grass does tend to spread and fill in areas where it has died rather effectively.

How to handle a dead spot from lawn disease will really depend upon how big the spot is. In some cases, some homeowners will sod to fill those areas back in.

It’s important to note that just because your lawn gets a disease does not mean the entire lawn will die. Fungicides play a valuable role in preventing diseases from spreading further.

Can I prevent Mississippi lawn diseases?

As we’ve already mentioned, lawn diseases are unfortunately not 100 percent preventable. Sometimes, even healthy turf succumbs to diseases when the conditions are right. And here in North MS, where our climate is humid, fungus is always lurking.

It’s also normal to have places that bring about the right disease conditions more often, increasing disease pressure in those spots. For example, places that have shade most of the day don’t get a chance to dry out or cool, so they go into the evening warmer than other locations. This can create a recipe for diseases to spread.

All that being said, when you take steps to promote a healthy lawn, you can help ward off some trouble. A lawn that is already healthy and thriving is going to fare significantly better when faced with a disease.

If your lawn is already unhealthy, a fungal infection could cause serious damage.

That means when you invest in lawn care, you’re taking steps to promote a healthy turf that will better withstand pressure.

You’re also investing in having an expert eye on your property. We always urge our clients to call us at the first sign of trouble. We can help diagnose what’s going on and implement a solution before the problem gets serious.

That’s truly one of the biggest values of having a lawn care partner on your side.

Choosing Lawn Care in North Mississippi to Battle Lawn Disease

At the end of the day, your best defense against lawn disease is going to be a lawn care professional partner who is on your side.

Since these issues are not entirely preventable, you want to make sure you have someone you trust keeping an eye on your property and who is available to call when things go wrong.

Since North Mississippi summers can get fairly warm and humid, a high percentage of lawns here can experience some form of lawn disease.

Still confused about whether or not you have a common lawn disease problem in your lawn? Tired of seeing spots? Don’t let lawn fungus cause you any more frustration.

Give Lawn & Pest Solutions a call. We can tell you what’s really going on in your lawn and offer some suggestions to get that green, thick grass back.

Are lawn diseases keeping you from having a lawn you can be proud of? We’d love to learn more. Get started today with a free quote. Together, we’ll prepare a customized plan for your North Mississippi lawn.

Image Sources | Rust, Dollar Spot