Lawn fungus basics

Many people are unaware of the vulnerability of their lawn. If your grass is not properly taken care of, a variety of diseases can strike and completely ruin your yard. The biggest and most common threats to grass are a variety of lawn fungus diseases.

Fungi are tiny organisms that are spread via spores through the air, or through water. The spores are the equivalent of seeds, and they are often present, but they won't actually grow into fungus unless the environment is favorable. The key to avoiding an outbreak is to make sure that the environment is never favorable, but that can be difficult because different fungal diseases grow under different conditions.

A general rule.

As a general rule, keeping your lawn regularly mowed, and watered is the best weapon to defend against fungal outbreaks. If you have had outbreaks in the past, you might also consider doing a pro-active treatment in advance of the spring lawn fungus season.

The second most important factor is being able to recognize the early signs of a fungal disease and take immediate steps to wipe it out quickly.

Pink Spot Mold.

Makes brown or yellow patches in your grass. There can also be a whitish fungus if you get a big rain storm. This disease is caused by long periods of snow cover.

Leaf Spot disease.

Causes purplish spots to appear on grass leaves. This disease thrives in warm weather.

Fairy Ring fungus.

This disease often manifests itself as a ring of brownish mushrooms forming in place of your grass. Excess dead vegetation under your grass is the main cause.

Slime Mold.

These cause a slimy substance to form on your grass, but they don't actually attack. If they stay on the grass for too long, they can impeded sunlight, and cause yellowing.

Rust.

This can cause your grass to take on a yellowish or light green color. It thrives in warm humid temperatures, and does especially well when nights are warm.

Fungicide.

Once you know what sort of fungus is attacking your grass, you need to deal with it, and in most cases, the best bet is to use a fungicide. There are different products available that specialize in different fungi, so make sure and purchase the appropriate fungicide for the disease that's attacking your lawn. Fungicide can be dangerous to the environment if it's not used in the correct way, so follow the directions carefully, and take all the precautions very seriously.