What To Do About Lawn Disease This Spring

What To Do About Lawn Disease This Spring

As the winter snows melt and your grass begins its growing cycle, you may notice patches of it are brown, thin, or even entirely bare. You may see strange growth that isn’t exactly a weed or turfgrass. Spring is the time when many lawn diseases pop up. Don’t worry! There are ways to treat existing problems and prevent them from showing up in the future.

Common Lawn Diseases In Rhode Island, Connecticut, And Massachusettes

Dollar Spotlawn damage

This fungus gets its name from the size of the sunken circles it creates in your lawn. Leaving behind straw-colored grass roughly the size of silver dollar coins. Dollar spots will increase in size if left untreated until all the more minor spots merge into large, ugly patches of diseased grass.

How To Treat: Aeration and overseeding application. The aeration will break up compacted soil and allow for better drainage, and the overseeding will help fill in damaged areas.

Powdery Mildew

Typically, powdery mildew occurs in late spring. It looks like white powder on the grass, similar to the chalk lines you would find on a football field.

How To Treat: Treat with a fungicide and follow up with an overseeding application using shade-tolerant grass seed blends. It’s also advisable to trim tree branches to allow light to more easily reach the grassroots.

Red Thread

Generally, fescues and ryegrass are more affected by red thread than other types of turfgrass. Like most of the lawn diseases covered in this blog, the name comes from the description of what the fungus does. In the case of red thread, it produces vine-like growths that intersperse with the blades of grass. While it doesn’t actually harm the roots or leaves, it creates undesirable patches of growth that leave your lawn looking scorched.

How To Treat: Stick to regular watering and a lawn fertilization schedule.

Snow Moldsnow mold

Snow mold grows in your lawn when excess moisture gets trapped on top of the grass over the winter. If the ground is still warm, the snow traps in residual warmth and creates the perfect environment for things like bacteria, mold, and fungi to grow. These diseases remain insulated and undetected all through the winter until the snows melt in spring. You can identify snow mold by the fluffy pink or gray patches covering the lawn. Note: snow mold can be mistaken for other forms of problems known as “winterkill” that develop due to the harsh winter weather. When in doubt, don’t hesitate to rely on the expertise of lawn care services.

How To Treat: Snow mold will usually clear up on its own after a bit of yard maintenance. Rake or thatch the lawn so that the affected areas can dry out. The key to fighting any mold is cutting off its source of moisture.

Fairy Rings

While healthy grass is green, if you notice larger grass circles darker than usual, it could be a symptom of Fairy Rings. You may see a ring of mushrooms around the discolored area, which is how this lawn disease got its name. Fairy Rings create sites that are “hydrophobic” or water repellant. As such, the grass will slowly wither and die as it cannot properly absorb the hydration it needs. No lawn disease should go untreated, but especially not Fairy Rings, as they will return stronger every year.

How To Treat: Like Dollar spot, aeration will help break up the hydrophobic areas and allow water to reach the turfgrass roots. Once the soil has been aerated, you can apply a fungicide. However, make sure to aerate first because the fungus can resist the liquid fungicide just as it is resistant to water.

Additional Treatment For Lawn Disease

Aeration, overseeding, consistent water, and fertilization treatments are all beneficial in preventing lawn disease, but sometimes more potent methods are needed. At 4everGreen Turf Management, we use a combination of Fungicide/Micronutrient treatment to nourish your lawn while curing diseases. Depending on the needs of your yard, we can deliver curative or preventative broad-spectrum fungicide. These products will reduce the occurrence of lawn diseases and improve the color, density, and root growth of your lawn.

Get Top-Notch Lawn Care Services In Rhode Island

If you’re wondering: “where can I find lawn maintenance near me?” wonder no more! The professionals at 4everGreen Turf Management will help you treat lawn diseases with our fungicide/micronutrient package. Knock out weeds and give your grass the nourishment it needs to succeed!

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