As fall starts, many turfgrasses show indications of common illness. “These fungis are constantly present, however disease happens when the environmental conditions are ideal for its development,” states Clint Waltz, PhD, turfgrass specialist, Turfgrass and Education Center at the University of Georgia. “That means a prolonged period of humidity and temperatures in the 60s to 80s.”
Among the most common illness in warm season grasses such as centipede, zoysia, and St. Augustine is large patch (Rhizoctonia solani). Shorter days and cooling temperatures sluggish growth, which leaves the turf more prone to disease. Warm season turfs may not be able to recover before entering into inactivity, which leads to slower green-up next spring, states Waltz.
Cool season lawns such as high fescue, bluegrass, and ryegrass may be impacted by brown spot, also brought on by Rhizoctonia. While these grasses may be able to grow out of disease since their active development duration starts with cooler weather condition in the fall, fungicide treatment may remain in order due to the fact that cool season lawns can be eliminated by illness, says Waltz.
How To Tell If Your Lawn Has A Disease
” Not all pathogens will exhibit the exact same symptoms on all lawn species,” states Waltz. It’s best to get a positive ID from your regional university coop extension service (find yours here), however you’ll usually see symptoms such as:
Circular brownish or yellow-colored spots of thinning grass, varying from a couple of inches to numerous feet in diameter
Smaller sized circles might combine to make one big dead location
Brown or grey sores, or stained spots, on the leaf blades
Grass that pulls up quickly by hand from inside the stained location
When To Apply Fungicides
Fungicides are offered at huge box sellers in both liquid and granular kinds. Most items readily available to property owners will work for the majority of illness, though you may get slightly quicker results from liquid applications, states Waltz.
How To Use Fungicide
Here’s how to use fungicides efficiently and properly:
Use fungicide only when necessary. For grass with a history of disease, preventive applications are a good idea, says Waltz. If you’re experiencing hot and dry conditions, you do not require fungicide. When the long-term forecast calls for 3 to 4 days of high humidity and high temperature levels (such as the approach of a tropical storm), think about applying fungicide as a preventive step so the lawn is protected before environmental conditions are favorable for disease to take place, states Waltz.
Make repeat applications, if required. “Applying fungicides is not a one-and-done technique,” says Waltz. After an application, the disease will ease off for 21 to 28 days. However if ecological conditions are right, it can repeat. Follow up with another application, according to identify directions, if conditions still contribute for illness.
Treat struggling yard. For impacted cool season lawns, using fungicide treats current infections, which can kill some types of turfgrasses, and avoids illness incident as weather condition conditions become favorable for infection.
Don’t clean your lawn mower with bleach. It’s a common question from house owners, however it’s not useful. “Fungi spores are all over in the environment, so washing down your yard devices isn’t going to help avoid illness from developing,” states Waltz.
How To Prevent Turf Diseases
There are no assurances, however good cultural practices can help your lawn survive disease, states Waltz.
“We can’t manage the temperature level or the type of yard we have, however we can control when we irrigate,” states Waltz. Avoid irrigating in between 4 pm and 4 am to give your grass an opportunity to dry out.
Cut to the appropriate height for your type of turfgrass. If you aren’t sure what you have or what height to cut, talk to your local university coop extension service.
Apply nitrogen at the right rates and times. Avoid using nitrogen on warm season grasses in late summer season and on cool season lawns in mid-summer.
