Let's face it, eliminating fungus and disease in the lawn can be a royal pain in the you know what. Once a fungus or disease has taken hold, you'll need to take steps to kill it. But first you must identify what type of fungus or disease is in your lawn. If you're not sure what is causing those big brown or dead spots appearing in the lawn, best thing you can do is take a picture of the affected areas and visit your local nursery and garden center or County Extension Agent for a diagnosis and recommendation for treatment.
That being said, below are some tips for prevention of disease and fungus in your lawn. Prevention is always the best method of control.
Lawn Disease Prevention and Control Tips
- Water or irrigate your lawn in the morning hours to allow any water on turf to dry during the day. When you water in the late evening or at night, this doesn;t allow for the moisture to dry from the blades of grass. As a result, this leads to the onset of damaging fungus and disease.
- Plant your lawn in well-drained soils to avoid root rot and other diseases caused by oversaturated soil. That I am aware of, there are NO grasses, which are suitable for lawn use, that will tolerate consistently moist or wet soils.
- Make sure you select the right lawn grass for your climate and soil type.
- Mow grass only when dry.
- Mow lawn frequently to avoid clumping of discharged clippings. Do not leave clumps of grass clippings in the lawn - rake them up and add them to your compost pile.
- If brown or dead spots begin to appear in your lawn, or if you have diagnosed these spots as a fungus or disease, avoid mowing or walking through affected areas. Doing so can track and spread fungus all over the lawn.
- At first signs of dead or dying spots in your lawn, consult with your local professional nurseryman, landscape or extention agent to determine the type of fungus or disease. Begin treatment as soon as possible.
NOTE: When applying chemicals in your landscape, always refer to product label for mixing and application instructions.
