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From lush grass to trimmed trees, your yard serves as the first impression of your home. Regular lawn care and maintenance are crucial to your property’s aesthetics as well as the health of the grass and surrounding plants. Fungal diseases can invade and damage any yard, making it crucial to understand how to combat this growing problem.

What Are Fungal Diseases?

These diseases are caused by microscopic, thread-like organisms that are transmitted through air- and water-borne spores. These spores create new infections when fluctuations in the environment occur, including changes in nutrients, temperature, moisture levels, and access to light. When these fungi attach to your lawn, it can decrease the health of the grass and nearby plants, in addition to causing unsightly bare or brown spots.

How Can You Identify Infected Grass?

lawn careTwo of the most common fungal-derived lawn diseases are powdery mildew and snow mold. Powdery mildew is typically seen on cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass. This disease can develop and spread quickly, spreading a white dusting on the tips of grass blades.

Snow mold occurs at the beginning of spring, after the snow melts. Pink and gray mold are the most prevalent forms of this disease, and infect areas with excessive moisture, like under leaf piles. Affected grass blades will develop a pinkish or grayish hue.

Can Fungal Diseases Be Prevented?

Establishing a routine lawn care regimen is the first step to battling fungus. This means removing debris from your yard that could provide a damp environment for spores to attach and multiply, like leaf piles, and fallen and rotted tree limbs. 

Keeping grass short and maintained to discourage mold growth. If a fungal disease has been tested and diagnosed, there are professional fungicide solutions that can be applied to treat the problem.

 

If you are concerned that your lawn is developing a fungal disease, consult the team at Oasis Landscapes & Irrigation in Columbia, MO. For more than 30 years, this team has provided the landscaping and lawn care services you need to maintain a beautiful and healthy yard, including fertilization treatments and weed control. To learn more about how to treat fungus on your lawn, visit them online or call (573) 446-0858.

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