4 Common Lawn Diseases and How to Deal With Them

As a full-service landscaping company, we are occupied with managing every aspect of your property. Creating a great-looking landscape requires attention to detail and comprehensive care with each type of maintenance. Plant material must be installed and maintained, as does your lawn. Maybe overlooked in the face of bright flowers and tall trees, your turf is actually so important to the overall appearance of your landscape. It is the first thing any visitor will see, and a poor lawn could turn away potential customers. As a commercial property owner, you cannot afford to lose out on potential revenue, which means lawn care is vital. Great lawn care will keep away disease, which can wreak havoc on your turf. In this blog we are going to discuss a few common lawn diseases, and how to deal with them should they be encountered.

Brown Patch Disease

One of the biggest issues with disease identification is that many common lawn diseases can cause the same symptoms. Brown patches are the most common symptom of lawn disease, although they are not always attributable to brown patch disease specifically. This disease specifically affects cool-season grasses and can create brown patches in your turf overnight. It is most prevalent in late summer, especially when conditions are hot and humid. As with many lawn diseases, you will likely need a fungicide treatment, but overwatering and over-fertilizing can often be a cause, adding excess moisture to your turf.

Dollar Spot Disease

Generally showing up in the early spring, the primary symptom of this disease is small brown patches the size of silver dollars. Although poor lawn care can be a large cause, with drought, excess moisture, and under fertilizing all being other potential causes, thatch is the primary offender. This means that the best way to avoid dollar spot disease is with proper aeration and overseeding services. Loosening up your soil, nutrients will flow through your turf and defend your lawn from this disease.

Rust Disease

Whereas both aforementioned diseases are detrimental to the health of your lawn, essentially killing pieces of it, rust disease is more aesthetic. Although it might not cause significant decay, it sure does look horrible, covering your blades of grass with an orange powder. If left unkempt, it can thin your turf, and the best defense is a healthy lawn. Look for rust disease during the summer, as it thrives with warm temperatures.

Gray Leaf Spot Disease

Our last disease of the day is one of the most common. A lack of air circulation and over-fertilization leading to excess nitrogen are the primary causes of this disease. The primary symptom of the disease is small lesions all over the turf blades, looking like small gray spots. For prevention aeration and irrigation are very important, and post-emergent fungicide control will be required should this show up in your landscape. It is most likely to come around with excess rain, like in the spring and fall.

 

Your landscaping is the first thing noticed by your visitors, friends, and customers. Let OakLawn Landscaping ensure that your first impressions are top notch and have your guests in awe before they even reach the door. Visit our website, or contact us today at (301) 854-0684 for any of your landscaping needs, commercial or residential.