When hot weather arrives for the summer it puts your lawn on the defensive. Lawns have several enemies that seek to prevent you from having that beautiful green carpet of turf that you're looking for. Fungal disease is an enemy that your lawn will most likely encounter in some form or fashion. While disease damage can be ugly, it's no reason to panic.
Fungal lawn disease arises from a variety of different fungi that are enabled by favorable conditions. Typically, fungi thrive in turf that experiences extended periods of moisture with hot daytime temperatures and milder evenings.
Brown patch, dollar spot, and pythium blight are all turf diseases that appear as areas of discolored turf of various sizes and shapes. Depending on the severity, these diseases can overtake large portions of your lawn. Fairy rings pop up as an underground network of mushroom fungi span out, creating circles of dark grass that are often filled with mushrooms. When leaf spot infects your turf, it presents as dark spots that can spread throughout the entire blade until the turf “melts” away. These diseases sound pretty bad! Extreme cases can cause lasting damage, but most of the time, they don't. As with most turf problems, proper mowing, watering, and fertilization practices are your best friends when it comes to preventing lawn disease.
Creeping Bentgrass
Creeping bentgrass is another adversary that your lawn may encounter this summer. Commonly used on golf courses, its tendency to "creep" horizontally as it expands along the ground makes it ideal for putting greens and tee boxes.
The problem with bentgrass begins when it is introduced into a turf area that is home to a different grass type. The aggressive nature and light green color of bentgrass make it problematic in fescue or bluegrass lawns. When conditions are right, patches of bentgrass can take over.
When treating bentgrass, you need a product that kills its target without harming the intended turf. Our selective treatments attack bentgrass as well as other broadleaf weeds. If you think you have creeping bentgrass in your lawn, give City & Estate a call today, and we will clear up the problem!