Home & Garden Tips
Stop Lawn Diseases Before They Start
By Roosevelt McWilliams Burke County Extension Agent

Lawn care is about the only chore in which you work like crazy in the spring to get something

to grow, and then spend the rest of the summer wishing it didn't need mowing again. Lawn care is a

never-ending job. But it is a lot tougher when you must battle diseases as well as growth spurts.

Georgia lawns suffer significant injury every year from disease or fungi. The susceptibility of grasses depends on the kinds of grasses grown and the environmental conditions. Certain conditions favor disease development and cause extensive damage.

You should consider control before you even establish a lawn. Select cultivars that are adapted for this area and find out if they have resistance to tolerance to certain diseases. Most diseases thrive on relative high humidity or wet conditions. The ideal turf growing situation includes well drained soils and adequate water when needed.

High fertility rates or over fertilization also favor disease development. On the other hand, low levels of certain nutrients can predispose lawns and turf to disease problems. You should use a moderate fertilization program, modifying it according to the turfgrass species, the time of the year, weather conditions and disease situations.

If diseases still develop, even with the best management, you may need to use a fungicide along with good management practices to encourage healthy growth.

One of the most common lawn disease problems is brown patch. It attacks all major lawn grasses in Georgia.

Brown patch kills the grass in a circular pattern a few inches to several feet in diameter. The affected grass turns brownish or straw-colored. In the early morning during hot, humid weather, look for a smoky gray to black, wilted, webbed grass.

Heavy nitrogen applications make the grasses more susceptible to brown patch attack, along with high moisture content in the turf and soils.