People who get sick go to a doctor. But what about when your lawn gets sick? It isn’t like you can roll it up and put it in the car and take it to the doctor. No: a professional who specializes in lawn care should come out and diagnose the patient (lawn).

Many things can make a lawn sick. Fungus, mold, weeds, grub worms, and improper lawn care to name a few.

Fungus in a lawnFungi can be beneficial to your lawn as it decomposes organic matter and feeds the lawn with nutrients. However, too many or not enough nutrients fed into the soil can be damaging. This can create brown or discolored patches or a powdery coating on the grass blades throughout the lawn. Fungus is caused from excessive humidity and heat during a stress period. This can be during a long and excessive rainy season, during a drought, or even just from overwatering. It’s important to know what type of fungus your lawn is experiencing so proper treatment can be applied.

Mold not only causes allergies to humans and animals, but it can be deadly to your grass. Two types of molds that a lawn can experience are pink snow mold and gray snow mold. Pink snow mold can remain active and spread in 60-degree temperatures. This type of mold will not only kill the grass blades but the roots as well. There is no regrowth of a lawn after a pink snow mold infestation.

Gray snow mold, on the other hand, doesn’t kill the roots so regrowth is possible. Raking the grass to remove any dead grass and loosen matted areas will allow the grass to dry out faster. This will also allow you to see the affected areas and know where to re-seed.

Weeds can definitely take over any lawn if left untreated. Dallis grass, crab grass, nutsedge, and dandelion are just a few types of weeds that can overrun your lawn. Weeds pop up in thinning, weak, or bare areas of the lawn and grows twice as fast as the grass. Herbicide treatments along with fertilizer treatments can help eliminate weeds by killing current weeds and strengthening the lawn. Re-seeding thin, weak, and bare spots will allow grass to grow in these areas making your lawn fuller to choke out the weeds. Proper watering, mowing, and general lawn care maintenance is important.

GrubwormGrub worms, fall army worms, and chinch bugs are just a few pests that can kill your lawn. Eating away at the roots of your grass at an alarming rate, these pests can turn your green grass brown in a matter of days. Grub worms and chinch bugs make their presence known in the warmer months. Chinch bugs are actively feeding from June to September while grub worms are most active June to August. Fall army worms prefer showing up later in the year when your lawn is bouncing back from any weather stress or pest damage the summer months brought on. Making their appearance late August into October, fall army worms can be seen actively moving about your lawn in early morning or evening time. Crawling along the blades of the grass, fall army worms not only eat at the roots but the blades as well. If left untreated, an infestation of these pests can destroy your lawn in under 72-hours. You will need a lawn insect treatment. These come in two verities. A topical and subterranean. The below ground treatment gets the grubworms. Of course, the above the ground treatment gets everything else.

Proper lawn care is essential to a healthy lawn year-round. Taking preventative precautions to eliminate pests, weeds, mold, and fungus is just a start. Keeping your lawn on a routine maintenance program is key to a successful happy lawn.

Lawn maintenance tips:

  1. Mow 3-3.5” in height. This keeps lawn full and not thin where weeds can sneak in.
  2. Use the right amount for your grass type to feed it the nutrients it needs.
  3. Helps kill existing weeds.
  4. Pre-emergent. Helps weed seeds from germinating. Apply 2-3 times per season to keep new weed seeds from sprouting.
  5. Know your grass type and how much water it needs and how often. Some grass types need more water less frequently while others need less water more often.
  6. Pest treatments. Know when to treat for grub worm, fall army worms, chinch bugs, etc.
  7. Hire a professional. Professionals can diagnose your lawn and treat accordingly.

Safe Earth Pest Control can assist you and your lawn in keeping healthy. Contact us today to get started before it gets sick. 214-321-2847