Lawn Care Articles

Fungus Fever — Three Ways to Protect Your Lawn
from Fungal Growth

During the spring and summer, having a healthy, green lawn is one of the hopes for all homeowners with a yard. However, in order for this to happen, the right maintenance and care for your lawn should take place. One of the steps in caring for the maintenance of your lawn is making sure that there's balance between the water, soil and nutrients in your yard. If this doesn't happen, it may cause problems with fungus in your yard.

There are several different types of fungus that can grow in your lawn, all which grow in relation to the amount of water that's in your yard, as well as the type of climate that gives them room to flourish.

Fungus may also have an opportunity to grow if your soil isn't balanced from fertilizer or compost at the beginning of the season. Some types of popular fungus include mushrooms, mildew, dollar spots, and fairy rings. These are a few of several types of fungus that can move into your lawn. Some ways to notice the fungus is through patches of yellow, red, or orange in your lawn. Other types of fungus will begin to spread from the tips of the grass, causing brown blades to form.

No matter what type of fungus begins to take over your lawn, it is known that they can eventually spread over your entire lawn, taking the nutrients and moisture that is needed for your grass. Because of this, there are ways to prevent the fungus from appearing and taking over your lawn.

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1. Keep your lawn dry. Most fungus will begin to form after the winter is over or during the fall. If extra snow is not drying on your lawn or if there is too much shade, it gives a perfect spot for fungus to grow. By removing snow that won't melt you can prevent some of the fungus that will grow in your lawn. Before the winter arrives, you can also make sure to cut your grass down in order to make sure that the grass stays aerated and doesn't keep the moisture locked into the grass.

If it's spring and fungus is beginning to grow, it is probably because the water isn't drying during the days that you water. Make sure to water in the morning so that the grass has time to dry during the day from the sun. If it is not going to be warm and sunny that day, it is best to wait to water until you know that the water will be dried from the sun.

2. Kill the fungus with different products. There are several different types of natural ingredients that will take the moisture out of the fungus that you have in your yard. One type of ingredient is baking powder mixed with water. You can spray this over the area where the fungus is. The baking powder will act as a neutralizing agent to get rid of the fungus.

You can also use plain corn meal by spreading it over the area where the fungus is. If you choose to use one of these ingredients, make sure you know what type of fungus is in your yard first, then use the proper type of ingredient in order to get rid of the fungus.

3. Prepare the soil to prevent fungus. Before laying fertilizer or soil in the spring, or before you have put in new sod, it is best to make sure that it has some type of preventative ingredient from fungus. This, as well as mulching will balance out the nutrients in the soil in order to prevent fungus from appearing.

Often times, it is best to make sure that there is enough nitrogen in your soil and grass. If there is too much nitrogen, or not enough, it will often cause problems with fungus having room to grow. Things such as greensand or glauconitic can be purchased in order to balance out your soil again.

In order to keep your lawn looking healthy and green throughout the seasons, it is best to find ways to prevent different types of fungus from overtaking your lawn. This can be done through simple maintenance of making sure that the soil, water and grass all remains balanced and healthy.

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