Summer is in full swing, and you know what that means in Tennessee, whiskey, and barbecue! Now that the pandemic is slowing down, families and friends are getting get back together. While you’re throwing parties in your backyard this year, the last thing you want to do is worry about an ugly lawn. But our hot summers can wreak havoc on your grass, and sometimes lawn diseases can rear their ugly heads. If you aren’t vigilant, these diseases could spell disaster for your lawn and all your hard work. Know the signs and spot lawn diseases before they cause too much damage. Here is a list of the most common lawn diseases in Tennesee.
Fusarium Blight
Also known as pink snow mold, fusarium blight is a lawn disease that attacks mainly cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, fescues, and perennial ryegrass. Fusarium blight is a devastating disease that is most noticeable and damaging during hot, dry conditions of summer. The disease appears as small patches of dead grass ranging from six inches to one foot in diameter. As time passes, the patches will continue to spread over the entire lawn and destroy whole swaths of grass if left untreated. To prevent fusarium blight, set your mower to the highest setting possible, at least three inches, and fertilize your lawn in the fall.
Dollar Spot
Dollar spot is a lawn disease that is caused when our grass remains wet for too long. This usually happens after it rains or when we water our lawn too long. Dollar spot is most common in the spring when night temperatures are above 50 degrees. Dollar spot can make patches of your grass appear white or bleached. Symptoms don’t usually start appearing until late spring or early summer. To prevent dollar spot, try watering first thing in the morning, so the sun has time to dry out your lawn.
Necrotic Ring Spot
Necrotic ring spot is a nasty disease that affects the crowns and roots of cool-season grasses. It can appear as green to straw-colored blotches on your grass that can grow from several inches to several feet. As it progresses across your lawn, the grass on the outside edge of the ring begins to die while the center remains green. Prevention of necrotic ring spots includes overseeding with other strains of cool-season grass and proper irrigation techniques.
Pythium Blight
Appearing as small concave circular patches, Pythium blight can affect all grass types. In Tennessee, cool-season grasses predominate. The cool-season variant of Pythium blight thrives in hot, humid weather and can grow to a foot in diameter. In warm-season grasses, it appears as black or purple spots that can grow and merge into larger ones. You can reduce your chances of getting Pythium blight by watering in the early morning hours, before sunrise, and avoiding excessive nitrogen use in your fertilizer.
Brown Patch
Brown patch appears as a tan or circular pattern that can grow from several inches to several feet in diameter. It is prevalent during hot and humid conditions, especially at night. Other factors contributing to brown patches are poor soil drainage, compacted soil, overwatering, and watering too late in the afternoon. Basically, anything that prevents your grass from drying out. Brown patch can weaken and kill your grass, leaving the space open for weeds and pests to invade. Prevention of brown patch includes overseeding with different varieties of grass and proper irrigation practices.
Invest in a Lawn Care Program With Emerald Island Lawn Service
At Emerald Island Lawn Service, we want to help prevent lawn disease from taking over your Tennessee lawn through our Lawn Care Program. Our comprehensive lawn care program offers the appropriate and adequate amount of fertilization your grass needs to stay healthy and strong and ward off pests and lawn diseases such as those mentioned above.
We also offer core aeration services for the continued maintenance and rejuvenation of your lawn. Contact us to learn more about each of these and all of our other programs. Give us a call at 865-588-4497 for more information. You can also request an easy quote here.
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