Archive for the ‘Turf Disease’ Category

Snow Mold Prevention

Published by mrgrass on November 15th, 2013 - in Cultural Practices, Turf Disease
Typical matted appearance of snow mold in a lawn.

Typical matted appearance of snow mold in a lawn.

Gray and pink snow molds are the two most widely known snow mold diseases in our geographic region.  Gray and pink snow mold can become established under moist, wet weather common in the late winter or early spring.  Most snow molds become visible in March and can grow well into April manifesting themselves as discolored patches ranging from 1-2 feet to mere inches in diameter.  These patches can take on the appearance of cotton candy with colors ranging from gray, to pink, to white depending upon the time of day and type.  Pink snow mold can cause moderate damage, especially in new lawns under ideal wet weather conditions.  Gray snow mold requires snow to develop properly while pink can manifest itself without snow cover and in wide range of temperatures ranging from freezing up to nearly sixty.  Pink snow mold’s ability to develop without snow and under such a wide range of temperatures means it is a very common disease.  Damage can occur from either snow mold disease, especially new lawns or those prone to staying wet.  The actual snow mold damage results from the plants inability to recover quickly enough and appears as thinning within the infected patches.
Regular raking and mowing are effective practices to reduce snow mold.  However, do not be tempted to cease mowing in October; a final cut should be done in November as the grass enters dormancy.  Not allowing leaf litter to accumulate or remain on the lawn as winter approaches is a great way to help minimize snow mold problems.  Cut your lawn a little shorter in November, as low as 1.5 inches to minimize matted grass and leaves without scalping the lawn on uneven surfaces.
Aerating will help reduce compaction and maintaining a slightly acidic soil pH will also help reduce pink snow mold.  Minimizing the amount of highly soluble nitrogen is also an important factor as succulent leaf blades are more susceptible as fall becomes winter.  Use of a slow release fertilizer while applying lower rates of nitrogen is a great solution if you have experienced snow mold problems in the past.
Reducing snow along your driveway, walkways, or minimizing large piles will help minimize gray snow mold at your home.  Fungicides should only be used as a last resort in a lawn but can offer some protection with proper timing (late fall and or early spring).  Snow mold sprays can be done in November or December in our market area. Creating a healthy lawn with a diverse turf grass population and proper raking and mowing practices is your best asset toward snow mold prevention.  If you do experience visible snow mold next spring, be sure to have it examined as treatment may be required by your locally certified and licensed lawn care professional.

Tags: , , , ,
No Comments »

The many causes of brown lawns

Published by mrgrass on August 9th, 2013 - in Lawn Pests, Bugs & Insects, Turf Disease

Brown lawns can spell trouble when the general assumption is drought is the cause.  While dry soil and heat exposure can certainly result in tan or brown grass; disease and insect infestation can mean an unpleasant surprise.  I have been seeing extensive second generation chinch bug damage in NH and VT lawns in 2013.  In some cases, the scope of the damage has been magnified by a population explosion which began in 2012.  Without proper diagnosis and action, chinch bug populations build exponentially month by month with two generations per year in most locations.  Since 2012 was so hot and dry, many assumed the browning in their lawn was the result of harsh weather.  While this may have been true in many cases, some browning masked chinch bugs.  If your lawn is brown now with an abundance of rain, you might have an insect and or disease problem.  Without looking up close, this small insect is difficult to identify.  A small pocket of chinch bug damage in your lawn can be as small as your fist or hand, while larger infestations can move like locusts across your lawn devouring a half acre or more over months.  I have seen both ends of the damage spectrum and everything in between over the last month.  Generally, you treat for chinch bugs because left alone, they will simply overwinter as adults, and start over again next spring; building in size and eating power with each successive generation.  The math is simple; a lawn treatment spraying for chinch bugs is much more cost effective than thousands in a lawn repair or renovation.

Brown patch and pythium disease

Both diseases damage and thin a lawn to varying degrees during the summer months under warm, humid weather.

While chinch bugs may reign supreme as surface lawn destroyers, disease can also pop up quickly with humid and warm weather.  Several diseases which can cause fast browning and turf loss are brown patch and pythium.  Like most fungal diseases, temperature and moisture are critical factors and can influence the likelihood your lawn will become infected.  Warm temperatures overnight, usually between 60 to 65 degrees and moisture due to an evening or late afternoon thunderstorm are a perfect storm for pythium and brown patch.  Ryegrass is especially susceptible to pythium fungus, a fast moving disease that usually kills grass when it appears.  Pythium damage can be seen as sunken, greasy, waterlogged patches of grass which appear matted.   Brown patch is best identified by lesions on the leaf blade with a tan interior and a brown or yellow perimeter.  Brown patch can appear as small blotches or patches up to several feet in diameter.

While fungicides can be helpful, best results are achieved proactively versus reactively and even then there is no guarantee.  Most fungicides only last a week or two under ideal conditions and if you look at the past weather this summer, an ideal spray program would equate to 4-6 proactive treatments; bordering on a golf course regime!  Your best bet to combat both pythuim and brown patch is to mow high (3”), mow when the lawn is dry, and use slow release fertilizers in the summer at reduced rates.  Run your irrigation only in the morning and keep the cycle deep and infrequent.  You can kill your lawn with kindness by watering too much or watering every day regardless of the weather.  A lawn with wet feet overnight is an ideal candidate for contracting brown patch or pythium.  If your lawn does contract brown patch, it may recover on its own depending upon the severity but some turf thinning is likely.  If your lawn succumbs to pythium, often reseeding or over seeding is the only solution in the fall to replace dead grass.

The weather never ceases to amaze me when it comes to throwing curve balls during a given summer.  While 2012 was one of the hottest and driest on record, 2013 may go down as the wettest and most humid!  Don’t let your lawn head into winter damaged; fall is the best time to fix things before 2014.  Aeration, over seeding and or lawn repairs are relevant and appropriate turf improvement services offered by your local lawn care professional.  Don’t despair, school starts soon!

Tags: , , , , ,
No Comments »

Lawn Diseases

Published by mrgrass on June 11th, 2013 - in Turf Disease

Lawn diseases can be a very confusing subject because the average homeowner would have a hard time telling the difference between a lawn disease, stress, or insect activity.  Spring diseases range from snow mold coming out of winter, to leaf spot, dollar spot, and red thread.  Summer diseases can range from damping off disease, patch disease, brown patch, and rust.  Fall diseases mirror spring without snow mold.

Lawn diseases 

Most grass diseases can be traced back to a fungus, adequate moisture/temperature (climate), and the susceptible host plant.  Like any disease triangle, all three pieces listed above must occur to produce what you visually see as a problem.  Most diseases are fungal in nature and as such, most adore moisture – lots of it!  As such, many lawn diseases can be attributed to excessive irrigation in a manicured, suburban lawn.  Too much kindness can lead to all kinds of disease issues in your lawn when it comes to watering.  Too much water fills up valuable air pockets in the soil that leads to shallow roots and predisposes your lawn to all kinds of health issues.  Watering late in the day leaves moisture and water on the surface of the leaf blade, on the soil, and raises humidity low to the ground.  Any of these facts can cause a disease outbreak in mere hours with the right temperature and host; your lawn!  Fungal diseases can be aesthetic like red thread and not really cause much harm.  Or, fungal diseases can progress all the way to summer brown patch with the possibility of not only losing lawn  density overnight but having dead patches before that first cup of coffee is finished the next morning! 

As a homeowner, you have the largest control on preventing or contributing to fungal diseases in your lawn. Mowing a lawn when wet can spread diseases from lawn to lawn if you have a mowing company out each week.  Over-watering can cause disease and root problems as previously mentioned.  Watering in the morning or day can minimize moisture presence overnight, reducing the likelihood of a fungal outbreak.  While most diseases are fungal in nature, some are bacterial and some are found in the soil itself which become active during the ideal weather conditions.  Extended rainy periods can induce leaf spot disease and turf thinning if followed by hot sunny weather.  Stress on a lawn such as mowing a sod/blue grass lawn too short can induce symptoms such as pitting or scarring with patch disease.  Some diseases are more likely under high fertilizer use and some under low.  Lawn diseases are complicated and difficult to diagnosis without real field experience.  Treatment and prevention of lawn diseases run hand-in-hand and are just more reasons to have a professional lawn care company helping you each month throughout the growing season.  When it comes to diagnosing and treating lawn diseases, there is no substitute for real field experience and education, everything you get with Chippers’ turf division. 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
No Comments »

Spring lawn care issues

Published by mrgrass on April 10th, 2013 - in Lawn Pests, Bugs & Insects, Turf Disease

As the snow recedes after our snowy winter, snow mold and mice damage may appear on your lawn as common spring lawn care issues.  Snow mold is a common turf disease and can range from visually unappealing to damaging with actual turf loss.  Snow mold can appear on the surface of your lawn even with no snow in some circumstances.  You will either see a pink or gray color, especially in the morning or with cool, moist conditions in March or April.  Once dry, the affected grass becomes matted, kind of like pink eye, all crusty.  I took the picture below of pink snow mold yesterday.  Another area was matted and dry, requiring a light raking to break up the old matted leaf blades so air and sunlight can hit the soil and speed up recovery.  Lawns with a severe case of snow mold should not receive an early crabgrass barrier.  Applying a crabgrass barrier with a severe case of snow mold will place unnecessary stress on your already weakened lawn, often promoting less recovery and/or thinning.  Your best option is to lightly rake a lawn with severe snow mold which will promote new growth.  This can be done in conjunction with a natural or organic fertilizer treatment followed up with crabgrass suppression in May.

 

snow mold on lawn in spring

 

Mice damage is another spring issue and is typical if the lawn is left too long going into winter.  Mice will feed on the surface leaves under the snow causing surface tunnels, as illustrated in the picture below.  Some turf damage may result if the base of the lawn is eaten, down at the crown level.  As the soil warms and your lawn starts to green, only then will you know if recovery is possible.  A simple tip to help reduce mouse damage is to mow your lawn short for the final cut of the season, down to 1-1.5”.  Be sure to mow your lawn if it is long in April to 2” and/or rake out the damaged areas to help promote recovery while applying an organic or natural fertilizer.

 

mice damage on lawn in the spring

 

Tags: , , , , , ,
No Comments »

Your brown lawn may have more than a color problem

Published by mrgrass on July 26th, 2012 - in Broadleaf Weeds, Crabgrass, Cultural Practices, Lawn Care Companies, Lawn Pests, Bugs & Insects, Turf Disease

High heat and lack of rainfall has NH & VT lawns turning brown

 

The summer of 2012 is shaping up to be one of record heat, sun, warmth, and drought in many areas across the USA.  While this is fabulous vacation weather for the beach and outdoor activities, your lawn may have gone brown months ago depending upon your location.  In New England, we are experiencing dry weather not felt since the 1950’s.  I don’t imagine Elvis would be pleased to have a brown lawn upon his return home from touring.

At any rate, severe lack of moisture can create other problems beside the straw colored grass you see below your feet.  Extended dry periods cause the soil temperature to dramatically rise, which in turn causes crabgrass and other noxious annual weeds to germinate in earnest.  While your cool weather-loving turf is asleep trying to just survive, weeds can pop up and seemingly grow inches a day.  This is especially true of crabgrass, even with a preventative treatment applied in the spring since the product’s life span only lasts into late July or early August in NH or VT.  Super heated soil creates an ideal growing environment for crabgrass, even in the best cared for lawns.  A light touch is the best course of action until September arrives and restoration efforts can begin.

A more serious side to drought is the fact it attracts all kinds of heat- loving insects like Japanese beetles, chinch bugs and sod webworm to name just a few.  Damage can be occurring right under your feet without a hint of the battle raging in the soil or on the hot brown surface of your beloved lawn.  Left unchecked, fall rainfall comes and your lawn never recovers, which might be attributed to small grubs feeding from late summer right into fall.

Even those grassy areas lucky enough to have irrigation or some shade are not immune to the heat and humidity.  I have seen plenty of brown patch disease rising up overnight due to humidity and wet grass, with the resulting damage visible the next morning.  Mowing grass already in drought conditions or during the heat of the day is like pushing a friend over a cliff with the flu, just plain mean.  The best advice in a hot summer with a significant lack of rainfall is to stay off the lawn if possible, watch and treat for insects as necessary based upon population levels, and irrigate if possible in the morning – even if only for a short period of time.  Even a little water is better than nothing when it comes to keeping the dormant growing point of your grass alive.  Like an IV in a sick patient in the hospital, any moisture applied is better than none in an absence of rainfall.

Any fertilizer used should be at a low rate, slow release, and generally granular in nature.  With autumn only a month away, we are at the top of the roller coaster and things should slowly begin to improve as August fades into September.  If your lawn has taken a hit like many have, plan now to have restoration services lined up in order to take advantage of the best growing time of year for grass – fall!  Services like core aeration, overseeding, lime, compost tea, and organic or natural fertilizers can bring a lawn back to life in preparation for 2013.

Enjoy the heat now because your lawn sure hates it, at least in New England.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
No Comments »
© Copyright 2009-2012 Chippers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.