For lots of homeowners, their lush, green lawns are a fine example of curb appeal. However, lawns can turn nasty in a short period of time and take away your property’s enviable crown jewel. Lawn disease can develop in grass located anywhere across the country. There are signs to look for and then action to take. Lawn care experts weigh in on what you need to know.

Brown Patch

This one’s quite common and is often mistaken for dog urine. The dreaded brown patch can show up on your lawn during hot, humid weather and stand out conspicuously. Dog urine appears slightly different, with small, dark brown circles surrounded by a yellow nitrogen ring. Brown patch disease can begin as small, rough patches and quickly expand in size.

Pink Patch

Pink patch, or red thread disease, happens during warm, humid weather and is “attracted” to nutrient-deficient or poorly drained soils. The colorful fungus is identifiable by its web-like masses or thread-like strands. The color of the disease can range from coral pink to deep red on the tips of brown grass blades.

Slime Mold

It doesn’t sound or look appealing. Slime mold is a fungus-like organism that can affect grass in both warm and cool seasons. Humid or damp conditions can cause slime mold. And once it’s on your lawn, it can spread rapidly as it feeds on the soil’s bacteria and other microorganisms.

Slime mold generally appears on grass blades in circular and somewhat irregularly shaped patches in yellow, white, gray, purple, black or brown. It resembles a “blobby” substance.

Powdery Mildew

This is another common fungus that attacks your lawn as a grayish or white powdery coating. Powdery mildew develops during spring and fall, especially in shaded areas with poor air circulation. The fungus is most common among annual bluegrass, bentgrass and fescues, but it can invade any turfgrass.

Rust

Maybe your lawn was looking gorgeous, but by late summer or early fall, orange or brown rust-colored spots started appearing on the grass blades. Improper watering habits, high humidity levels and fluctuating weather patterns can cause this fungal disease that produces rusty spores that develop in large numbers in wet conditions. Eventually, the rust will cause patches of grass to turn yellow, wilt and die.

You undoubtedly take great pride in having a handsome, healthy, green lawn and want to maintain it and keep annoying fungal infections away. Call the grass masters today at Global Land Solutions in Chattanooga, TN for the finest in sod and seeding services. Schedule your free estimate today. The GLS team has deep roots in the Chattanooga community.