6 Summer Lawn Diseases That Can Ruin Your Lawn

Summertime is a great time to be outdoors enjoying your lawn. However, if you are not careful, you may end up dealing with one or more of these 6 summer lawn diseases. All of these diseases can cause significant damage to your lawn, so it is important to be aware of them and ready to take action at the first sight of symptoms. So, let’s take a closer look at 6 summer lawn diseases that can ruin your lawn!

Brown Patch Lawn Disease

Brown patch is a fungal disease that affects lawns during the summer months. This disease appears as large, brown patches of dead grass in your lawn. Brown patch is most commonly caused by over-watering or excessive nitrogen levels in the soil. The most commonly affected grass types are

• Zoysia grass
• Bermudagrass
• St. Augustine grass

Treatments for this disease include removing affected areas of turf and applying a fungicide to the areas that cannot be removed.

Leaf Spot Lawn Disease

Leaf spot is a fungal disease that rots and thins grass before ultimately killing it. This disease appears as small brown or purple-black oval-shaped spots on the leaves of your grass. Leaf spot is typically caused by

• excessive watering
• grass blades cut too short
• elevated levels of nitrogen in the soil
• High humidity and rainfall

Prevention can include keeping any such soil well aerated, while care for this disease means applying a fungicide to the affected areas.

Note: Fungicides are only effective when they are used during the start of the infection. Applied past that time, the fungicide will likely have little to no effect. Contact a TreeNewal tree care expert to determine the best course of action for your lawn to manage leaf spot lawn disease.

Red Thread Lawn Disease

Red Thread is another fungal disease that can affect lawns. This disease appears as small, red-pink patches of dead grass in your lawn with red bacteria picked up and spread by lawn tools, shoes, and animal paws. Red Thread is most often caused by

• low nitrogen levels in the soil
• under fertilizing
• excessive layers of dead grass (thatch)
• poor aeration
• not enough sunlight
• unmoved wet leaves

Treatments for this disease include applying a nitrogen-rich fertilizer and/or fungicide to the impacted areas.

Summer Patch Lawn Disease

Summer patch is a soil-borne fungal disease known for its high rate of destruction. This disease appears as large, browned rings of dead grass encircling seemingly healthy green grass. Summer patch is generally caused by

• excessively wet, compacted soil
• unusually high temperatures
• ineffective drainage
• grass blades cut too short

Treatments for this disease include removing affected areas of turf and applying a fungicide to the affected areas.

Rust Lawn Disease

Rust lawn disease is a fungal disease that appears as small, orange, or brown patches of dead grass in your lawn. Rust lawn disease is most commonly caused by over-watering or insufficient nitrogen levels in the soil. Look out for other causes of rust lawn disease, such as

• thinning, discolored grass blades
• orange-red spores covering your grass and picked up and spread by lawn tools, shoes, and animal paws.
• unseasonable temperatures
• not enough sunlight or fertilizing
• high humidity

Luckily, rust lawn disease is one of the easiest to manage and cure. The recommended treatment for this disease is applying quick-release fertilizers with high amounts of nitrogen content.

Dollar Spot Lawn Disease

Dollar spot is a fungal disease that affects lawns. This disease appears as small yellow or tan patches of dead grass in your lawn that appear waterlogged. Dollar spot is most commonly caused by low nitrogen levels in the soil.

• spots that start at approximately the width of a silver dollar (~1.5 inches) across but can grow to 6 inches across before merging to form larger shapeless patches.
• drought
• excessive layers of dead grass (thatch)
• insufficient fertilizing

Treatments for this disease include applying either a nitrogen-rich fertilizer or fungicide to the affected areas.

How to Prevent and Treat Lawn Diseases

The best way to prevent summer lawn diseases is to have a healthy lawn. A healthy lawn is one that is properly fertilized, watered, and mowed. If you suspect that your lawn has any of these diseases, contact a professional for a diagnosis and treatment plan.

For a deeper dive into lawn disease prevention and management, check out our recent post How to Prevent and Treat Lawn Diseases.

If you need advice or assistance keeping your lawns free from the disease this summer, get in touch with the ISA-certified arborists at TreeNewal and enjoy tailored tree care advice.

To learn more about 6 Summer Lawn Diseases That Can Ruin Your Lawn, call our Argyle and Southlake-based teams

at (817) 592-6846 or send us a message.

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