The Battle Between St. Augustine Grass & Lawn Fungus

St. Augustine is a common grass type in Texas that creates a beautiful green lawn for your property. However, this grass type is in constant battle with a lawn fungus that is present almost all the time. This fungus favors rainy and humid periods, which is why it is often seen in the spring and fall. In the summer, the fungus survives and continues to compromise your lawn's health. The key to helping your grass win this battle is hiring professionals to administer lawn disease control treatments. Eradicating the disease is the first step, then you can focus on helping your grass recuperate to restore its tip-top health. You should also invest in regular lawn care throughout the year to help avoid fungus issues in the future.

Why does it seem like your St. Augustine grass is constantly battling lawn fungus?

If your St. Augustine grass seems to be constantly struggling with a disease, that's because a fungus is almost always present in this type of grass. This fungus is commonly associated with gray leaf spot on St. Augustine grass, which is a constant presence and becomes active when conditions are ideal. This fungus favors rainy and humid periods, when temperatures soar to around 77 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 65 degrees at night. Because of this, your St. Augustine grass can appear weaker and more patchy during the spring and fall seasons. The fungus can also survive the summer season when conditions are dry and hot, producing mycelium and spores on dead grass found in the thatch layer.

This fungus causes lesions in the grass blades, with large parts of the affected turf looking scorched. This means that no matter the season, your grass will have to fight off an enemy. When left to its own devices, the disease can cause the withering and eventual death of the grass blades, especially when the leaf spots are numerous.

How do you get rid of the fungus and heal the affected St. Augustine grass?

To keep your St. Augustine lawn in prime health, the first thing you need to do is deal with the fungus. The most efficient way to eradicate the fungus from your grass is to hire professionals! Lawn care pros can inspect your grass and apply the right fungicide treatment to get rid of the fungus that is plaguing your lawn. Affected lawns can look drought-stressed, so the first instinct might be to water the lawn. This is the last thing you want to do! Make sure you hire professionals because they know the best time to administer the treatment and effectively eradicate the infection.

Once the disease has been dealt with, you can now focus on helping your grass heal. The key to helping a disease-stricken lawn recover is to feed it the right fertilizer treatments to provide it with a boost of nutrients that will bolster its health and get it back in tip-top health. Fertilizers contain various nutrients, like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, all of which are crucial in helping your grass flourish.

Avoid fungus issues in the future through regular lawn care.

Indeed, prevention is better than cure. That's why it's always better to ensure your grass never suffers from the disease in the first place! While the battle between St. Augustine grass and lawn fungus is inevitably never-ending, you can prevent issues by ensuring it can fight off the disease! The key to achieving this is through regular lawn care, which should include lawn fertilization and aeration services.

Fertilizers will strengthen your lawn and increase its density, building its resilience so it can resist diseases and tolerate other stressors. You'll want to fertilize your grass multiple times a year to ensure it has enough nutrients to feed off of throughout the growing season. Meanwhile, aerating your lawn will loosen compacted soil to improve water drainage. This will help avoid creating the perfect environment for the fungus to become active and cause problems for your grass!

Call us today to sign up for our lawn disease control service!

Our team at Purple Care offers a lawn disease control service to commercial and residential properties, as well as HOAs, in Fort Worth, Arlington, Weatherford, TX, and nearby areas. There are various lawn diseases in the area, but you can count on our treatment to target them, including take-all root rot, brown patch, and gray leaf spot. We've been cultivating healthy lawns since 1993, and we have the experience to ensure your grass is in prime health year-round. Call our crew today at (817) 880-6052 to sign up for our lawn disease control service.