Be Wary of These Lawn Fungi in Florida
Your landscape makes the first impression on every new person who comes to your property. It has a massive impact on your curb appeal, and it’s an integral part of creating the space that you want for yourself, your family and your friends.
Here at Landscape Pros, we often help people set up outdoor landscapes or maximize their outdoor spaces. All of that is important, but you can’t overlook yard care in Fort Myers and landscape maintenance. Everything is important, from irrigation to fertilization to simply mowing that area.
One thing that you want to watch out for is the growth of lawn fungi. Florida has a very wet, humid environment, which can be perfect for a fungus infection to grow. This can ruin the look of your otherwise perfect landscaping.
What are the Different Types of Lawn Fungus?
Here are a few different types of fungi to watch for while considering lawn treatments in Fort Myers:
Dollar spot fungus
Dollar spot fungus gets its name from the fact that it’s about the size of a silver dollar. It’s a type of fungus that impacts the plant tissue, but not the roots. That said, blades of grass can be killed by this fungus and it’s known for how fast it can spread. The grass turns white behind it, and you can get a lot of different patches as it moves over your yard. If ignored, this can cause significant problems.
Brown patch fungus
Most people have seen a yard with brown patches in it before, as this is one of the most common issues that people have when seeking yard care in Fort Myers. But it often stems from a lack of water or too much sunlight. This is very different than brown patches and dead turf caused by a fungus. It is amplified by moisture and significant heat, two things that are so common in Florida. If you’re starting to get brown patches on your lawn and watering isn’t enough to get rid of them, this could be the problem.
Lawn rust fungus
You can often find this fungus in areas where there’s a lot of shade. This means that water cannot evaporate as quickly as it will for the plants around them. You’ll start to see orange spots or red spots on your plants. You can rub these off, the same way that you can rub rust off of metal, but the plants are still weaker afterward. Also, simply rubbing it off does not necessarily stop the infestation and keep it from spreading.
One interesting thing about lawn rust fungus in particular is that it happens more often if the soil doesn’t have enough nitrogen. So there are situations in which you can fertilize the lawn, providing it with the nitrogen that it needs, and this can prevent lawn rust fungus from forming in the first place. This may also help you treat the fungus if it has already developed.
Gray leaf spot fungus
Gray leaf spot fungus can often develop if you are watering your lawn too much. Over-watering can happen if you’re still watering during the rainy season, for instance, or simply if you don’t have your irrigation system on a set schedule. You’re going to see evidence of this fungus as fuzzy gray spots. These will show up on the blades of grass or other plants. You typically have to remove the fungus using some sort of fungicide, so it’s important to work with an experienced team for lawn care in Fort Myers, like the one at Landscape Pros.
What are the scientific names?
Whenever you’re dealing with these types of diseases and infestations in your lawn, it’s good to know the scientific names of the fungus. We’ve listed the common names above, to simply make it easier to discuss the issues that you may be seeing with your lawn, but the scientific names are noted below:
- Dollar spot fungus: Clarireedia jacksonii
- Brown patch fungus: Rhizoctonia solani
- Lawn rust fungus: Puccini Oomycetes
- Gray leaf spot fungus: Pyricularia grisea
Of course, there are also situations in which you may have no idea what the fungus is that you’re dealing with, or you may not be sure if it’s a fungus or some other issue. As noted above, you may simply start seeing brown spots caused by a lack of water or excessive heat. It can take a while to work your way through the process to determine what your next steps need to be. That’s why it’s so important to get lawn treatments in Fort Myers from us at Landscape Pros, as our experienced team will be able to help you determine exactly what will be most beneficial to your yard.
Contact us today
If you’re having issues with lawn pest control, fungus, fertilization, dead spots or anything else that is taking away from the pristine outdoor space that you want to have, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. We’ve been doing lawn care in Fort Myers for years, we’re sure we can find solutions and you’re going to enjoy working with our friendly team as you create the lawn you’ve always dreamed of.
There are a lot of waterfront properties around Fort Myers, Florida, as homes are often located on bays, canals, harbors, lakes, rivers, islands and, of course, the ocean itself. Here at Landscape Pros, we fully understand that this leads to some challenges when it comes to custom landscape design in Fort Myers, FL, but it also leads to a lot of beautiful opportunities. With the right team on your side, you can develop an outdoor living space beyond your wildest expectations.
Whether you already live in Florida or you’re moving there from a northern state, you need to know exactly what challenges you’re going to face and how to get the most out of making a tropical oasis on your property.