Lawn Disease Information

Lawn diseases can develop and persist throughout the summer depending on temperature, humidity and rainfall. Evening temperatures between low to mid 70s with high humidity can trigger disease activity. Lawn disease can quickly turn a lush, thick lawn into a patchy, thin lawn with little hope of recovery until fall aeration and seeding.

The good news is Virginia Green can protect your lawn from these diseases with fungicide applications. Our Estate Lawn Care Program includes fungicide applications in the summer months. Premium Lawn Care customers may purchase fungicide applications at an additional cost.

Fungicides are best utilized as a preventative measure before disease becomes active in the lawn.  If disease is already active, the fungicide application can immediately halt the progression of disease, and protect the lawn from further damage for up to 28-32 days.

In addition to fungicide applications, there are cultural practices homeowners may implement to help reduce the risk of lawn disease becoming active. 

• First, mow your lawn later in the day after the grass is dry. This helps prevent the spread of the disease by the mower.
• Second, water your lawn in the early morning and use deep and infrequent watering cycles. See our watering recommendations here. Be careful not to over-water, since this can increase the threat and spread of disease.
• Third, raise the cutting height on your mower to the tallest setting possible, ideally 3.5 to 4 inches. This helps minimize the unsightliness of the disease and the damage to the grass. 

If you feel that your lawn may have developed a disease, or if you have had problems with disease in the past, please contact our office for options and pricing.