All lawns are susceptible to fungus diseases. The fungi that cause them are microscopic, thread-like organisms that move around via air or water-borne spores. These spores are all around us, and they produce new infections whenever environmental factors such as temperature, moisture, light, nutrients and stress levels favor disease development. Spring is an especially vulnerable time since many fungus diseases are able to spread quickly in cool, moist weather. Not all fungus diseases are fatal, but they can definitely detract from your lawn’s appearance while reducing its overall health.

Some of the more common fungus diseases seen in the spring include snow mold, slime mold, red thread, leaf blight & powdery mildew. Symptoms can range from simple spots on grass blades to discolored patches of turf to completely dead areas. Fungicides can suppress these diseases, but for lasting control, it’s important to build a healthy lawn that’s able to fight them off. This can be done with proper watering, mowing, fertilization, and aeration practices.

If you do suspect that your lawn is suffering from fungus disease, you should have it inspected as soon as possible to determine an effective course of treatment.