Leaf Spot is a surprisingly common lawn disease that can affect many lawns worldwide. On it’s own it doesn’t cause huge amounts of problems but it can lead to problems further down the road.
Not only that, but leaf spot looks unsightly, and makes your lawn appear as though it is underfed.
As with most types of lawn disease, these tell-tale symptoms show us that the lawn is not at it’s healthiest.
Regular watering is key (although we shouldn’t over-water with leaf spot), as is good aeration and scarification and even a fungicide application. Regular mowing also helps, and keeping the clippings off also helps to avoid the spread of disease. Water early in the morning so that the lawn can dry out quickly. Ensuring good fertilization can also help deal with the symptoms.
Leaf spot is caused by the fungi called “Helminthosporium“. In the spring the fungi causes the leaf spot disease where you see round shapes with a darker outer edge. Later on in the summer this can lead to a condition known as “melting out”.
It survives as a spore in the winter and forms the tell-tale Mycelium (fungus strands) in the turf at other times. During the summer when the melting out phase occurs, the lawn will dry out and look as though infested with grub infestations or even looking as though it is suffering from drought stress.
Let us help advise. Give us a call or contact us and we will be happy to help advise. often a fungicide application along with aeration or additional fertilization will be the remedy.