How to Prevent Lawn Diseases

When your lawn goals (and your social calendar) call for lush, thick grass and vibrant green color, there's no time for lawn disease. Experts will tell you that fungal lawn diseases are pretty common. But that doesn't mean you have to settle for disappointment and shattered lawn dreams.

A lot of the same fungal garden diseases that invade your flower garden can hit your grass, too. Tune in to the root of the problem — and prevention — to control lawn disease and keep your grass gorgeous and green.

Common Causes of Lawn Disease
Lawn Stresses You Can Control
Proper Lawn Care
Restore, Repair and Enjoy

Bad weather can leave your grass more vulnerable to disease.

Common Causes of Lawn Disease

Fungal pathogens are all around us in nature, but it's when those pathogens get active that plant disease problems start. Almost all the common diseases that attack lawns trace back to a fungal problem. But that alone isn't enough to put your yard at risk.

Weather can play a big role in lawn disease. Anytime weather runs counter to what's "normal" — which is pretty normal now, thanks to climate change — grasses and other plants in your garden aren't always equipped to deal with what that weather brings. Heavy and prolonged rains, long periods of drought, ultra-cold or ultra-hot temperatures don't just stress you. They all stress your lawn, too.

Stressed plants of any kind, including lawn grass, are more susceptible to disease. With stressful conditions, fungal pathogens seize the moment and take advantage of the conditions to become active and spread. And if your lawn is already stressed — or feeling a little neglected — it's the perfect launching pad for disease.

Treating the cause, not just the symptoms, can get your lawn back on track.

Lawn Stresses You Can Control

There's not a lot you can do about the weather. But you can do something about other conditions that stress your grass and invite disease. Listen to old-school lawn advice, and you may hear the only way to deal with fungal lawn problems is to call a professional. (That's because most chemicals approved for lawn disease are only available to licensed lawn pros.)

But blowing your budget on professional applications of lawn fungicides isn't the only option you can take. Instead of fighting the symptoms, you can go straight to the root of the problem — and change the underlying issues. It's all part of doing lawn and garden your way and getting back on track for a strong, healthier lawn.

Look at lawn disease from dollar spot to brown patch and lawn rust, and you'll find recurring themes: poor air circulation, too much fertilizer, too little fertilizer, overwatering, drought stress and more.

If those sound familiar, that's because they're the same conditions that cause problems for other garden plants. And, just like with your flowering shrubs or ornamental flower garden, some lawn and garden TLC can help prevent problems before they start.

Caring for your lawn helps prevent lawn diseases.

Proper Lawn Care

With any kind of fungal lawn disease, prevention is crucial. That starts — and finishes, really — with taking care of that precious grass so it can be all that it can be. Lawn care is pretty simple when you love your lawn. Follow best practices for mowing your grass regularly. Water your lawn wisely so it gets the moisture it needs to stay thick, beautiful and unstressed.

Feeding your lawn is especially important. But don't be tempted to go overboard — more is not better when it comes to fertilizers. Grass that gets too much grows too fast and too weak. Too little keeps grass undernourished, lacking the nutrients it needs for strong growth. Both ways translate to vulnerability to lawn disease.

With Pennington Full Season Lawn Fertilizers, you can set the stage for making those lawn dreams come true. Just one application per season recharges your lawn with nutrients and keeps feeding your grass for up to four months, too.

If weed control is on your to-do list, Pennington Full Season Weed & Feed with Crabgrass Control 25-0-8 can help you kill and prevent lawn weeds as you feed your lawn. If your focus is premium once-a-season lawn nutrition, Pennington Full Season Lawn Fertilizer 32-0-5 revitalizes your soil with nutrients and beneficial microorganisms and helps your lawn thrive.

Stay an extra step ahead of fungal problems in your ornamental plants with Sevin® 3-In-1 Insect, Mite & Disease Control Flower & Shrub Ready To Spray. Just attach the container to a regular garden hose and you're ready. You can prevent and treat fungal diseases in your ornamental gardens and shrubs around your lawn.

Healthy, lush, green grass and bare feet naturally go together.

Restore, Repair and Enjoy

Once you have prevention down, don't waste time in getting your yard back in balance and beauty. You can say goodbye to lawn embarrassment, start planning that party you've been putting on hold, and practice your barefoot look.

With premium Pennington Smart Seed grass seed + fertilizer mixes and Pennington Smart Patch bare spot repair mixes, you can restore your lawn, repair any bare lawn spots, and be proud of your grass again. And you can make your lawn more sustainable and economical when you do. These convenient mixes include the components you need to nurture your tired lawn back to vitality and get your green going again.

Water-conserving Pennington Smart Seed grasses use up to 30% less water than ordinary grass seed — and they stand up to drought when ordinary grasses don't. With Pennington Smart Patch bare spot repair, depending on your grass type, you can see results in as little as 5 days and full results as soon as two weeks. (And that goes for bare spots caused by Fido as well as fungal lawn disease.)

With a little extra lawn love and Pennington in your corner, you can put lawn disease behind you and get back to enjoying your lawn. We're here to help you get a new angle on lawn and garden and do it your way. Have a question? We'd love to hear it. Let us help you make your dream lawn a reality.

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