By Sharon Omahen
University of Georgia
Volume XXVIII
|
Every spring, homeowners start paying more attention to their
lawns. And when
it comes to preventing turf diseases, University of Georgia
experts say it’s
better not to go overboard in caring for your grass.
“Ninety percent of turf disease could be prevented if
homeowners properly managed
their lawns,” said Mila Pearce, an integrated pest management
specialist with
the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Pearce spends her days identifying plant diseases from
samples or digital images
forwarded by county extension agents and homeowners to her
Griffin, Ga., lab.
She diagnoses ornamental, turf, orchard and vegetable problems
on home and commercial
landscapes and golf courses. “I can make chemical
recommendations,” she said.
“But unless you correct what you’re doing wrong to welcome
diseases to your
lawn, you’re just spraying money onto your lawn.”
The No. 1 mistake
Pearce says the No. 1 mistake homeowners make when caring for
their lawn is
overwatering. Drought-enforced watering schedules often result
in home owners
watering their lawns too much, too. “Water studies suggest
that when they have
to abide by a watering schedule, people apply water several
times in short intervals
to their lawns,” Pearce said. “This creates turf diseases.
And, ironically,
it may increase water consumption.”
One reason too much water can be harmful to your home lawn is
that it creates
a perfect environment for diseases.
“Diseases love warm temperatures and high humidity,” she
said. So how do you
give your lawn the water it needs without putting out a
welcome mat for unwanted
diseases? Pearce recommends irrigating your lawn in the early
morning.
“This gives your lawn plenty of time to dry during the day,”
she said. “You
want to maximize the amount of water consistent with good
growth but with the
least amount of surface wetness.” An example would be to water
thoroughly once
a week until the top 1 or 2 inches of soil is wet, as opposed
to watering three
times a week for 30 minutes. “The longer any plant is wet,
Pearce said, “the
more you invite diseases.”
So how much water do you really need?
Base the amount of water you apply on the type of soil you
have. “In south
Georgia, the sandy soils allow for most turf grasses to be
watered one day a
week,” she said. “But if you live in north Georgia, the clay
soils tend to hold
water longer, and this may allow homeowners to decrease
irrigation intervals.”
Just as their soils differ, the different grasses grown in
north and south
Georgia allow for disease disparities.
North diseases, South diseases
“Homeowners in south Georgia are beginning to see Take-all
root rot in their
lawns,” Pearce said. “It mostly affects St. Augustine and
Bermuda grass, and
the symptoms are die-back, browning and thinning.”
North Georgians typically see more brown patch. People often
start out with
a disease called dollar spot, Pearce said.
The control recommendation for dollar spot is a proper
irrigation and fertilization
schedule. “Homeowners usually overdo it and end up with brown
patch, which is
caused by wet soils and high fertility,” she said. If you
think you have a disease
in your lawn, or you’re not sure which fertilizer to apply, or
how often to
water your lawn, Pearce has a one-size-fits all
recommendation. “When in doubt,
call your county extension office,” she said. “They’ll know
exactly what to
recommend for your area and for your specific grass type.”
And chances are, if they aren’t sure which disease it is,
they’ll call Pearce
for help.
