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Grass Disease & White Blades

Diseases caused by bacteria, fungi and viruses can infect grass, according to the University of Florida. Grass disease is more common in lawns that have underlining health problems, however. Diseases such as powdery mildew, which leaves blades looking white, can invade lawns and cause thinning or dead grass. Fixing underlining problems, noticing signs of fungal growth and treating the grass can help you get rid of lawn diseases.

  1. Underlining Factors

    • Gardeners who keep healthy stress-free lawns reduce the risk of their lawns contracting a disease, according to the University of Florida. A few proper cultural practices include choosing the right grass type for your climate, watering in the morning, using a balanced fertilizer that doesn't promote a flush of new growth, pruning back trees casting too much light and managing your thatch, according to North Dakota State University. Also, mowing your lawn with sharp blades will prevent wounding grass. Wounds made from dull blades produce an entryway for fungal diseases.

    Lawn Diseases

    • A host of lawn diseases that can infect grass. Fungal spores cause most lawn, according to North Dakota State University. Diseases such as leaf spot, melting out, typhula blight, fasarium patch, red thread, rust and necrotic ring spot can infect lawns. Most of these diseases thrive during cool moist temperatures. Fungal spores are able to germinate and spread through the wind, rainwater, irrigation runoff or through foot traffic. Powdery mildew is one of the few fungal diseases that is at its most severe during hot temperatures.

    Powdery Mildew

    • Erysiphe graminis fungal spores cause powdery mildew. Gardeners may see a thin layer of white powder coat their lawn area. The powdery substance is actually fungal spores sucking up the nutrients from your grass blades. When powdery mildew infects lawns in the shade, it can cause grass blades to turn yellow. Lawns are most susceptible to the disease during July through September, according to the University of Rhode Island.

    Fungal Disease Treatment

    • Numerous lawn diseases including powdery mildew can be treated by altering cultural practices. Gardeners with powdery mildew infected lawns must re-seed area where the disease has thinned out grass. If these areas are shady, use a shade tolerant grass type such as zoysia or supina bluegrass. Other fungal diseases such as stripe smut, fusarium patch, typhula blight and rhizoctonia blight may need to be treated with a fungicide depending on the severity of the disease's spread and damage.

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Growing Grass
  1. How to Trim Zebra Grass
  2. Brown Spots on the Blades of St. Augustine Grass
  3. Orchardgrass Diseases
  4. My Grass Has White Spots
  5. Grass Fungus Problem
  6. Diseased Grass
  7. General Yellowing From Lawn Diseases
  8. Brown Grass Fungus
  9. Brown Patch Disease in Fescue Grass
  10. Fungi in My Grass Lawn
  11. Sod Diseases
  12. Fungal Diseases in Grasses

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