Lawn Care and Disease Control

Without a preventive disease program, your tall fescue lawn in the Greater Nashville area will become diseased starting in May. Fungus thrives in warm, humid conditions, making it particularly prevalent during the summer months when night time temperatures are above 60F.

The most common disease in tall fescue is brown patch; it's caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani. Brown patch is more likely to occur in July and early August, when tall fescue is at its highest stress and lowest growth.

Another one you'll see is dollar spot, which is a fungal disease caused by the fungus Clarireedia jacksonii. When the pathogen is active and dew is present, a white, cottony, or cobwebby growth of fungal mycelium is visible. Late spring to early summer is prime time for dollar spot.

Dollar Spot

To effectively control lawn disease, it's essential to practice proper cultural practices, such as mowing at the correct height and frequency, watering deeply but infrequently at the right time of day, and ensuring good soil drainage. It's also important not to confuse disease with drought stress during the summer.

Throughout your service with us, we're always here to consult with and guide you to ensure that the you're getting the outcomes you desire for your lawn. Horticuture is our passion and we enjoy discussing the subject with out customers.

Drought Stress

While summertime conditions present the optimal conditions for brown patch and dollar spot in tall fescue, the potential for these diseases, and others, in the fall still exist. That's why year-round monitoring of your grass for signs of disease is important to maintiain the aesthetic quality of your lawn.

Whenever we're performing a preventive treatment on your lawn, we're also on the lookout for indications of other potential issues; given the flucuating temperatures peculiar to Middle, TN, disease and insect infestation can occur late into the fall season.

There are also many biotypes of these fungal disease. Fungal biotypes are specific variations of a fungus that have different characteristics and responses yet can share the same niche.

So there's never really a time to relax. Vigilence is the key. When you're our customer, we take that stress and worry off your shoulders. You enjoy your lawn, we do the research and the work.