Fungus out breaks have been minimal his year because of the lack of snow fall in the winter, to the early onset of spring in March.  Our lack of rain and drought conditions have even decreased the amount of fungus seen in eastern Iowa lawns.  Most fungus like leaf blight, leaf spot and brown patch prefer rainy or wet humid conditions.  With the lack of moisture present, there was not optimal conditions for the fungus to thrive.  Even this spring we saw minimal if any necrotic ring spot, red thread or powdery mildew.  The good news is that most of us don’t need any lawn repairs caused by fungus damage, the bad news is that most of our lawns are toast from the lack of rain.

Fungus damage can be quite severe depending on the type of fungus and how long the fungus persists before it is controlled.  Most drought damage will come back on its own with a little help.  Watering your lawn, fertilizing and over seeding are all beneficial things that can be done this fall to help your lawn recover.  Don’t forget core aeration this fall, as this process can also aid in the recovery of your lawn.

Fungus on irrigated lawns.

Most of the diseases that we saw this summer were found on irrigated lawns.  The moisture from the irrigation system along with the high humid temperatures created the perfect environment for these fungus.  If you had a fungus on your un-irrigated lawn, chances are that you probably didn’t even know that you had a fungus.  Since the grass was so dry and discolored from the lack of moisture, any grass that died out because of a fungus was hard to identify.  Only through close examination of the grass blades can you properly identify what fungus is present in your lawn this summer.  After the fact, it is almost impossible to identify what fungus was present if it is not actively growing.