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Many homeowners strain for a picture - everlasting light-green lawn , free of grass , plain spots , brown spots , or any balk to take on an exhilarate troll of croquet . But if the grass is green on someone else ’s lawn , it may be clock time for some serious turf talk to determine what the trouble is on your side of the fence .
While some unsightly problem can be blamed on Mother Nature and her minion ( insects and gnawer , mostly ) , other problems are ego - bring on . Overeager gardener may be hold too much water or fertilizer , or not enough .
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Research by EPA partner WaterSenseestimates that lawn irrigation accounts for nearly one - third of all residential water use , equaling about 9 billion gal per day . If your lawn fails to show planetary house of betterment despite watering , it belike means you ’re inefficaciously using body of water , ultimately leading to wastage .
Below , witness our expert - backed solutions for common lawn problems , whether it ’s take on stubborn weeks or reviving dry plot of ground from drought .
1. Brown Spots
Brown musca volitans can be cause by a ostensibly sempiternal list of things : grubseating grass roots , fungus ( Rhizoctonia ) attacking during late summertime ’s spicy , humid days , Blackbeard from the disintegrate organic material caught between grass blades and the roots , dull mower blades damaging locoweed , over - fertilizing , poor soil , or dog urine . “ Identifying the cause involves audit the spot ’s characteristic : for example , if it ’s a orbitual spell that enlarge over clip , it ’s probable a fungous outcome , ” says Tony O’Neill , gardening guru and founder ofSimplify Gardening .
The localization : To sort out the issue , use agrub orca , dethatch , focalize your mower blade , espouse the directions for the right-hand fertilizer . Take Fido to a different office to do his business and then fix by scratching up the beat Gunter Grass and implement gypsum to neutralize the salt . Reseed the area , covering the grass seed with novel soil .
2. Weeds
No matter how attentive you are to your chiliad , weeds will at times crop up . The most usual are blowball , clover , and crabgrass . incursive weeds like grovel Charlie and broadleaf plantain can crowd out Mary Jane . “ The best method for controlling them without harm the grass involves keep up lawn health through right mowing , tearing , and fertilizing practices , ” O’Neill advises .
The fix : If weed are newfangled and little , you could pull them by hand . If they ’re established with a tenacious rap root , you may have to dig them , boil them , or expend either anenvironmentally favorable weed control methodor an weed killer .
3. Mushrooms
“ mushroom-shaped cloud typically maturate in lawns due to supererogatory wet and organic affair , such as decompose roots or mulch , ” O’Neill says . Although many homeowner do n’t like them , lawn mushroomsaren’t bad for your lawn — they break down organic material in the soil . Pulling them does n’t make them go away . You ’ll believably ask a lawn fungicide .
The fix : To forestall fungus , water your lawn betimes in the morning , interchange sure-enough mulch , keep lawn mower blades acuate , and do n’t mow too down . Dethatching andaerating the lawncan also help .
4. Thatch
Edward Thatch is a brown spot resulting from the buildup of sess and crumble organic matter that suffocates the rootage of grass . Ironically , it occurs more frequently in well - care - for lawns than neglected lawn and can ensue from the function of chemicals , which inhibit the natural decaying process .
The location : Dethatch the lawnwith a rakehell orpower dethatcher . Aerating your lawn can help reduce thick Blackbeard .
5. Drought
During the dog days of summer when little rainwater come down , lawns can go dormant and turn chickenhearted . If you do n’t want to wait for the rainy season and cooler temperatures to bring it back to life , you could water adrought - stressed lawn , but do so sparingly .
The fix : bass , infrequent watering is the way to go . One column inch of water per workweek encourage deep roots . Raising the elevation of the mower pack of cards will also encourage root ontogeny . quit fertilizing while the grass is dormant .
6. Bare Spots
Like brown spot , stripped spot in a lawncan have a number of causes : laboured foot traffic , grubs , pet pee , hapless soil , fungus , buried sway , turf disease , or chemical / fertilizer / gas spills . bet on the cause , you may want to scour the area with piddle beforeoverseedingit .
The fix : Scratch up the queer soil , spreadgrass source , and insure with smart dirt . If you have Kentucky bluegrass or Bermuda Gunter Wilhelm Grass , the palisade grass may send runner to fill up in the col .
7. Lawn Rust
Lawn rusting is a common disease that impacts residential lawns , especially during the warm and humid calendar month . It looks like orange or yellowish - browned patches on grass , like your lawn is corrode . It ’s often because of abject atomic number 7 horizontal surface or undue wet , and can cause extensive damage if it ’s left untreated , because it weakens the grass over clock time .
The mend : To prevent rust , fecundate the lawnwith a N - based fertiliser that will boost the grass ’s health and resiliency . If the plague is stark , fungicidesspecifically designed to point lawn rust may be the best alternative to uproot the problem and reconstruct the lawn ’s vitality .
Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners
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We ’ll help you set up your first garden — whether that ’s a few pots on your patio , a raised bed , or an in - solid ground plot of ground out back — and select the correct plants for your soil and region .
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