Tips by Topic - Weed and Disease Control

WEED CONTROL LAWN TREATMENTS

Lawn and Yard Weeds

Weeds are definitely unsightly, but they are also harmful to your yard because they compete with grass and other plants for moisture, nutrients, light and space.

To control broadleaf weedssuch as dandelion, clover and thistle, apply a post-emergence herbicide, which is absorbed into the leaves and is circulated down into the root system. However, this doesn’t prevent the seeds from germinating and re-infesting a lawn.

Proper fertilization, mowing and irrigation encourage grass to grow in quickly and prevent weed growth. Lawn Doctor can help you develop a total weed treatment and prevention solution.

Crabgrass is a grassy weed, best controlled in the spring, before the weeds germinate. Germination occurs when the soil is above 65 degrees (also the time when forsythias and lilacs bloom).

While hot dry weather encourages crabgrass, a well-maintained lawn that is properly fertilized, watered and mowed rarely has crabgrass.

Your Local Lawn Doctor can provide you with a Pre-emergent Weed Control treatment to prevent weeds like crabgrass from showing up in your lawn.

DISEASE CONTROL LAWN TREATMENTS

Discolored and spotted grass leaves may be a sign of disease. Diseases, such as leaf spots, snow mold or spring dead spot, are caused by fungi. The best way to prevent disease is to keep your lawn healthy with proper mowing, watering and fertilizing.

If you notice lesions on your grass blades, particularly during cool weather, you might have leaf spots. In the summer months, the fungus infects the blades, spreads to the base of the plant and kills it. Applying a series of fungicide treatments - or calling Your Local Lawn Doctor to do it for you - will protect your lawn from devastating injury.

Snow mold is a fungus that develops in wet, cool weather and can be destructive under snow or after prolonged rain.

Serious snow mold infection can lead to crown and root rotting, so contacting a lawn disease treatment professional like Lawn Doctor can help prevent widespread lawn damage.

While raking matted spots will encourage circulation and encourage lightly infected areas to repair themselves, seriously affected areas require may require reseeding.

Bermuda grass is susceptible to spring dead spot. Caused by fungi, the disease rots shoots and roots, manifested as brightened dead spots as grass emerges from dormancy.

If you already have dead spots, Lawn Doctor will provide the right treatment to help your lawn recover.