Powdery Mildew on Lawns

Also found some Powdery Mildew on a lawn today. Just in a corner. Shady spot by a fence where there is likely little air movement. Even though we have not had much rain in the last 3 weeks, we did get a quick sprinkle the other day. Plus we have been getting heavy dew.
That may be just enough moisture to allow the Mildew to grow.

Powdery Mildew is another lawn disease that is not normally fatal. It does discolour the blades and can be unsightly. Grass blades that are severely infected may turn yellow and die.

Often the mildew attacks the lawn because of the conditions in that location. If it is a shady area, increasing the amount of sunlight that penetrates will reduce powdery mildew. This can work if you trim a tree or shrub. The trimming may also increase air circulation in that area. Much harder to do much if the shade is caused by the garage or the house.

Lawn care disease treatments are not normally needed for powdery mildew on home lawns.

Overseed the affected area with a more shade tolerant turf species. Or perhaps, rethink the need for lawn in that spot and replace it with a shrub, mulch or ground cover.

If you have a lawn/tree/shrub that needs some Tender Loving Care- get The KING OF GREEN:

Turf King Home

Click here to Request a Quote Online -

or call us at 905.318.6677 or 1.888.TURFKING (887.3546)

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Rusty Shoes from the Lawn

Walked across a lawn this morning. My shoes come out looking rather "rusty."

Reason: This lawn had a good crop of Rust Disease. Rusts are prevalent on lawns this time of year. Good thing my shoes were dark brown and not white. If they had been white running shoes they would have been really orange in colour. The disease is not sporulating. The grass blades are covered with the spores of the rust. They are getting ready to be blown away to land on some other lawn down stream.

Rust disease is not usually a fatal problem. Often it is due to the weather and other factors. Right now, I would say the dry weather we have been having has caused some stress to grasses. Their growth has slowed down and the Rust has had a opportunity to invade the turf tissue.

Here's another lawn where there is a big patch of Rust disease.

Solutions- Normally this disease will grow out and disappear. In the meantime it does discolour the lawn and give it an unhealthy appearance.

1 Mow the lawn higher to allow the grass to start growing

2 If necessary water the lawn to help it to start growing. Especially this year, as the last few weeks have been extremely dry. Avoid watering in the evening.

3 Depending on when you last applied fertilizer, an application to encourage the grass to grow will help the disease to be "grown" out. Make sure to use a fertilizer that is mostly slow release.

(Turf King uses a 75% slow release product-this is the best, but a 50-60% slow release is adequate for this time of year.)

4 Aerating the lawn will also encourage new roots to form. This will in turn encourage more top growth.

If you have a lawn/tree/shrub that needs some Tender Loving Care- get The KING OF GREEN:

Turf King Home

Click here to Request a Quote Online -

or call us at 905.318.6677 or 1.888.TURFKING (887.3546)

If you would like more information, please Contact us

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Copyright 2009 Turf King-Hamilton. All Rights Reserved.