Identifying Lawn Problems
Identifying lawn problems can be difficult for even seasoned landscapers. It is likely that your lawn problem will belong to one of these categories: Insects, Lawn Disease, Weeds, Moss, Moles, or Drainage Problems.
- Easy to identify. Visible on surface or visible after rolling back a bit of grass.
- Common ones are grubs and chinch bugs.
- Animals such as skunks, raccoons, birds, and moles start digging up the turf to feed on them.
- Usually affects large, widespread area.
- Treat with insecticide. Take precaution for yourself, children and pets.
- Harder to identify. Need a microscope to see the responsible fungus, bacteria, or virus.
- Circular or irregular patches of browning grass.
- Generalized thinning and browning in various parts of the lawn.
- A common lawn fungus is mushrooms.
- Most common.
- More than just a visual nuisance because they also compete with grass for water, nutrients, space, and light.
- Flourish in scalped lawns. Mow higher.
- Easily treated with herbicide labeled for that weed. Read labels carefully.
4. Moss
- Often grows where grass cannot, forming an erosion control that’s green and requires no maintenance.
- Lawn moss is better than bare soil, so judge your area. If you determine that grass cannot survive, then leaving the moss may be a better choice.
- Usually caused by acidic soil (low ph) or not enough sunlight.
- Killing it is an easy task. Most garden centers carry Moss-Be-Gone, etc. However, trying to grow lawn moss is quite difficult, so be sure that eradicating it is your best choice.
5. Moles
- Entrance holes resemble miniature volcanoes
- They leave little tunnels all over the lawn.
- There are several ways to get rid of them.
- Too much or too little water can be a problem
When people can not pinpoint the problem, they often end up doing more harm than good. If you want expert advice, sign up online for TruGreen ChemLawn's Free Lawn Analysis.
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