When big patches of your lawn suddenly turn brown, it’s easy to panic.
What the heck is happening out there?
Alien attack?
Giant underground worms?
A lawn-destroying super villain?
Great imagination. You must have super cool nightmares. But it’s more likely lawn fungus or insects.
Lawn insects vs fungus — how to tell what’s damaging your grass
First, It’s Tricky
Lawn damage from disease or insects tends to look the same. It’s brown.
But if you’re not afraid to do some detective work, and get down and maybe dirty for a close-up look, there are a few signs:
Is It Billbugs?
Adult billbugs chew holes into grass blades and deposit eggs inside. Their kids are a big pain, too. When larvae hatch, they eat grass from the inside out and continue chowing down from the roots to the tips.
Your lawn becomes a big billbug buffet.
How do you know if you have billbugs?
If you have dead grass, give it a tug. If the blades break off easily, the stems look hollow, and you see stuff that looks like sawdust, billbugs are the likely villain.
Is It Grubs?
Lawn care in Idaho Falls and Boise means battling grubs, a slimy, gross, and super hungry lawn pest. August is a big month for grubs around here.
Grubs are the larvae of Japanese beetles, June beetles, chafers, and other beetles.
Soft, squishy grubs feed on grass roots and organic matter in the soil, causing sections of your grass to die.
Have you noticed moles, skunks, raccoons, or birds digging around your turf, that can be a sign of grubs.
Other signs of lawn grubs:
- If you can roll up pieces of your lawn like loose carpet, you probably have grubs. They eat the roots holding the turf firmly in place on the soil.
- Walk on your lawn. If it feels spongy, you could have grubs.
Is It Sod Webworms?
Is your lawn damage from disease or insects? If you walk across your lawn and see a lot of moths fly up as you’re walking, you likely have sod webworms. (Also, that’s kind of startling, right?)
Their hungry larvae feast on grass leaves and stems near the soil surface. They do the most damage in mid to late summer.
You’ll notice small brown spots begin to appear on grass, then the spots quickly grow and intersect.
If you’re brave enough to kneel down for an up-close look, you can see the larvae’s distinctive web-lined tunnels that give them their name.
Is It Lawn Fungus or Insects?
The humidity of summer makes your lawn more susceptible to fungus. It can strike really fast.
Lawn damaged by fungus will often have a brown dead spot where the grass has died, but a lighter yellow-ish-brown ring around that where the fungus is spreading.
Lawn Fungus or Insects? Ask a Lawn Pro
Even if you’re armed with a list of handy tips, it’s tough to tell exactly what’s killing your grass. Unless you’re a lawn care pro.
Your best bet is to call on professionals, who can diagnose your problem and suggest an action plan.
If it’s lawn fungus, the type of disease will determine the course of treatment. Fungicides can help.
When it comes to insect control, it depends on the bug.
No one insecticide kills all pesky lawn bugs. Some need a control that targets them underground. Others need surface control that zaps them in the grass.
A skilled lawn care technician can diagnose your bug problem and recommend the right solution.
Lawn Fungus or Insects: Help Prevent Both with a Healthy Lawn
Both insects and lawn fungus hate a healthy lawn.
A well-fed and maintained lawn can stand up to attack better than one that’s hungry and stressed by drought.
Do your part by establishing healthy turf, including proper fertilizing, watering, and mowing. Don’t mow your lawn too short. And don’t water every day. Water less often, for longer periods.
And keep your mower blades sharp. Grass blades that are torn by dull mower blades are not only susceptible to lawn fungus, they also help to spread it across your lawn by introducing it to healthy grass while it clings to the mower blades.
Keep your grass thick, lush, and healthy with a lawn care service annual maintenance program for healthy, strong roots.
Is Your Lawn Ready for a New Best Friend?
Lawn damage from disease or insects isn’t as exciting as an alien attack or giant underground worms. But at least you can do something about it.
If you want simple, hassle-free lawn care in Idaho Falls or Boise, ID that offers quality core lawn care services for a healthy, impressive lawn, it doesn’t get easier than Lawn Buddies.
No stressing about which complicated combination of lawn care services will get you beautiful dark green grass.
You don’t have time to fuss with all that. Give yourself a break.
Welcome to one premium, six-visit lawn care program that includes everything your lawn needs to grow healthy and green.
Fertilizer, weed treatments, and grub control, all wrapped up in six visits, each perfectly timed throughout the season, so your grass is green and strong and resists weeds.
We’ve got your back.
Got a few minutes? That’s all you need to get started.
Fill out the form on this page.
Call us at (208) 656-9131.
Or read more about our services.
Then kick back and relax in your healthy, thriving yard.
Image Source: sod webworms
