5 Common Lawn Problems That Homeowners Face

A green lawn with thriving plants is an attractive place to relax. But this dream can take a downturn due to various factors. Here are the most common lawn problems that homeowners should expect to face at one point or another.

1. Thin Grass

Healthy grass should cover all parts of your lawn to create an amazing green, but you may notice thin areas. One possible cause is that the grass doesn't have access to sufficient nutrients due to a lack of fertilizer. The problem can also occur because the soil has become compacted or hard. This typically happens due to the activities of pets and kids.

If the thin grass is underneath a tree, the problem might be the shade. Too much shade prevents enough sunlight from reaching the grass.

2. Grass Fungal Diseases

Various types of spores and fungi are always present in your lawn and usually don't cause any problems. But various factors, including drought, overwatering, excessive application of fertilizer, and improper mowing, can cause fungi to cause diseases. Even weather changes, especially in humidity and temperature, can cause fungal diseases.

Blades of the affected grass have visible rings, threads, and brown spots. Here are other indications of fungal diseases:

Stems develop purple, orange, or black spots.

Grass blades have pink or gray coatings that look like powder.

Grass blades lose their shape and become distorted or frayed.

The exact disease depends on the type of fungi and the conditions under which the disease arose.

3. Crabgrass

Most people prefer perennial grass for their lawns because this type of grass lives year after year for several decades. In contrast, crabgrass is an annual grass that dies every year and germinates again in the next year. That means that your lawn won't have green grass in the winter but will instead have seeds from the dying grass.

People don't usually plant crabgrass, but the opportunistic plant can appear on your lawn. The grass grows in places with short or no other type of grass. The result is excessive amounts of mud in your lawn and remnants of stems and roots once the crabgrass dies. Also, most people don't find crabgrass to be an attractive type of plant.

4. White Grubs

You may have noticed brown patches of dead grass at various places on your lawn. These patches may be due to the activities of white grubs, which are also called lawn grubs. White grubs are immature scarab beetles that feed on organic matter and grass roots, causing the grass to die. The immature creatures appear white, with soft bodies and legs near the head.

White grubs usually appear in mid-to-late summer when scarab beetles lay eggs. The eggs hatch within a few weeks due to the favorable high temperatures in summer. Feeding begins as soon as the grubs hatch and reaches a climax in the fall. The grubs can also attract raccoons, skunks, and birds that further damage the grass.

5. Compacted Soil

Healthy grass in the lawn requires a constant supply of nutrients and water. The nutrients and water move from the soil to the plants via pore spaces in the soil. Good soil usually has an equal balance between solid soil and pore space. But various factors, including the use of heavy equipment on the soil and parking cars on your lawn, can cause the pore space to reduce. 

Compacted soil has insufficient pore spaces and can't provide maximum support for plant growth. The compaction becomes even worse when the soil becomes wet.

Some lawn problems are inevitable, but Bill's Lawn Maintenance will always provide a solution. Our company has been providing landscaping and lawn maintenance services for more than 30 years. Contact us to learn how we can help you.