Check your lawn for fungus disease

We had a rainy weekend. While I doubt anyone enjoys several days of rain, we desperately needed it for our lawns and gardens. However, the extended days of cool and damp weather can spell the beginning of problems in your garden.

When we have several days of those conditions, many of the fungus diseases begin to develop in your gardens, and possibly on your lawn.

You will need to be vigilant to prevent your plants from developing a fungus disease. It can be prevented by an application of a fungicide.

You can stop most fungus diseases if you catch them in their early stages. Once a fungus is well established, it is very difficult to control. There are several types of organic fungicides that will prevent the development of these diseases.

Once fungus diseases begin, the organic fungicides are not able to stop its spread. This is why you must be proactive in preventing fungus diseases if you want to have an organic vegetable garden.

Squash, cucumber, pumpkins and melons are all prone to powdery mildew once their leaves are wet for extended periods of time. It is now time to apply organic fungicides to these plants. Fungus diseases can show up in your perennial gardens too. Tall phlox, bee balm, and even hosta, can get different types of fungus diseases during extended periods of rain. Again, if you wish to have an organic approach to your garden, these plants need to be treated now with a fungicide.

Since many of you mow the lawn on the weekend and you were unable to this week, the lawn will have long blades of grass that stayed wet all the time. It is the perfect breeding ground for fungus diseases. You should check your lawn for signs of fungus disease and treat it as soon as possible.

Rose bushes are a beautiful addition to your gardens. They are, however, prone to fungus diseases. With the type of weather we have had lately, it would be best to apply a fungicide to prevent its development.

Fungus diseases are not the only things that thrive in this wet weather. Slugs and snails love it, too.

Slugs will usually only eat at night to prevent them from being dehydrated by the sun. When we get a few days of rain, they eat 24 hours a day. Under these conditions, they also have lots of baby slugs. Now would be the right time to apply slug bait to your garden.

There is an excellent organic slug bait. It is safe around pets and wildlife, and it does a very good job at controlling slugs and snails. It is placed around the base of your plants and once slugs and snails find it, they will soon die.

Rainy weather can make your garden a home to many unwanted pests. If you are proactive in their control, you can save yourself a lot of headaches in the weeks to come.

source: newburyportnews