Thatch is a layer of organic and inorganic material that forms between your grass and the soil surface - and in many cases, can cause problems for your lawn care efforts. If you have thatch over 1/2 inch thick, then you may be creating a favorable environment for lawn pests to breed in, and making it harder for your natural grass to flourish.

The biggest cause of thatch problems are when you overwater or overfertilize your grass. The primary component of thatch is turfgrass stems and roots - overwatering and overfertilizing (putting too much nitrogen in the soil) causes your grass to grow too quickly, and in turn the stems and roots start to build up faster than they are broken down. While it might seem like grass clippings contribute to this as well, they actually do not. Because the clippings are high in water content, they are broken down relatively quickly.

You also have to look out for thatch if your soil has conditions that are favorable to it. Conditions favoring thatch include heavy, wet soils; alkaline, or high pH soils; and soil compaction. Be especially aware if your soil has any of these qualities.

If you notice that your thatch is starting to get out of control, then it’s a good idea to aerate the lawn. These small holes help to ease the thatch - however, aerating can be a time consuming procedure. In the long run however, it is beneficial to get it down as soon as you can, or you may have significant lawn damage.

Identifying lawn disease

Lawn disease is perhaps the biggest fear of any lawn owner because it is the most difficult to spot. You can see your grass dying, or that it doesn’t look right, but you may not know why, especially if you’ve taken care to maintain it correctly. If you think something is wrong with your lawn, but it isn’t pests or weeds, you may have a lawn disease. The first step in curing your lawn, then, is to identify what, if any disease may be infecting your lawn.

Adding to the difficulty of identifying lawn disease is the fact that incorrect, watering, urination (from animals) and even pesticides can mimic the looks of a disease. If your lawn looks like it has a disease, first look to the most obvious culprit: yourself. Have you watered your lawn correctly, used the right amount of chemicals in the right volumes, and made sure that animals aren’t running free on your lawn? If you can rule out those, then it’s time to figure out if a disease is to blame.

Disease symptoms

Lawn diseases are commonly caused by fungi that start to grow on your grass. If you notice leaf spots, white powdery substances on grass blades, or if large patches of lawn are inexplicably dying, you may have a disease. If you don’t feel sure about treating a disease, or are unsure if you actually have one, take a sample of the infected grass to a lawn care professional and have them test it. They can also provide advice and care for curing your lawn of any diseases.

Seasonal diseases

Certain diseases tend to happen only during certain seasons, so knowing what can occur when will help narrow down a diagnosis for you. Gray snow mold and pink snow mold occur in the fall and winter months, usually where snow has gathered. Gray snow mold causes areas of grayish, matted moldy grass while pink snow mold causes a rusty or brown color to surface in a ring in areas of your lawn.

In the summer months, brown patch, dollar spot, pythium blight and rust can affect your lawn. Brown patch occurs when you overfertilize and the weather is hot and humid, and makes the grass appear dark and wet in circular areas. Dollar spot infects low nitrogen lawns particularly during drought. This disease makes the grass appear mottled and straw colored. Pythium blight occurs on soils and effects the entire grass plant. It is prevalent where soil has poor drainage. Look for reddish brown wilted patches suddenly appearing on your lawn. Rust appears on lawns that are shaded and low in fertility during how and dry spells. The lawn starts to appear orange or yellow from a distance when this disease hits.

The best treatment for these disease is prevention. While disease can creep up on even the most careful lawn owner, making sure you constantly maintain your lawn can prevent most disease from happening. If you do find your lawn is diseased, the best way to get rid of it is to make sure you start taking proper care of your lawn. Mow and keep any brush off the diseased area, and consult a lawn care provider about any additional steps to take to get rid of the disease and get your lawn healthy again.