Recent rains create potential for lawn problems

A corner lot on Jefferson City's Boonville Road features a myriad of neat flower beds, flanked by two pin oak trees in the front yard. Peggy Salmons takes great pride in her yard and garden work at her residence, shown in this May 23, 2016 file photo.
A corner lot on Jefferson City's Boonville Road features a myriad of neat flower beds, flanked by two pin oak trees in the front yard. Peggy Salmons takes great pride in her yard and garden work at her residence, shown in this May 23, 2016 file photo.

Don't mow when it doesn't grow. Don't mow when it's extremely wet.

Those are two rules of thumb of lawn care during years of feast-or-famine rainfall, according to University of Missouri Extension turf specialist Brad Fresenburg.

Well-maintained lawns recover quickly when rain renews them after long dry periods. Check your lawn to make sure it isn't too saturated before firing up the mower. Mowing too soon after a heavy rain leaves marks in soggy lawns and compacts soil. Mowing when the lawn is wet also produces unsightly clumps of clippings that lead to more lawn deterioration.

Walk on your lawn to test firmness before mowing. "Use common sense," Fresenburg said.

Recent heavy rains may also create other problems for lawns, especially disease occurrence. Many of these issues you may need to wait to remedy until fall.

Pythium blight is a lawn disease that may follow recent heavy precipitation and high temperatures. The disease is more common on Kentucky bluegrass lawns but also can occur in tall fescue lawns, said MU Extension turf management specialist Lee Miller.

Brown patch on tall fescue has been prevalent this summer and worsens with heat and moisture, Miller said. Most products found over the counter for home use are ineffective. Fertilizer applied now makes the diseases much worse. "If you're not going to spray an expensive fungicide, then let it ride and reseed in the fall," Miller advised.

Bermuda grass, a warm-season weed, "is raging right now," Miller said. Little can be done now to get rid of this invasive, hard-to-control weed, so be patient. A professional service may be able to knock back Bermuda grass in the fall, but not now, he said.

Fresenburg and Miller also warn against using insecticides and other lawn care products in general prior to forecasted heavy rains.