It is not very often that customers of The Lawn Dawg are advised concerning an abundance of water but the weather of the previous two weeks is creating a perfect environment for several serious lawn care issues.  Most of the time throughout the spring and summer we remind our customers that their lawn will need to receive sufficient water to remain looking green and healthy but this recent stretch of rainy weather will have a negative impact on the health and vigor of your lawn.  We thought it necessary to contact you to help you better understand how too much water can cause your lawn stress.
 
First of all it is important that you understand that the cloudy rainy weather really can impact your lawn in several different ways.  You probably have gotten a little bit behind on mowing and your lawn is a little bit taller than it should be.  When you mow your lawn after long stretches of rainy cloudy weather you will notice that the color will be impacted.  It is always best to try to only remove one third of the grass plant at a time so we are recommending that you raise your mower height to the highest setting while you catch up with mowing. Expect your lawn to be a lighter green after you do get it cut.
 
Secondly after you mow, you may notice that your lawn has an orange tint to it.  One of the biggest issues with cool rainy weather is the abundance of lawn care diseases.  The most commonly seen lawn care disease during these conditions is "leaf spot."  It will show up as yellow or orange lesions on the blades of grass and will cover your entire lawn greatly reducing the strength of color.  PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS TEMPORARY AND A DIRECT RESULT OF THE WEATHER.  The biggest problem with leaf spot is that it usually impacts the entire lawn and not just certain areas.  You will notice that your lawn will  have a general yellow coloration.  To lesson the effect leaf spot has on your lawn please mow high, bag your clippings and as mentioned early try not to mow more than one third of your grass plant off at once.  Leaf spot usually will not cause actual damage to your lawn and is largely a cosmetic issue.  Seldom do we need to use chemical controls as it is always our goal to reduce our use of pesticides.
 
You may notice a few other things that this cloudy rainy weather will do to your lawn.  Another disease called "Red Thread" may cause small brown/red circles on the turf.  This is a result of too much water but should disappear quickly as the sun warms temperatures. 

 

Anywhere there is something rotting in the soil under your lawn you will probably see mushrooms on the surface.  These mushrooms will also disappear as things dry out.