Controlling Weeds, Pests, and Diseases In Our Home Lawns

In this final article in the series of Universal Lawn Care Tips, Weeds | Pests | Diseases discusses the invaders who want to take over our lawns and establish themselves in it’s place, the article concludes to reveal that the best defence is a great offence, read on to reveal all.

If there is one universal truth in growing and maintaining a lawn, it’s that we will always have to deal with unwanted invaders onto our carpets of green. Invaders whose single purpose is to take over our lawn, destroy it, and establish itself in our lawns place. These invaders are weeds, pests and diseases, and why wouldn’t they want to live here, it’s an environment which is cared for and has plenty of nutrients and water. It’s our job as lawn owners to battle these invaders and win, it may sound difficult but in reality it is not, it’s just a normal part of our easy lawn care regime we use to maintain our lawns.

Another of the universal truths in lawn care is that “A healthy lawn is the best defence against weeds, pests and diseases”. A healthy lawn has a deep root system, is well nourished, is thick and lush, and strong.

These characteristics reduce the possibility of weed seeds to establish inside a lawn, and if they do establish then it is very difficult for the weed to out-compete the healthy lawn for either root space or space to grow within the thick lawn matting. On rare occasions that a weed takes hold and does establish, the healthy lawn can easily outgrow and out-compete, and smother the unwanted weed.

The same principles apply to invading pests like ants and others, which require worn out turf areas in order to establish and flourish.

Diseases are usually the same, they love lawns which are already weakened, and thrive without resistance in their quest to spread into and destroy our lovely sod.

You see, all three of these invaders flourish under the same environments, using the same principles of establishment and domination. They seek out a weak host (your lawn) and establish themselves. Once established, they quickly get to work growing and spreading as fast as possible. Their only aim is to take over our lawns, and fast.

It’s easy to see the principle at work here, a weakened lawn invites invasion, and it’s just as easy to see the solution to the problem is a healthy lawn in peak condition.

There are many different types of cures available for each problem our lawns face, whether it is Spring Dead Spot, Army Worm, or Wintergrass. All solutions usually require applications of one type of chemical or another, or in the case of multiple problems we may need to apply many different types of chemicals to aid in ridding our lawns of these lawn invaders. The trouble with these types of defences are their impact on the environment, and in today’s ever growing awareness of the importance of taking care of our environment, it’s just no longer acceptable to use chemicals unnecessarily and unrestrained.

The solution and the best defence against all these sod invaders is and always will be the best offence- “Prevention” and “Good Lawn Health” and “Good Lawn Care”. Keep following these few simple lawn care practices for a great lush green lawn which will ward off all invaders before they can take a foothold.

Thank you for taking the time to read this series of the essential Universal Lawn Care Tips, as the name suggests - they were designed to be universal, to be used in any environment, on any grass variety, and in any region of the world. These are the Universal Lawn Care Tips, and if practised properly and routinely, these tips will ensure a lush green carpet of turf that will be the envy of neighbours, no matter where you live.

About the Author
Steve Beckmand is an established and respected Lawn Care professional based in Perth, Australia. For all lawn lovers and anyone interested in a better lawn, please visit The Lawn Guide at http://www.thelawnguide.com.au/