Amy Krist

Well-manicured grasses leave your yard looking neat and clean. But a lot of effort goes into this. One, you must water the lawn to give the grass enough juice for growth. Second, trimming is mandatory to enhance quality development. 

In brief, the beauty of the garden lies in the amount of effort you put in. But that does not mean it is always a smooth sail. Grasses suffer from an unusual illness called the lawn rust disease. It is unlike anything you have ever seen because it discolors infected blades, making them dry to a pulp. 

Causative Agents

Bluegrass and ryegrass are the most affected. The rust, although cosmetic, alters the “greenness” of the grass blades, giving them a distinct orange appearance. But what causes the lawn rust disease?

According to scientists, the fungal disease affects turf grasses with stunted growth. Besides, the herbs are susceptible to fungal attacks in the late summer or early fall. Low nitrogen levels also amplify the condition. 

The Signs and Symptoms

How can you detect lawn rust? It’s simple. The disease manifests in the form of yellow dots on the grass blades. These patches, however, become bolder and longer with time and are easy to spot from a mile away. 

They then rapture on maturity and release the orange-looking powder on the leaf blade. The grasses, however, appear shredded as the condition worsens. Affected vegetation then becomes prone to other lawn diseases, and might suffer throughout its lifespan if nothing gets done, and soon. 

Effects

Grasses affected by lawn rust are prone to:

• A series of health-related complications
• Stunted growth
• Structural weakness
• Irritable stains
• A reduction in their ability to photosynthesize

Prevention and Cure

Therefore, how do i get rid of rust in my lawn? Below is a to-do-list that guarantees you a lifetime cure!

1. Fertilize the Yard

Lawn rust forms because of nitrogen content alterations. It is, therefore, vital that you nourish the yard with small amounts of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer throughout the growing season. Applications should, however, happen every six weeks.

It is also best that you concentrate on the affected areas. Using nitrogen-based fertilizers is, anyhow, unnecessary during the fall. Recall, a product overdose paves the way for more fungal attacks.

2. Water When It Matters

Grasses suffer from the lawn rust disease when there are imbalances in temperature and humidity levels. Curbing the nuisance is, thus, possible when you water the lawn in the morning. Watering is useful, given that it protects the grasses from the damaging effects of heat stress. 

Doing so before dawn helps the cause. Remember, plants watered early in the morning have more than enough drying-time during the day. But there is a catch. You should only water the vegetation down two to three times a week.

3. Groom the Yard Regularly

You should make lawn grooming a routine, and here is why. Cutting the blades helps remove sections affected by lawn rust. The result is a network of plants with proper air circulation. But you should not just use any mower that comes your way.

Instead, focus on getting a standard machine with a grass catcher. The catcher traps grass cuttings. It also reduces the chances of healthier grasses getting contaminated by the rust significantly.

Last, you must clean the equipment after use. Sterilization eliminates rust dust that might otherwise spill on the lawn during future grooming exercises. It’s as simple as that!

How to Eliminate Crawfish from the Lawn Fast

4. The Use of Chemical Methods

Chemicals are not that good for your yard or garden. But they come in handy when other techniques fail. All you must do is book an appointment with the landscaping experts. Recall, it is only the landscapers only who have access to the best fungicides in town. 

The experts can, therefore, buy Strobilurin and the DeMethylation inhibitor, two superior herbicides for you. These products are perfect, given they contain the rust with only a single application. They are that good! Herbal administration must, however, get done before winter. 

Conclusion

Lawn rust does not kill the plant. It only makes grasses weak and prone to other fungal attacks. Besides, it makes your yard unsightly, which is why you must curb the menace. But how do you accomplish the task without spending a lot of money? 

One, you can rely on non-chemical elimination methods. Introducing nitrogenous fertilizers, for instance, improves the quality of the grass. It also prevents the plants from developing lawn rust in the future. Regular watering and grooming also help the cause.

But then, there are chemical techniques you cannot ignore. Fungicides eliminate the lawn rust disease when all other options have failed.

Chemicals, being more intrusive, must get administered by a certified gardener or landscaper. But overall, the lawn rust disease is manageable. 

Crawfish, better known as crayfish, are lobster-like crustaceans that live in freshwater. Their colonies also thrive in ponds, paddy fields, and ditches. Woe unto you if you live in a marshy area because the crawfish might gatecrash your party.

The Center of Attraction

Crayfish are a nuisance. They burrow into lawns during the rainy season, thus hurting the landscape. With over three hundred mudbug species available, eliminating them becomes an uphill task. The most common types include the:

• Digger crayfish
• Devil crayfish
• Tasmanian giant crayfish

But what attracts them to your garden? Water puddles might be your biggest problem. They are a magnet for crawfish mounds because they provide the right conditions for habitation. 

Besides, the ponds are perfect food reservoirs, given they hold algae and other plant material in place. The colonies, if uncontrolled, cause a persisting problem on your lawn. Mitigation efforts are, therefore, vital in the fight against a crayfish invasion. 

Things You Must Do

These crustaceans are perfect home delicacies. They can, however, turn into a nightmare when they invade your property unannounced. But how do you control their numbers without hurting them?

Well, this guide will teach you how to get rid of crawfish in your lawn in the following steps. 

1. Bait Them

Crawdads make your garden unsightly. They even affect the landscape, forcing you to spend hundreds of dollars in refurbishment efforts. But do you have to endure such pains every other rainy season? It’s simple.

Setting metal crawfish traps in designated zones might save you a penny. The traps filled with chicken bait catch the crawfish alive. You can then eat them or throw them in a distant freshwater lake. Heck, you can even open a crawfish museum and make some money from your predicament.

2. Pour Lye into the Burrows

Have you exhausted all other crawfish elimination options? If so, consider using the lye to advance your agenda. Lye is a sodium hydroxide compound that eliminates crawfish colonies when poured into burrows. 

You must, however, use a tablespoon amount per mound. Also, handle the compound with care and keep it away from dogs because of its caustic nature. But overall, lye is harmless when used on the soil. 

3. Use Soapy Water

Did you know that dawn dish soap can chase the crawfish away? The detergent, when mixed with water, kills the grub the crawdads eat. Destroying the food reserves, therefore, forces the “guests” to abandon ship when it matters.

Also, soapy waters do not harm ecosystems, making them eco-friendly. 

4. Add Crayfish Repellents Into the Mounds

Crayfish repellents are costlier than other home remedies but might be perfect for eliminating crawdads from your lawn. The food-based products, whether in granular or spray form, alter the soils’ composition making it inhabitable.

Crawfish then migrate to other locations leaving your space open to refurbishment. You must, anyhow, reapply the powder often to keep the irritants at bay. Voice and gas options are also available. 

5. Build Barriers Around the Premise

Mudbugs use the route of least resistance. Erecting barriers, therefore, limits crustacean numbers in the lawn. You can then deal with the remnants by employing any of the above techniques.

Walls, however, do not make your home full-proof.

6. Flatten the Castles

Mound demolition is one of the most effective ways of dealing with crawfish numbers. The process makes the colony inaccessible. But that is not all you must do.

You need to apply natural deterrents on the entrances and exits to prevent the gutsy builders from reclaiming their property.

7. Landscape Lawn Again

As you now know, crayfish habitate small pools and puddles. It is, therefore, vital that you resculpture the land to prevent surface runoff from forming crawfish ponds. Doing so also improves lawn aesthetics.

Conclusion

There are over three hundred crawfish species known to man. However, burrowing crayfish are the most notorious for attacking kitchen gardens and backyards. Their numbers increase during the rainy season and in their wake, cause a lot of destruction. 

If unchecked, the crawfish population might grind your life to a halt. Moreover, it might put your life in jeopardy by attracting scavengers. Extermination is, thus, the only viable solution to ending the menace. 

So, how do you control mudbug numbers without harming them? One, you can set up barriers when it is dry to prevent the bugs from burrowing into your property during the rainy season. Second, you can apply DIY solutions to curb the menace. Last, you can use manufactured products to repel crayfish from their colonies. It all depends on preference. 

But all things considered, you must choose eco-friendly solutions over poison-injection techniques. Recall, organic methods prevent you from contaminating groundwater sources, something that has a ripple effect on you and other animals.

Above all, biological technologies are inexpensive and do not take long to set up.