❇️ INTRODUCTION
Landscapes and lawns are safe havens that need constant maintenance and care to sustain exuberance. Lack of proper upkeep can lead to an onslaught of various diseases and fungi. These phenomena can considerably damage your otherwise healthy landscape and its vigor.
Dealing with similar problems in your backyards? If yes, you are at the right place! To help you navigate the process easily, in this blog, MPR Landscapes will thoroughly guide you about the basic concept of fungus and disease, how they impact your landscape, and what signs indicate their presence.
❇️ WHAT IS FUNGUS AND DISEASE IN THE LANDSCAPE?
Plant diseases are caused by fungi, viruses, bacteria or certain environmental factors like injuries, low temperatures, pesticides, pollution and excess water. On the other hand, fungi are eukaryotic microorganisms commonly found in landscapes. They are essential components of the ecosystem. Some types of fungi and bacteria are important to maintain the health of your lawn.
They help decompose organic matter like mulch, compost and dead plants naturally with time. This breakdown of organic matter is significant so that nutrients get thoroughly absorbed into the soil; therefore, fungi and bacteria play crucial roles here in your landscape.
But there is a variety of fungi out there that can be quite harmful, even fatal, for the extended greenery. These types include powdery mildew, black spots, rust fungi, armillaria root rot, white mold, and downy mildew.
Now that you know about fungus and diseases, let us look at how these outbreaks can impact your landscape.
❇️ HOW DO DISEASES AFFECT YOUR LANDSCAPE?
Diseases can significantly impact your landscape’s vitality and decrease your plants’ resilience. An infection can quickly become widespread in the area, causing trees and plants to wilt and eventually die.
⭕ Compromise on Appearance and Health
Slowly the appearance of your plants and their health will decline. You will start noticing small deformities and brown coloration of leaves. They may even have stunted growth due to vicious attacks and the gradual weakening of defense mechanisms.
⭕ Low Yield
The overall yield of the plants also significantly declines after a certain period. Fewer flowers and fruits will sprout due to stunted growth and diseases. Even the quality of the yield will be affected.
⭕ Ruined Aesthetics
Perhaps the biggest drawback of having a disease infection in the landscape is to have all the aesthetics wrecked. Fungi and diseases cause plants to have dark spots, brown patches, wilts or ruptured leaves. These results of outbreaks highly reduce the aesthetic and visual appeal of your garden.
⭕ Economic Losses
Commercial landscapes like corporate parks, public gardens, sports areas, hotel grounds or theme parks can suffer heavy losses because of the diseases. Their treatment and replacement costs can put a financial strain on the owner. People who own small vegetable gardens for farming and selling purposes can also be distraught financially if their spaces are infected. It can render their businesses useless for the time being.
⭕ High Maintenance Costs
Initial stages require keen observation to determine the root cause of all problems. Then the treatments are started to fight diseases. When your landscape is infected, the maintenance costs can become relatively high due to extra care, replacement and solution costs.
If you are not well-versed in infections, you may need to hire professional landscapers like MPR Landscapes to complete the job. We excel at removing infected plants and employing viable treatments for the best results!
⭕ Disrupted Ecosystem
Diseased or dying plants disrupt the whole ecosystem thereby affecting the entire food chain. Moreover, these diseases are prone to spread rapidly around and about, putting nearby plants at risk. Apart from disrupting the balance of the ecosystem, diseases can also potentially alter the soil conditions of your landscape, rendering it unfruitful for more plantings.
The disturbance in the ecosystem also becomes evident when the loss of fruits, flowers or plants directly influences the behavior of bees and birds. Their pollination and food sources are disrupted which can prove quite disastrous.
Now that you know the drawbacks of disease infestations, it is time to focus on evident signs that identify the source of problems in your landscape. An in-depth analysis will reveal what disease you are up against and what remedies will be the most effective treatments.
Let us look at the signs you should look for in a landscape to identify fungi or diseases.
❇️ CLEAR SIGNS TO LOOK FOR!
The initial and most crucial step of the entire process is identifying the signs indicating diseases in your landscape. Only proper diagnosis can lead to the prompt implementation of efficient treatments.
Some of the signs evident in a disease-infected landscape are:
⭕ Discoloration
First and foremost, look around for any signs of discoloration on your plants. Diseases and pests attack the defense mechanisms causing plant health to deteriorate considerably. This leads to the discoloration of leaves and stems.
Fungi attacks exhibit colors like white, yellow, rusty brown or black. It is also possible that leaves only show the appearance of spots rather than complete discoloration so you have to look around meticulously for these small details.
Downy mildew, for instance, displays yellow or purple spots all over the surface of leaves, affecting a variety of plants like grapes or cucurbits. Powdery mildew, on the other hand, showcases small white spots. Another example is of rust fungi that leave orange and brownish rust-like color on the surfaces of plants. Sometimes you can also witness certain irregular shapes on leaves. These are also signs of fungal infections.
Diseases not only attack your robust plants but are also capable of ambushing your vigorous grass. If you notice brown patches or spots in an otherwise green landscape, it can potentially be the sinister workings of disease. These attacks are further intensified in months of excessive moisture.
⭕ Mold Appearance
What clearer sign to look for than the appearance of mold for a fungi disease? Mold or fungus occurs on the leaves or stems of the infected plants. They can be easily located because of their white foamy appearance.
Some prominent examples include powdery mildew, black spot, botrytis blight, and sclerotinia rot. Powdery mildew leaves a white foamy appearance on leaf surfaces and a black spot usually affects roses. It is produced by a fungus called ‘Diplocarpon rosae’ which can profoundly affect the aesthetics of your rose plants.
Sclerotinia rot causes a white mold on the leaves and stems of plants which can cause the plant to wilt. It is renowned for completely disrupting the vascular system of plants. The vascular system consists of the xylem and phloem, which are responsible for the distribution of water and minerals upward from roots to leaves and vice versa.
Damaging this system means distorting the entire internal process of plants causing malnutrition and ultimately death. Lastly, botrytis blight causes a grey mold on leaves, flowers and stems making the plant weak and prone to more infections.
Fungus or mold can also appear on the soil surface. Faulty irrigation and poor drainage play essential roles in developing fungi on the ground as these entities thrive in excessive moisture.
⭕ Wilting
The phenomenon of wilting occurs when a plant starts to lose water more than it is absorbing from the soil and starts to lose its turgidity. The leaves collapse and stems turn brown and brittle.
Gradually the plant begins to wilt because of excessive water loss, disease attack, or damage to the vascular system. Wilting kills your plants but they can still recover if the stems are green.
Wilting can also occur because of Verticillium wilt. It is caused by soil-borne fungi called Verticillium dahliae and Verticillium albo-atrum. They tactfully affect woody and herbaceous plants, moving upwards from the roots.
⭕ Deformities
Apart from discoloration, disease-infected plants also exhibit certain deformities. For instance, you can see inwardly curled up leaves, peeled barks, and holes in plants. All these signs along with late or stunted growth point towards potential disease attacks and nutrient deficiencies. Deformities can also occur due to physical damage to plants or pest infestations.
One prominent example is armillaria root rot. It is a distinct type of fungal disease affecting various woody plants and trees. It is caused by oak root fungus that results in root decay and plant rot.
Nonetheless, it is essential to note that signs like discoloration, wilting and deformities can also indicate other factors. Not every brown patch in your lawn, wilting leaf or mold appearance is caused by disease; rather it can be suggestive of factors, such as excessive water accumulation, dehydration, pesticides, and salinity.
Soil salinity can choke up the soil to a point where the plant cannot absorb nutrients and suffers from nutrient deficiencies. Thus, it starts to wilt. Similarly, too much water or too little of it can also cause your plant to die eventually.
Excessive water accumulation can lead to mold appearance of soil, decreasing its quality and rendering the space unable to produce a high yield. Proper drainage and irrigation are necessary to counter these issues and achieve sustainable goals.
❇️ LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION? MPR LANDSCAPES IS HERE WITH ALL THE RIGHT ANSWERS!
Professional and adept landscapers can efficiently provide disease control services for your landscape – residential or commercial. So if you require proficient handlers, you have come to the right place!
MPR Landscapes, with the right expertise and experience, can work wonders for your lawn. Our skilled staff members have undergone proper training to thoroughly analyze your lawn, detect the problems and present viable solutions within your demands and aesthetic criteria.
We consider your soil conditions, weather, temperature, and precipitation rate for disease control. Our practices are sustainable and eco-friendly to ensure the best results.
We diligently work and pay meticulous attention to minute details to cater to your landscape. That is why we have a prized reputation for providing excellent work, employing green practices and giving necessary maintenance for your space.
Apart from disease control, we also offer grub and pest control services with minimal disruption to your space. Our remarkable services are available for residential and commercial places. So what’s the wait? Contact us today if you have any further queries about our services!
❇️ CONCLUSION
To conclude, disease and fungus infections can significantly damage your landscape. Contrary to popular belief, some fungi types and bacteria are significant for your lawn’s health as they help decompose organic matter, such as mulch and compost.
However, other types can also cause diseases and infections in your space. The appearance of fungus can inhibit the growth of your plants, compromise the aesthetics, and decrease the overall vigor of your landscape.
You can also potentially suffer from economic losses and high maintenance costs due to treatments and replacement of plants. Moreover, the entire ecosystem gets disturbed due to diseases as they spread easily.
There are some clear signs that you should look for during the identification process. These signs include wilting, discoloration, deformities and mold appearance. Different fungi types cause different colors on leaves, such as yellow, white, rust-brown, purple, and even black spots.
Make sure to consider other factors like injuries, waterlogging, salinity or poor drainage. They are also oftentimes responsible for the wilting of plants and eventual deaths. All in all, controlling fungus and disease in the landscape is an arduous task – one that can be handled proficiently by expert landscapers like MPR Landscapes. Our premium services include lawn mowing, bed weed control, dethatching, pruning, fertilization and planting. Whatever your requests are, we are here to assist you diligently, so make your bookings today!
