Fight Fungus on Your Front Lawn With These Treatment Options

By Shelley Frost

May 03, 2025

It doesn't matter whether you're dealing with a funky foot fungus or battling fungal spores on your lawn — fighting fungus is never fun. However, staying ahead of the issue can keep your lawn from getting completely destroyed.

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What Causes Fungus to Grow on Lawns?

Fungal spores exist everywhere, including your lawn. They spread easily on the wind, through water or on people and animals. However, your lawn can be perfectly healthy, even with the spores present.

Excess moisture helps fungi thrive, so your lawn is more likely to have a fungus problem if it's wet frequently, whether that's due to rainy conditions, overwatering, poor drainage or other moisture issues.

It's more common for a fungus to take over your lawn when the grass is already stressed. Heat often causes stress, but other issues can contribute to a fungal takeover in your grass, including:

Lack of nutrients for your grass
Compacted soil
Too much thatch
Incorrectly applied fertilizer
Improper mowing, such as cutting the grass too short

How Do I Know If My Lawn Has a Fungus?

The signs of a problem can vary depending on which type of fungus is attacking your lawn. However, it's common for the grass to die as the fungus takes over. Some signs of lawn fungus include:

Patches of dry grass, often circular in shape
Brown, yellow or light green patches
Discolored or frayed grass blades
Thread-like or hair-like strands on grass blades
Powdery coating on grass
Wilting or withering
Spots on grass blades

Some of these signs can be caused by other issues. For example, periods of drought can cause your grass to dry out and look yellow or brown. However, the discoloration is often patchy if the cause is a fungus, while drought typically discolors the entire yard.

What Is the Best Lawn Fungus Treatment?

You can buy chemical fungus treatment products called fungicides to treat your lawn. They come in granular and liquid forms, with broad-spectrum options to address several types and narrow-spectrum fungicides to attack specific diseases. Follow the instructions on the product package for the best results. You may need to reapply it several times at specific intervals.

Some natural remedies may also help, especially if you catch the fungus early. One option is to combine 2 ounces of neem oil with 2.5 gallons of water and apply it to the lawn. That amount should cover 1,000 square feet. Another option is mixing 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 1 gallon of water. Adding liquid soap to the solution can help it stick to the grass blades. Apply it cautiously, as baking soda can harm grass if it's too concentrated.

If commercially available fungicides and home remedies don't work, you may need to call a professional lawn care company to help you get the fungus under control. After they treat it, you can resume your lawn care routine to keep your grass healthy and more resistant to future fungal issues.

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How Do You Get Rid of Lawn Fungus Fast?

Liquid fungicides typically work the fastest. They're often ideal for small patches of fungus-damaged grass. Granular fungicides may be slower, but they continue releasing their active ingredients over a longer period.

You can also hire a professional to address the issue. Lawn care companies can identify the specific type of disease to target it correctly. They typically have stronger treatment options and know how to apply those products correctly to fix the fungal issue without killing the grass.

How Do You Prevent Lawn Fungus?

Keeping your lawn strong and healthy is often an effective way to prevent lawn fungus. Tasks that can help include:

Mowing your lawn to the appropriate height for the variety you have without cutting too much of the blade length at once
Only watering when necessary to avoid creating overly moist conditions
Dethatching your lawn if the thatch gets thick to keep fungal spores from building up
Aerating your lawn
Overseeding your lawn with different varieties of grass to increase resistance to various types of fungi
Fertilizing just the right amount to help the grass grow without causing fertilizer burn
Testing the soil and adjusting the pH to the recommended range based on your location and grass type

You can also prevent a large-scale fungal issue by treating diseases as soon as you notice them so they don't spread and take over the entire yard.

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