Can a Lawn Mower Spread Fungus?

Mowing your lawn is an essential part of owning a healthy yard, but why is there always fungus all over the place? You might feel like you’re going crazy, but there’s some science behind the reason that your grass is covered from end to end in ever-growing fungus. Fortunately, you’re in the right place to find out how to stop it in its tracks.

Lawn mowers can spread fungus because the spores attach to the wheels, blades, and deck of the machine. When you push or ride the mower around, you’ll end up bringing the spores everywhere you go. To stop this from happening, use a fungus treatment on your yard and mower regularly.

Throughout this article, you’ll also learn the following info about why your lawn mower spreads fungus:

• Various causes that make your lawn mower pull fungus around the grass
• How you can stop it from continuing
• Additional info about different lawn care tools that promote fungal growth

Why Do Lawn Mowers Spread Fungus?

Mowing your lawn is supposed to be good for the environment and the longevity of the grass. It’s one of the integral parts of yard care, but did you know that it could be the main reason that there’s so much fungus? People often forget that lawn mowers need to be cleaned, unfortunately.

Here’s a list of five reasons that your mower might be spreading fungal spores:

1. Fungal spores attach to the deck of your mower. As explained by Backyard Gadget, the deck of your mower harbors all sorts of grass, leaves, weeds, and other debris. When you cut the fungus, it’s dusted up into the deck. Every time you push the mower from thereon out, you’ll spread the fungus.
2. The wheels get caked with grass and fungus. Once the grass is cut, it tends to get caked on the wheels of your mower. You’ve probably noticed the black wheels look like they’re dark green at some point. Although you can’t see it, the green grass has microscopic fungal spores loaded in it.
3. If you don’t empty the bag, you’ll spread the disease. Your mower bag is packed with everything that you mowed during the day. If you don’t empty it, fungus will start to grow. The longer you leave the bag full of debris in the shed or garage, the higher the chance of a fungal spread the next time you mow.
4. The blades can dice fungus before you know it. Some people make the huge mistake of mowing fungus on purpose. If you see fungus, the last thing you should do is mow it. You’ll end up getting the blades covered in fungal spores. On top of that, most types of fungus release a dusted cloud of spores when they’re cut.
5. Mulching can be a serious problem for fungus-prone lawns. If you’re mulching your grass to use elsewhere, fungal spores will join the mulch. Anywhere you place the mulch, you’ll also invite loads of fungus. It can spread to your grass, trees, roots, soil, garden, and anywhere else.

As you can see, fungal spores can spread very quickly from a lawn mower. Always take the necessary precautions to ensure that your lawn stays clear of fungus, even if you’re not able to see it.

If you want to learn how you can keep fungus out of your lawn mower and grass, proceed to the next section.

How Can You Prevent It From Happening?

Now that you know all of the causes of your mower dragging fungal spores, it’s time to find out how to stop the problem before it happens. Prevention is always the best solution, so let’s tackle all of the issues below.

• Keep your grass mowed and clean throughout the year. Never let your grass grow longer than three inches. ABC Home and Commercial suggests that some types of fungus can start growing at the roots of the grass. If it’s too long, you won’t be able to spot fungus until it’s too late.

• Safely remove fungus by hand as soon as you see it. Rather than chopping it up with your mower’s blades, put on a pair of gloves and remove the fungus. Ensure that the spores don’t spray all over the place. Grab it by the base of the fungus and pull up to prevent it from spreading.

• Use an anti-fungal treatment on your grass. Scotts DiseaseEx Lawn Fungicide (available on Amazon) is one of the most well-known brands in the industry. It’s designed to work on over 20 different lawn illnesses, including a variety of fungi. Results will start to show in as little as 24 hours, so you won’t have to wait too long for a clean lawn.

• Clean your mower after each use. Since you know all about why and how lawn mowers move fungus around the grass, you can probably guess this was coming. Spray down the wheels, deck, and blades of your mower after each use. You don’t need to get too detailed, just don’t park your mower with too much debris.

• Never let old grass and debris stay in the bag. We’ve all been guilty of leaving a full mower bag on the machine overnight or between mowing sessions. Unfortunately, this habit can cause a plethora of problems for your lawn. Not only will you spread fungus, but your mower will end up smelling awful and possibly rusting out.

The good news is that you can prevent the issues without too much of a hassle. To discover what else might be spreading fungus around the yard, read on.

What Other Lawn Care Tools Spread Fungus?

Sadly, your mower isn’t the only thing spreading the fungus around the lawn. Consider the following possibilities:

Your Work Boots Can Harbor Fungal Spores

Any time you walk on the lawn, there’s a chance that you could be breaking fungus and spreading the spores. If you mow the lawn with boots (or any other shoes for that matter), spray them off after so you don’t spread the fungus. Also, never scrub your boots on the grass to get the mud off; You’ll spread more fungus!

Weed Eaters Can Cause Fungus to Spread Quickly

Much like lawn mowers, weed eaters slice up fungus and spray it everywhere. Since most weed eaters don’t have a 360-degree cover, so they fling fungal spores in every direction. You’ll also notice that the spores attach themselves to the blade and cover, so when you use it on a bush or other parts of the grass, they’ll have fungal growth.

Gloves Are One of the Primary Causes

Although removing fungus with gloves is an effective method, it can spread fungus wherever else you use them. Make sure you spray them down with a hose when you’re done pulling the fungus and using the aforementioned product by Scotts. On that note, spray down all of your lawn care equipment after each use if you have fungus growing in the yard.

Conclusion

Fungus is a nasty problem in the lawn care industry. If you’re able to follow the tips and tricks found on this page, then you’ll be able to get rid of it and prevent it from coming back.

Here’s a quick recap of the post:

• Fungal spores can be impossible to see, but they’ll spread more fungus around the grass.
• Lawn mowers hold fungal spores in their deck, blades, wheels, and bags.
• Clean all of your lawn equipment after each use if you have fungus in the yard.
• Consider using chemical treatments since fungus never goes away on its own.