Managing soil pH and fertility helps reduce disease by balancing nutrients.

• A. Adjust mowing practices
• B. Manage pH and fertility
• C. Relieve compaction
• D. Provide shade

Answer: (B)

Balancing nutrients through proper soil pH and fertility helps prevent disease because when pH is right, nutrients are available in the right amounts for plants to grow strong and defend themselves. If pH is too high or too low, certain nutrients become unavailable or can reach toxic levels, causing nutrient stress. Stressed plants are more susceptible to infections and often show symptoms that look like disease, which can be mistaken for a pathogen problem. Keeping fertility balanced means you provide enough of the essential nutrients without overloading the system; excessive nitrogen, for example, can produce soft, lush growth that pathogens love, while deficiencies or imbalances weaken defenses and root health. A healthy, nutrient-balanced plant supports stronger cell walls, better immune responses, and a beneficial soil microbial community that helps suppress diseases. In contrast, practices that focus only on environmental factors like mowing, soil compaction, or shade may influence disease risk through humidity or canopy effects, but they don’t directly address the nutrient balance that underpins a plant’s ability to resist disease.