Battling the Brown

As we visit lawns from Trappe to Huntingdon Valley, we've gone from the driest May in years to some well-needed rain.  As a result, the conditions are prime for dollar spot disease.

This disease appears as white or tan spots of dead turf about the size of a silver dollar, hence the name dollar spot. On home lawns cut at 1 to 3 inches, dead areas may reach 2 to 4 inches in diameter. These spots may run together, producing large areas of dead turf. Affected leaves initially show yellow-green blotches, which progress to a light straw color with a reddish-brown margin. Occasionally, white mycelium can be seen covering affected leaves in early morning on dew-covered grass.  This mycelium can look like a web on top of the grass plants.

Mycelium covering indicating dollar spot disease

It's best managed culturally, typically, properly applied fertilizer will help grow the disease out.  It's also important to avoid late afternoon or nighttime watering, as this can aggravate the condition.  For the clay based soils of Southeastern PA, it is best to water deeply, typically 30-45 minutes per section, this time of year, 3-4 times per week.

If caught early, some simple cultural changes can avoid turf injury and the turf will recover.