Dollar Spot Fungus
Dollar Spot fungus is a foliar disease, which means that it attacks only the blades of grass. On higher mowed turf, it doesn’t affect the most important parts of the plant, which are the crown and roots, unless the disease increases in severity. This makes it a serious problem if the disease persists for several weeks and conditions do not favor recovery.
It is common since it is spread by spores from lawnmowers, though the air, and anything else that it comes in contact with. Also, since it attacks the upper foliage, it becomes noticeable as soon as it attacks the plant. It occurs during periods of prolonged moisture, and humidity, when temperatures are in the 70s and 80s, (typically summer). It may resemble another common disease, red thread, and is often found mixed in among red thread infested turf. However, instead of pink threads, there will be tan hour-glass shaped lesions, with dark borders, on the grass blades and dead foliage will have a bleached appearance. Even when the fungus ceases to be active, the lawn may be slow to rid itself of the bleached out leaves since summer growth is usually pretty slow.
Conditions that favor the disease are warm, and humid. Excessive irrigation is a culprit in increased disease severity. Daily watering will usually cause greater disease problems.
An application of nitrogen can help mitigate the disease, but there’s no guarantee that it will clear it completely. It’s important to note that applying nitrogen to combat this problem, in excess of the normal service applications, can increase the chances of having more serious disease problems besides dollar spot.
We can apply fungus controls for more serious cases. Bear in mind that fungus control applications are not a complete cure. They simply control it for a period of about 1 month.
