Pythium Blight
Damping off
Pythium Blight
Pythium damping off is a disease that attacks new seedlings. Infected grass either fails to germinate or the seedlings become discolored, topple over, and die.
Pythium blight, on mature lawns, begins as small, slimy, or greasy spots. The disease is often referred to as “greasy spot” or “cottony blight.”
Symptoms of either fungus can best be observed in the early morning or when the lawn is wet, when greasy spots may be surrounded by white webs, resembling tufts of cotton candy. These white webs will usually disappear as soon as the lawn dries out, but the grease spots remain.
Conditions that favor the disease are hot, humid, and poorly drained sites. Other areas of excessive shade that may remain moist, are susceptible.
Excessive irrigation is a culprit in increased disease severity. Daily watering, such as the watering regimen required for seedling germination, will usually cause greater disease problems. So will excessive nitrogen applications.
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.
What you can do:
Water per our instructions.
Take note of where water may be pooling after regular watering.
Prune out lower branches in areas where turf is thin to allow more sunlight and air circulation.
