Lawn Disease - Collection

Brown Patch fungus is a serious summer disease. It occurs during periods of high heat and humidity. Days in the 90s and nights in the high 60s are perfect for brown patch development. This disease can spring up rapidly and what was green, healthy looking turf the day before can have well-developed patches the next day.

Dollar Spot fungus is a foliar disease, which means that it attacks only the blades of grass. It does not effect the most important portions 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.

Leaf spot/melting out are actually two different fungi, which attack the lawn at different times of the year. Both can be serious problems, especially as the diseases progress. It’s important to note that virtually every lawn has a little bit of leaf spot fungus and just seeing a few spots is generally no cause for alarm.

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.”

Red thread fungus is the most common disease that we encounter. It attacks the upper blades of grass. It does not affect the most important parts of the plant, which are the crown and roots. This makes it the least damaging to the lawn, in the long run, but it can become very unsightly.

Necrotic Ring Spot and Summer Patch are two different fungi with essentially identical symptoms. The difference is the time of season that they are active. These are both common and serious diseases of Kentucky bluegrass sod that is about 2-4 years old. Both effect the roots of the grass. They do not attack bentgrass or ryegrass.