Welcome to the end of the week. Hope this week has been a good one for you! Today we are going to continue with our series about the different types of lawn diseases that you might encounter in Massachusetts with a post about Dollar Spot.
This lawn disease affects many different turfgrasses throughout the year. it can make your lawn look like quite an ugly patchwork. Below we are going to go over everything you should know about Dollar Spot.
What’s Dollar Spot?
Dollar Spot’s a fungus named for the roughly circular, light tan patches that it will create on the lawn. In its early stages, the spot can be around the size of a single silver dollar. It looks like silver fungus.
During the progression of the disease, those spots often blade into one another so that irregular, large, discolored spots are formed. These spots can be as large as a few feet around. Each of the affected grass blades is going to show a pattern of tan, straw-colored bands. Many times you will also see reddish-brown margins below and above each of the bands.
The fungus that is responsible for this disease will attach the blades, not soils or roots. It will affect many different types of turfgrasses. Therefore, prevention’s key.
Treating Dollar Spot
There’s good news and some bad news when you want to treat Dollar Spot. Good news first – it’s very simple to identify. The not-so-good news is that it’s a lot easier to prevent Dollar Spot than fight it.
How Dollar Spot Thrives
This disease thrives when there’s moist air and dry soil. When your grass’s roots don’t have a lot of water and its blades are wet due to dew, irrigation, or rain, there’s an increase in the outbreak of the disease.
The disease is worst during seasons with low rainfall, temperatures from 60-80 degrees and high humidity, such as summer.
It spreads through mycelium that’s on things like clippings of plants that have been infected. It also can be carried by shoes, turf equipment, water. or wind.
How can Dollar Spot be Controlled & Prevented?
It’s a lot more effective preventing the outbreaks of Dollar Spot than fighting it after it shows up. Here are some tips for controlling Dollar Spot:
- Water Deeply & Infrequently – During those times when the climate will promote its growth, make sure you’re watering your lawn intermittently. However, make sure you’re leaving your sprinkler on for at least two hours. This will simulate a drenching, deep rainfall.
- Properly Mow – This is going to vary based on your kind of turf and whether it’s been overseeded using multiple types of grass. If you’re unfamiliar with what the mowing protocol would be for your lawn, contact us. We’ll be happy to help.
- Aerate the Lawn – Because Dollar spot will often occur on drought-stressed, thatched lawn, aeration is often a great way for controlling thatch and improving the lawn’s moisture penetration.
- Fertilize in the Late Spring – Using nitrogen fertilizer during the late spring will often help with minimizing how severe Dollar Spot is. This is because growth is going to be stimulated during the early part of the summer when the infection will often begin.
Are you interested in having us come and take a look at your lawn and help you have a beautiful, healthy lawn? Contact us today and we’ll be glad to tell you what we can do for you. We’ll give you a no-obligation quote and show you what we can do for you. Having the right lawn maintenance can help you to avoid problems like Dollar Spot.
