Dollar Spot: Everything You Need to Know

Dollar spot is a lawn disease that affects a wide variety of turfgrasses over most of the year. Dollar Spot is a lawn fungus that gets its name from the light tan, approximately circular spots it leaves on your grass. In the early stages, each spot can reach the size of a silver dollar and appears on your lawn as silver fungus. As the lawn disease advances, uneven discolored areas spread several feet in diameter. The fungus that causes the illness in lawns targets leaf blades rather than roots or soils. Most warm- and cool-season grasses are affected by dollar spot; some are listed below;

• Fescues
• Ryegrasses
• Bent Grasses
• Bluegrasses
• Bermudagrasses
• zoysia Grasses are particularly vulnerable.

It usually happens between late spring and late fall, especially following a period of highly wet weather. High humidity and temperatures ranging from 60 to 85 degrees F are ideal for the dollar spot.

 

Causes of Dollar Spot

• Poor Watering – If you don’t water properly, you might be damaging your thatch and providing an ideal breeding environment for a dollar spot. If you water too much and the water does not penetrate deeply enough, you will end up in a situation in which the lawn is moist, but the soil and grassroots are dry.
• Grass health is a key component in improving dollar spot diseases. Keeping your lawn in good condition by appropriately watering it, feeding it, and maintaining it at the right height can keep your grass healthy. Healthy grass is less vulnerable to lawn problems like dollar spots.
• While more difficult to treat, certain grasses are more susceptible to dollar spots than others. If your region has a history of dollar spot, it may be worth trying a different variety of grass that is more tolerant to the disease.

Treatment for Dollar Spots Diseases

Late spring nitrogen fertilizer treatments can assist in reducing dollar spot diseases. Although fungicide treatments are available to manage Dollar Spot, adhering to an adequate maintenance regimen will minimize the prevalence and progression of the disorder:

Prune and thin the plants around the turfed area to decrease shadow and enhance morning airflow, allowing the leaves to dry faster. Watering should be done less often to ensure water seeps through to the soil. Dew may be removed first thing in the morning by brushing the lawn or running a hose across the surface, helping it to dry faster. To reduce moisture buildup on leaves, irrigate thoroughly, rarely, and early in the morning. Because Dollar Spot is frequently found on thatched, drought-stressed lawns, lawn aeration can be an efficient method of controlling thatch and improving moisture penetration in your grass.