Dollar spot is a disease that causes your lawn to have small circular patches of sunken grass. The patches can range from brown to tan in color in grasses, but affected leaves may appear to have yellow spots surrounded by a rust-colored border. Dollar spot loves the warm days and mild nights we see here in Georgia.

Areas prone to heavy morning dew have a higher chance of dollar spot formation, too. To prevent this disease, you can mow with regular frequency and irrigate as little as possible to acclimate your lawn and avoid drought-induced stress.

Brown patch and large patch infections are similar but have a few differences. Large patch disease prefers grasses in the warm season, where brown patch infections prefer cooler weather. Brown patch disease can appear as brown circular patches in your lawn with a diameter of up to 10 feet. While that may seem big, large patch disease can cause similar orange-colored rings up to 25 feet in diameter.

You can attend to these patches by increasing your mow height, watering in the morning, and reducing shaded areas. When you identify brown patch and large patch infestations, contact us to stop nitrogen application as soon as possible. Our team is equipped to treat these lawn diseases.

The aptly named rust disease appears on grass as flecks of yellow that eventually turn a dark rust color. You can also spot rust by a yellowing of the tips of the blades. In general, rust disease occurs in the spring, although it can appear through the middle of summer as well.

To manage rust diseases, take care to remove lawn clippings after you mow. You should also regulate shaded areas and ensure moisture does not stay on leaf surfaces for too long. Consider reducing the frequency of irrigation, too.

Leaf spot disease presents with distinct purple or black spots surrounding a tan-colored middle. It also affects lower leaves and causes them to wrinkle. Most often, you will find leaf spots in areas where you mow at low heights and areas where the grass is wet for more than 10 hours at a time.

If leaf spot affects your lawn, you can:

• Reduce shaded areas
• Cut down on the amount of thatch
• Use lighter equipment to prevent stress on your turf
• Reduce springtime application of water-soluble nitrogen

Pythium Blight mainly occurs on lawns that require a lot of maintenance, making its appearance that much more frustrating. Pythium Blight may appear with symptoms similar to other diseases in its thin yellow patches. Affected areas will grow slower and will be less dense than surrounding healthy grass.

Pythium diseases flourish in cool weather and soils that drain poorly. To care for grass with pythium infection, mow at an increased height and less often. To help with drainage issues, water less frequently.