A healthy, vibrant lawn is a thing of beauty. But when turfgrass diseases strike, that beauty can quickly turn to an eyesore. Diseased turf can develop yellow or brown patches, thinned out areas, and may even die off completely if the disease is left unchecked. As a homeowner, identifying turf diseases early is key to saving your lawn. With a trained eye and a little diligent scouting, you can spot turf disease symptoms before they spread and wreak havoc on your entire yard. This guide will walk you through how to identify the most common turf diseases, their causes, and treatment options available.

Look for Patchy Areas

The first signs of a turf disease are often patchy spots or areas of thinning grass. Take a walk across your entire lawn, scanning for places that appear distinctly different from the surrounding grass. Pay special attention to:

Irregular brown or yellow patches: These dead spots indicate the grass blades have been damaged or killed off by a pathogen. The patches may start small but can expand rapidly under the right conditions.
Thinning or dying grass: If you notice the density of grass blades growing sparsely in an area that should be thick and full, disease may be preventing the turf from thriving.
Wilting or yellowed blades: Unhealthy grass will lay flat or droop down, with blades losing their vibrant green color. This can be an early disease symptom before total die-off occurs.

Any patchy spots or inconsistencies in your turf quality warrant a closer inspection to determine the exact cause. Don’t wait until large sections of your lawn have been impacted before taking action. Investigate suspicious areas right away to identify the issue and treatment needed.

Examine Grass Blades

To properly diagnose a turf disease, you’ll need to look at affected grass blades up close. Grab a pocket knife or fork and gently dig up some individual blades for examination. Be sure to sample from the edge of patchy spots so you can study blades in both healthy and diseased states. Look for these common symptoms:

Fungal Diseases

Powdery coating: A white or gray powdery substance on leaf blades indicates fungal spores.
Lesions or rot: Round brown spots or dark water-soaked lesions pointing to fungal infection.
Mushrooms: Mushroom-like fungal growths sprouting from diseased grass.
Slime mold: Yellow, orange, or black greasy coating on blades caused by slime molds.

Bacterial Diseases

Slimy residue: A sticky, shiny slime left on leaves, indicating bacterial infections.
Dark green color: Unnaturally dark green, blue-green, or black-green hues.
Excess moisture: Bacteria thrives in wet conditions.

Environmental Stresses

Leaf tip dieback: Brown dried out leaf tips suggesting drought stress.
Pale color: Lighter green or yellowing blades indicating nutrient deficiency.
Insect damage: Chewed, notched, or thinning leaf blades point to insect pests.

Carefully studying the grass blades’ appearance and textures will provide clues to match the symptoms with a specific disease. Taking photos of affected areas can also help with diagnosis. If unsure, consultation with an expert may be needed for a definitive identification.

Send Samples to a Turf Lab

For confirmation of grass diseases that are difficult to visually identify, turf samples can be sent to a professional turf lab for diagnosis. Follow these steps:

Use a clean trowel or knife to carefully cut out several plugs of turf from the margin of affected areas. Include both healthy and diseased grass.
Place the plugs in sealed plastic bags labeled with sample location, variety of grass, and date collected. Refrigerate samples.
Contact your local university agricultural extension or a private turf lab to inquire about sample submission instructions and fees.
Fill out any required paperwork and ship the refrigerated samples to the lab overnight.
The turf lab will culture, examine, and diagnose the disease using microscopic analysis and other diagnostic tests as needed.
In 1-2 weeks, detailed lab results will be provided identifying the specific pathogen along with treatment recommendations.

Though lab testing has an added cost, it can definitively determine the exact disease at hand. This ensures the proper fungicide, bactericide or management plan can be implemented right away to combat the issue and restore a healthy lawn.

Common Lawn Diseases

Armed with an understanding of disease symptoms and diagnostic options, let’s explore some of the most prevalent turfgrass diseases. Here are the usual suspects to be on watch for:

Dollar Spot

Dollar spot is caused by a fungal pathogen (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa). It produces small round lesions on grass blades about the size of a coin. Lesions turn from yellowish-green to light straw-colored with reddish-brown borders. Dollar spot thrives under high humidity and temperatures of 60-85°F.

Brown Patch

The fungus Rhizoctonia solani leads to large irregular dead patches up to several feet wide. Affected grass first appears dark, water-soaked and greasy before turning light brown. Brown patch peaks in summer during hot, humid weather with temperatures above 80°F accompanied by high nighttime dew.

Pythium Blight

Pythium species fungi infect turf during hot, wet weather. It spreads rapidly under moist conditions above 85°F. Symptoms include soft, mushy, darkened lesions at leaf bases leading to rapid blight. The worst damage occurs on young, newly established lawns.

Gray Leaf Spot

This fungal disease produced by Pyricularia grisea causes oval gray lesions on leaf blades parallel with veins. Lesions can girdle the entire leaf, choking off nutrients. It thrives during warm, humid, wet weather and is prevalent on perennial ryegrass and St. Augustine lawns.

Anthracnose

The fungus Colletotrichum cereale behind anthracnose favors wet, humid conditions above 60°F. It produces yellow, V-shaped lesions with a dark brown border on infected blades. Under severe attacks, widespread blighting occurs during cool, rainy spring weather.

Take-All Root Rot

Gaeumannomyces graminis fungus attacks turf roots leading to thinning and dieback. Patches often start appearing in spring as soil temperatures reach 65°F. Severe infection causes the entire lawn to decline. Bentgrass and bermudagrass are most susceptible.

Necrotic Ring Spot

This fungal disease results in roughly circular dead patches up to 4 ft. across, often with a green center. It mainly affects Kentucky bluegrass when soil temperatures are between 55-75°F. Reddish-black rings of raised turf may border the dead areas.

Leaf Spot

Numerous fungi can cause leaf spot diseases on turfgrass. Small dark dots or lesions appear on blades which can expand into large necrotic areas under conducive conditions. Leaf spot severity worsens during cool, wet weather in spring and fall.

Lawn Care to Minimize Disease

While diseases happen even in healthy lawns, good maintenance and cultural practices can help minimize risks:

Water early in the day so grass blades dry quickly, avoiding extended periods of moisture.
Avoid over-fertilization with excess nitrogen which causes succulent blade growth vulnerable to infection.
Improve drainage of low, wet areas prone to disease outbreaks.
Thin turf to improve air circulation and reduce humidity at soil level.
Apply preventative fungicide treatments when conditions favor disease development.
Reduce turf stress by properly mowing, aerating, dethatching, and testing soil pH annually.
Keep turf thick and vigorous by selecting adapted grass varieties and seeding bare areas.

Treating Active Turf Disease

Once a turf disease is positively identified, targeted treatments can be used to get the outbreak under control:

Fungicides: Apply appropriate fungicide for the diagnosed disease according to label directions as soon as symptoms appear. Several applications over a 2-4 week period are usually needed.
Improve air flow:Remove dew and increase sunlight to affected areas by thinning turf, pruning trees and adjusting irrigation.
Water early: Water deeply but as early in the day as possible so grass dries quickly. Avoid frequent shallow watering.
Reduce stress: Eliminate compaction and ensure proper mowing height, fertilization and soil pH for healthy plants less vulnerable to disease.
Re-seed: Overseed dead patches to help turf recover more quickly once the disease is under control.

With attentive monitoring to catch diseases early, diagnosis of unfamiliar symptoms, and prompt application of control measures, your lawn can bounce back from turfgrass disease damage with time. Paying attention to proper cultural practices will also go a long way towards prevention. Don’t allow turf diseases to fester and spread before taking action. With some knowledge and TLC, you can maintain a lush, beautiful lawn for years to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if brown patches in my lawn are caused by disease or dog urine?

Dog urine causes irregular dead patches with a dark green, yellow, or brown perimeter surrounding the burned area. Dog urine damage worsens with nitrogen fertilization. Disease patches tend to show more uniform symptoms across affected blades like lesions, rot and fungal growths under moist conditions conducive to disease development.

What are the first signs my lawn may be developing a disease?

Initial symptoms of turf disease include thinning grass, reduced density, patchy spots, or off-color yellowing of the lawn. Pay attention to any areas that look markedly different from the rest of the lush turf. Act promptly at the first signs before significant dieback occurs.

How can I determine the exact disease infecting my lawn?

Carefully inspecting individual grass blades for lesions, fungal growth and abnormal colors can aid identification. Taking high-quality pictures of damage can help diagnosis. For definitive diagnosis, submit turf samples to an agricultural extension or private turf lab for microscopic examination and lab culture of the pathogen.

Will applying extra fertilizer help my lawn recover from a disease outbreak?

No, over-fertilization with nitrogen should be avoided when disease is present as it leads to excessive succulent blade growth highly vulnerable to infection. Allow turf to dry out between waterings and ensure adequate airflow instead. Recovery will occur over time once the disease is controlled.

Are fungicides necessary for treating lawn diseases?

Fungicides are very useful tools to quickly suppress active fungal or bacterial diseases once identified. Apply targeted fungicides specifically labeled for the disease and follow all label directions closely. Fungicides work best along with cultural practices to reduce disease conduciveness of the environment.

Should I re-seed dead spots in my lawn caused by disease?

Overseeding patches will help the turf recover density faster once the disease is under control. Use seed of the same grass type originally planted unless a more disease-resistant variety is available. Time seeding to correspond with the optimal growing period for the grass type.

Conclusion

Catching diseases early and accurately identifying the cause are critical first steps to saving your lawn from devastating damage. By routinely scanning for symptoms, studying grass blades closely and utilizing lab diagnosis when needed, you can stay one step ahead of any pathogens threatening your turf. Once the disease is confirmed, targeted fungicides and improvement of lawn care practices will get the outbreak under control so your lawn can return to its former glory. Paying attention to proper mowing, fertilization, irrigation and other maintenance techniques will also help minimize disease susceptibility. Don’t allow turf disease to run rampant. With a watchful eye and prompt action, you can maintain a lush, healthy lawn for years to come.

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