Southern Lawn Problems

Identification

• Warm-season grasses are susceptible to a number of fungal diseases. These include large patch, caused by the Rhizoctonia spp. fungi, and dollar spot, caused by Sclerotinia Homoeocarpa.

Affected Grasses

• Large patch disease commonly affects all warm-season grass lawns, and dollar spot fungi infect all cool- and warm season-grasses, including Bermuda and centipede grass.

Symptoms

• Dollar spot is characterized by the appearance of several-inch diameter, sunken, round, brown patches on lawns. Lesions appear on grass blades. Small areas enlarge to create large, irregular patches as the disease progresses. Lawns infected with brown patch also display dead grass areas that can enlarge up to several feet in diameter. Thin brown borders are visible around patches during early hours.