lawn has many dead spots - Ask Extension
Last year I started seeing dead blades of grass among the living blades. Then it turned into patches of brown. This year thirty percent of my lawn is ...
Knowledgebase
lawn has many dead spots #843799
Asked August 02, 2023, 10:45 AM EDT
Last year I started seeing dead blades of grass among the living blades. Then it turned into patches of brown. This year thirty percent of my lawn is brown. I was told this may be a fungus. What you recommend.
Presque Isle County Michigan
Expert Response
Lots of questions...What varieties of grass are in your lawn? What month did you start to see the browning grass? Do these areas green up in the fall and spring or no? Are these high traffic areas? Any possibility of salt contamination from a drive or the street? Do you irrigate, if yes what time of day, when and how much? When and how much have you fertilized (# Nitrogen/1000SF/ event) this year? Do you apply weed killer, what and when? Do you have a thatch buildup, if yes how thick? If you pull on the dead grass in a patch does it roll up like a carpet? or break off in handfuls at the crown? Please email me back answers to each of these questions to provide more information so I can attempt to provide an answer. The photos do not provide enough info to give a definite answer. It could be a turf disease or insects. Disease possibilities include: spring leaf blight or spring leaf spot/melting out.
I recommend doing a soil test on your lawn to learn more about your soil including soil type, pH, nutrient levels and more. Knowing the type and fertility of your soil is the starting point to establishing & maintaining a strong turf that can resist diseases, moss and insects/grubs, look great and at an optimal cost. . More info here: Don't Guess-Soil Test-MSU and MSU Home Soil Test-self mailer
I recommend doing a soil test on your lawn to learn more about your soil including soil type, pH, nutrient levels and more. Knowing the type and fertility of your soil is the starting point to establishing & maintaining a strong turf that can resist diseases, moss and insects/grubs, look great and at an optimal cost. . More info here: Don't Guess-Soil Test-MSU and MSU Home Soil Test-self mailer
I don't know the varieties of grass in my lawn.
I first saw them in July this year and probably the same last year.
I don't remember them greening up in the fall, but they got quite bad in the summer.
This is not a high traffic area. Actually the brown spots are all over and more widespread this year.
It should be salt because it's mostly in the middle and non-existent at the edges where salt may leach in.
I started irrigating in June when it was so dry. The lawn mostly greened up, the spots never did.
I usually irrigated in the afternoon and evening and my rain gauge showed about 3/4"
I had TruGreen fertilize the lawn starting last year. The grass got greener, but the spots appeared. I terminated them.
I dethatch my lawn in the spring, but I used a power dethatcher this year to see if I could combat the spots, but it didn't help.
I pulled on the grass and it doesn't pull up like a carpet or break off.. Looking closely at the brown spots there is some green mixed in and the green areas have some brown strands. I tugged out a couple of brown blades from the mostly brown area and found that each are green with white ends at the base.
Thank you for looking into this.
I will follow your links and soil test ASAP.
Thank you for your answers to my questions. I recommend irrigating in the morning to minimize wet turf in the evening/night which promotes fungal diseases.
I note pink gelatinous mycelia on leaves in one photo which I discussed this with the Genesee County Consumer Horticulture Educator and we agree it looks like Pink Patch. This surprises me a bit as Pink Patch is considered a spring/fall turf disease, but then maybe it started earlier in May or June and became severe enough to notice in July.
I am attaching links to more information on this disease. Cultural recommendations for prevention/minimization include: 1) maintaining adequate & balanced fertility (your soil test will help w/ this), 2) reduce leaf wetness (watering in the morning), 3) increase air circulation by selectively pruning vegetation, 4) moderately resistant turfgrass cultivars are available.
Purdue turf disease ID
https://turf.purdue.edu/red-thread-pink-patch-and-dollar-spot-in-lawns-and-roughs/?cat=51
https://extension.psu.edu/turfgrass-diseases-pink-patch-causal-fungus-limonomyces-roseipellis
Fungicide, Bactericide & alt prod guide for Homeowners-NCSU
I note pink gelatinous mycelia on leaves in one photo which I discussed this with the Genesee County Consumer Horticulture Educator and we agree it looks like Pink Patch. This surprises me a bit as Pink Patch is considered a spring/fall turf disease, but then maybe it started earlier in May or June and became severe enough to notice in July.
I am attaching links to more information on this disease. Cultural recommendations for prevention/minimization include: 1) maintaining adequate & balanced fertility (your soil test will help w/ this), 2) reduce leaf wetness (watering in the morning), 3) increase air circulation by selectively pruning vegetation, 4) moderately resistant turfgrass cultivars are available.
Purdue turf disease ID
https://turf.purdue.edu/red-thread-pink-patch-and-dollar-spot-in-lawns-and-roughs/?cat=51
https://extension.psu.edu/turfgrass-diseases-pink-patch-causal-fungus-limonomyces-roseipellis
Fungicide, Bactericide & alt prod guide for Homeowners-NCSU
