Dollar Spot

The first symptoms of Dollar Spot are small, circular and sunken patches in the lawn. Usually smaller than 6 to 7 cm in diameter, the patches are a pale and bleached colour, as a result of straw-coloured lesions that run down the blade. As the disease becomes more severe, the patches merge into larger irregular shapes.

Dollar Spot appears on most cool and warm season grasses. Normally with dew, the mycelium may be seen as a cottony thread across the surface of the blades of grass when the disease is active. As the leaves dry, the mycelium disappears. This cottony thread is often confused with those produced by other diseases.

The disease typically occurs on managed turf such as golf greens, fairways or other playing surfaces. Turf identification is an important part of the treatment process.

Dollar Spot prefers warmer conditions, so is often present during the spring, autumn and milder summer months. Temperatures between 15 and 30°C are favourable, with high humidity in the turf grass canopy for a lengthy time necessary for development. Warm, humid weather with cool nights that produces heavy dews is ideal for disease development also.

Dollar Spot tends to be more severe in turf grass grown with low nitrogen fertility. It can often just be grown out with increased nitrogen levels.

At Lawn Addicts, we have a variety of professional lawn care products available online.