Afraid of Dollar Spots

[John S.]

I really love the lawn I got now. But I heard one neighbor telling me that their lawn has Dollar Spots?

Is this some kind of disease condition?

[Luna]

I had similar problems with that a few months back. Dollar spots is a disease caused by the fungus Sclerotinia homeocarpa and happens mostly from spring to fall during warm days and cool nights. It's spread by external causes, like water, mowers or even people walking over them.

Possible causes of dollar spot:
- low soil moisture
- low nitrogen & potassium levels in soil

To fight this you can do the following: remove excess thatch, avoid light & frequent watering, aerate compated soils and mow frequently at recommended heights.

[mistermaster]

Dollar spots commonly affects Kentucky Bluegrass, Bent Grass, and Bermuda grass especially in areas with humid climates.

In times when there is heavy dews on the grass coupled with low levels of nitrogen, dollar spots commonly occur.

Since it is caused by a fungus, then one of the best measures to prevent it would be to increase aeration so that there would be lesser moisture within the lawn. High moisture will promote the growth of fungi.

[farmerbrie]

Do you know that Dollar Spots can be spread by lawnmowers, shoes, and other equipment used in tending the lawn?

[honeylemon]

Yeah, that's right. So it's always better to keep maintenance equipments clean to avoid spreading the dollar spot.

[farmerpiper]

[vermigiant]

1. Occurrence of heavy morning dew

2. When daytime temperatures are 20ºC and above

3. Failure to provide adequate fertilizer

4. Excessively low cutting heights

5. Fescue dominant sward, although there is variation among subspecies and
cultivars. Poa annua grass is also susceptible

6. Slowly growing turf

7. Turf surface with high capacity to retain water