Brown Patch Fungus
Affects tall fescue lawns. Symptoms: brown to gray multiple patches in circular patterns, leaf lesions with tan centers and dark brown to black margins.
Photo: William M. Brown Jr., Bugwood.org
Dollar Spot Fungus
Affects all turfgrass, most common in bermuda and zoysia. Symptoms: sunken, straw to light brown circular patterns, each the size of a silver dollar. Mycelia may be present. Favors warm days, cool nights and turf that is under stress.
Large Patch Fungus
Symptoms: circular patches ranging from 3’ – 20’ in diameter. Leaf blades may appear orange or yellow. Usually occurs during spring green up when entering winter dormancy. Some patches are perennial; if not treated will recur and expand each year. Most common in zoysiagrass but affects all warm-season turf.
Rust
Symptoms: light yellow to orange flecks on leaf blades. Usually found on zoysia.
Leaf Spot/Melting Out
Affects tall fescue and ryegrass. Symptoms: purplish-brown to black spots with tan centers on leaf blade.
Pythium Blight
Symptoms: leaf decline, thinning, roots are discolored, may see foliar mycelium which looks like cobwebs in the grass. Mostly found in tall fescue.
Pythium Root and Stem Rot
Symptoms: roots are brown, discolored and easily removed. Turfgrass thins and leaf blades decline. Can affect bermudagrass, zoysiagrass and fescue.
Photo: R. Dyer, Bugwood.org
Spring Dead Spot
Symptoms: dead circular areas in bermudagrass, ranging from 6” to several feet in size. Begins in the late fall, only becoming noticeable in the spring when bermudagrass is coming out of dormancy.
Fairy Ring
Affects all turf types. Symptoms: half circle of dead grass inside a ring of dark-green grass, may have a ring of mushrooms in/outside of ring. Fairy Ring infects the soil and is associated with buried organic material, such as wood or a dead tree trunk.
Photo: Clemson University – USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org
