Several common lawn diseases can infect your grass in Tennessee, such as zoysia patch, dollar spot, brown patch, powdery mildew, and fairy ring! Each disease harms your lawn's turf in its own way. Zoysia patch damages large patches of grass, causing it to thin. Dollar spot kills small patches of grass and can be identified by the small, tan-colored spots it creates. Brown patch dries the grass out and causes it to turn brown. Powdery mildew can make your lawn look like it's coated in powder, dragging down its beauty. Fairy ring grows in the soil but ultimately kills the grass above it. Each of these is common in Tennessee, and each affects the lawn differently with various causes, symptoms, and damages. However, with the right treatments, your lawn can recover from any of these lawn diseases!

Zoysia patch can cause large patches of turf to thin.

Zoysia patch is a lawn disease that can cause damage to a large portion of grass, but it's rarely responsible for completely killing it. Lawns are typically affected by it during mild temperatures and high humidity that lasts for prolonged periods and is most common during the spring and fall. It can spread through the movement of soil or plant parts that have been infected. Once the disease spreads, it can cause your turf to thin, and grass may appear yellow within large circular patches.

Zoysia patch most likely won't kill your lawn, but a full recovery from it may require a variety of lawn care services and take up to several months.

Dollar spot looks like dollar-coin-sized patches of light-tan grass.

A lawn in Memphis, TN, affected by dollar spot.

Dollar spot is a lawn disease that can be identified by small, dollar-coin-sized patches of light-tan grass, hence its name. Your lawn is most susceptible to it when the grass blades remain wet for extended periods. As the disease spreads, it appears as small white or light-tan spots on your turf. These white lesions grow over time, eventually killing the upper part of the blade. In the morning, you may even notice fuzzy white mycelium (a fungus with a structure that resembles roots) on the affected turf. If left untreated, dollar spot could kill patches of your lawn. If this happens, lawn care services, such as overseeding are required to help your lawn recover by filling in the dead patches and promoting new, healthy growth for a stronger and denser lawn.

Brown patch dries out grass and turns it brown.

Brown patch is a common lawn disease that may cause grass blades to turn brown and die back; however, grass crowns are rarely killed. Times of high humidity or extended periods of hot weather are when your lawn is most susceptible to it. Extended periods of wet grass due to overwatering or watering too late in the day can also cause your lawn to become infected. As the disease spreads, it creates circular patches that range in size with a dark purple or brown border. If left untreated, it can eventually dry your grass out and cause it to turn brown. Curative treatments are effective at eliminating this disease and preventative treatments are available to prevent it from ever becoming a problem.

Powdery mildew can drag down the aesthetic of grass.

Powdery mildew fungi can cause your grass to look like it's covered in a powder. This lawn disease is most severe during times of high humidity or in areas where your lawn receives a lot of shade. Spores of the fungi are produced in the spring and the wind carries these spores to healthy sections of your turf. After the healthy turf is affected, a powdery white growth becomes visible on the grass blades. Luckily, there are treatment options available to treat this lawn disease!

If powdery mildew is left for several weeks without treatment, it can cause your turf to thin and even make it more susceptible to other environmental stressors.

Fairy ring feeds off the thatch and ultimately kills the turf above it.

A lawn in Memphis, TN, suffering from fairy ring.

Fairy ring is a lawn disease that grows in the soil, but can ultimately kill the turf above it. Your lawn is more susceptible to it when under drought stress or when lacking nutrients. Once your turf is affected by this lawn disease, you'll notice patches or rings starting at one foot or less in diameter; however, if not treated, these rings can grow much larger. This growth happens because once the disease establishes itself on your turf, it continuously feeds off the thatch and organic matter unless properly treated.

Contact us today to schedule our lawn disease control service.

At Herbi-Systems, we offer both preventative and curative lawn disease control treatments. So, whether you're looking to prevent lawn diseases from forming or need help treating a current one, we are the team to turn to! Our treatments are effective against a variety of lawn diseases including zoysia patch, dollar spot, brown patch, powdery mildew, and fairy ring. We offer these services to property owners in Memphis, TN, and nearby areas, including Collierville, Germantown, and Bartlett. Contact us today at (901) 382-5296 to sign up for our lawn disease control service.