Lawn Diseases and Lawn Problems in the Latrobe Area
Like all living things, grass has its share of problems and diseases. Latrobe area yards are no different. Most of these diseases are caused by various forms of fungi. These fungi are spread by small spores that are easily blown about in the wind, carried to the ground in the rain, and moved about on equipment and people’s shoes. When climate conditions are favorable, this spore germinates just like a small seed and starts to grow, attacking your grass and causing spots on the blades. While we have a number of different lawn diseases that affect our Latrobe area lawns, the three most common diseases our clients face are dollar patch, dollar spot, and red thread.
Red Thread
Red thread is a common lawn disease that usually occurs in the cool, moist conditions of spring and fall. It affects ryegrass, bentgrass, bluegrass, and fine fescue. As its name suggests, it appears in your grass as red or pink threads. It is considered a cosmetic disease, and once the weather changes, warms up, and your lawn dries out, the red thread will grow out. In the meantime, you can lightly fluff up the affected areas of turf to help them dry out.
Dollar Spot
Another prevalent disease that affects our Latrobe area lawns is dollar spot. It often appears in early spring, when the temperatures begin to hit 50 degrees and above consistently. Dollar spot appears as small, dead patches of grass on your lawn about the size of a dollar coin. Cooler, rainy nights, and debris create the perfect environment for dollar spot. If the fungus is left to mature, the patches will grow and merge, forming larger, ugly patches of light-tan diseased grass.
Brown Patch
Thriving when it’s hot and humid, brown patch affects our Pennsylvania cool-season grasses in late spring, summer, or early fall. It is identifiable by its large, irregular-shaped patches of brown grass. The size of these patches varies between six inches and several feet in diameter. As they grow, the patches combine into large areas of affected turf. If you look closely, you will see dark brown lesions on the grass blades.