Knowledgebase
Is this dollar spot? #868352
Asked May 14, 2024, 10:37 AM EDT
Harford County Maryland
Expert Response
Few fungicides will treat these and other lawn fungal infections; most that do among them require application by a certified pesticide applicator if they are restricted-use chemicals. Most well-trained lawn care companies should have one or more certified applicators that can apply pesticides. That said, fungicides are preventative tools only, helping to prevent infection on still-healthy grass foliage, so they cannot cure existing disease. If a pathogen only blights the leaf blades, though, and the crown is unaffected (this is the plant part near the soil surface that generates new growth), then patches may fill back in on their own once the infection subsides due to weather changes or treatment.
It's hard to recommend a particular fungicide to try (assuming one would even be effective, which they aren't for every lawn disease) without being able to confirm which pathogen may be present, especially since you'd want to confirm the disease is listed on the product label, but hopefully it's reassuring to learn that usually it's lawn care practices that can improve the lawn's prognosis without having to rely on chemical intervention. Actions like adjusting irrigation use, testing soil and fertilizing more (within reason and the Maryland law restrictions), or aerating or dethatching (though tall fescue doesn't really form thatch, so this depends on the species makeup of your lawn) can all make an impact on reducing disease outbreak vulnerability in the future.
Miri
I’ve since sprayed with a fungicide. We’ll see how things resolve themselves. Thanks
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On May 28, 2024, at 4:54 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote: