Fungal infection? - Ask Extension
I have large orange/yellow/brown pods growing across my turf, killing the grass. Assuming that this is a fungus, I have sprayed with a fungicide from...
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Fungal infection? #946580
Asked October 06, 2026, 10:25 AM EDT
I have large orange/yellow/brown pods growing across my turf, killing the grass. Assuming that this is a fungus, I have sprayed with a fungicide from Bonide Corporation. The product is Infuse. I have been at this for about two weeks. I might have stopped it from spreading, but it does not look dead, as you can see from the photograph. What do you recommend?
Frederick County Maryland
Expert Response
This is not a turf fungal disease, and while it's hard to ID now that it's brown and deteriorating, it looks like moss. Moss often grows in areas of compacted soil that don't dry out quickly, especially if the site is in partial shade. (Moss doesn't always need acidic soil.) Moss growth in lawns can be quite common and suggests that the lawn in that area of the yard is either too shaded, too damp (or poorly-drained), or that the soil compaction needs to be addressed in order for the turf to recover. (No grass will thrive in too much shade, so in that case, it's best to replant with another groundcover.)
For the future, we do not recommend using a fungicide unless a suspected disease can be confirmed; even then, most will not respond well to over-the-counter fungicide products and may need to be treated by a professional lawn company. That said, fungicides are preventative measures only, and they cannot cure existing disease or reverse its symptoms in the turf (the pictured brown area not being a lawn disease symptom). Fungicides can also potentially harm other organisms, and can also affect the beneficial fungi living in a lawn and associating with turfgrass roots, which may have other consequences for its long-term health.
Although for now it might have played a role in causing the moss to turn brown, a fungicide is not designed to kill moss and is not an effective means of getting rid of unwanted moss. While a pesticide should not be needed for moss control (it has no roots, so is usually easy to rake or scrape off the soil), there are products specifically labeled for use on moss.
A more likely cause of the moss turning brown is either dormancy at the end of the growing season or drought stress, even given recent rains. If this growth is fungal and not moss, then it would be not infecting the grass but instead growing on organic matter in the soil itself, and is not harmful to the turf. It's not uncommon for fungal growth to appear above buried old wood (dead tree roots or a forgotten stump, for instance) as it breaks down that material. If that is happening, there is no fungicide that will remove the fungus, and it will stop growing once its food source has been used-up.
Moss doesn't kill grass, but rather takes advantage of openings in the lawn (where it gets enough light) where the grass has already thinned-out due to stressful conditions causing it to struggle. If the area doesn't receive at least 4 to 6 hours of direct sun in summer, we recommend that it be replanted with a lawn alternative since even if you repair the area with more grass seed or new sod, it would likely decline again. Our lawn care and maintenance pages have more information if you're interested in a lawn renovation or overseeding for that area.
Miri
For the future, we do not recommend using a fungicide unless a suspected disease can be confirmed; even then, most will not respond well to over-the-counter fungicide products and may need to be treated by a professional lawn company. That said, fungicides are preventative measures only, and they cannot cure existing disease or reverse its symptoms in the turf (the pictured brown area not being a lawn disease symptom). Fungicides can also potentially harm other organisms, and can also affect the beneficial fungi living in a lawn and associating with turfgrass roots, which may have other consequences for its long-term health.
Although for now it might have played a role in causing the moss to turn brown, a fungicide is not designed to kill moss and is not an effective means of getting rid of unwanted moss. While a pesticide should not be needed for moss control (it has no roots, so is usually easy to rake or scrape off the soil), there are products specifically labeled for use on moss.
A more likely cause of the moss turning brown is either dormancy at the end of the growing season or drought stress, even given recent rains. If this growth is fungal and not moss, then it would be not infecting the grass but instead growing on organic matter in the soil itself, and is not harmful to the turf. It's not uncommon for fungal growth to appear above buried old wood (dead tree roots or a forgotten stump, for instance) as it breaks down that material. If that is happening, there is no fungicide that will remove the fungus, and it will stop growing once its food source has been used-up.
Moss doesn't kill grass, but rather takes advantage of openings in the lawn (where it gets enough light) where the grass has already thinned-out due to stressful conditions causing it to struggle. If the area doesn't receive at least 4 to 6 hours of direct sun in summer, we recommend that it be replanted with a lawn alternative since even if you repair the area with more grass seed or new sod, it would likely decline again. Our lawn care and maintenance pages have more information if you're interested in a lawn renovation or overseeding for that area.
Miri
