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Leaf Spot Melt Out: IT’S BAAAAACK!
- tuffturff
- Jun 4
- 2 min read
As I write this latest blog, it is raining and 57 degrees out. Tomorrow we are supposed to see temperatures in the mid-80s, then into the 90s this weekend. The perfect scenario for leaf spot, the most common of all our local turf diseases, to shift from being a minor lawn problem that proper fertilization will usually clear up, to going into the melting out phase. This is when the disease becomes destructive, literally melting sections of turf.
How do you know if you have Leaf Spot?
If one of our applicators is doing your lawn and sees it, they will make you aware of the issue. But we are only seeing your lawn once every 6-8 weeks, so that leaves a lot of time between visits for an issue to arise.
Look for irregularly shaped patches of turf that are yellow or straw-colored, sometimes even with a purplish tint. These patches will not be growing evenly and many times will have small patches of healthy, green grass within them known as “frog eye.” People often think their lawn is not getting enough water when they see these patches, which do resemble dry spots in turf. The logical action is to water more, but that will actually make the disease worse, helping it spread.
An easy way to tell if you have disease as opposed to dry spots is to take a knife or screwdriver and dig into the affected area. If the soil is moist, you almost assuredly have leaf spot melt out. Stop watering and contact our office. We will check to confirm if you do have this disease and provide a quote for a fungicide application.
A couple of notes:
The fungicide will stop the disease from spreading, but it will not repair the damage done. If we catch it early enough, most lawns will recover over time
Avoid watering in the evening or night. Having wet turf overnight makes the grass more susceptible to the disease. Early to late morning is always the best time to water your lawn.
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