I always Mow at 3 1/2 :) Do you put something down before it shows up and did you also have it last summer???

No we didn't have it. We have a lawn service to kill the weeds, fertilize, etc. They usually come 3-4 times over the summer. No, that is not too short to mow.

Hi Lisa-

I remember we had the same problem last year but it didn't start until the summer.....

I think it's pretty early yet so I'd just keep an eye on it through March and April seeing if it's a very rainy mild spring (hopefully not)....

If you see something develop apply the Bayer immediately.

Our friend j4c11 applies it as a preventative, although I don't remember when he starts....

Don’t apply any N in a wet spell. It can make the lawn more susceptible to fungus

Hi Joe, How are you? Yes I believe you're also in PA if I can remember?! It was real warm and super Rainy then got super cold again here in Pittsburgh, I am so worried it will come back, my lawn never looked so bad as it did last summer, was so stressed as we all were who had it! Are you planning on doing it as a precaution?

j4c11 when should I apply the Fungicide this spring/summer? When do you usually do it and do you do multiple apps?? Thanks in advance

Hi Lisa-

I'm in NNJ, but yes, you and I and a whole bunch of other folks had a real fungus problem last year.

I think it is going to get cold again , so I don't think it's worth worrying about now.

Come April, let's see how the precipitation has been and then discuss going forward.

And btw....your lawn never looked bad.

Joe

Lol you're kind! It was awful to me, so much anxiety all summer :( Hope you had a Good winter :) I am sure we will be talking again! Hopefully not about fungus Lol ;)

Speaking of which... There's nothing "fun" about fungus. It's more like notsofungus to me.

You don't need our permission to be nervous. Your lawn hypochondria is contagious and makes many of us nervous.

I am not trying to make anyone nervous Lol, but simply trying to keep it from happening again! It was the most stressful summer last year thus far for me with my lawn here in PA

So it's April 4 and here in NNJ we've had a ton of snow that melted quickly for the last month and a half, plus it looks like it's going to be a very rainy April.

I plan on putting down the Bayer in the next couple of weeks just to be safe, even though temps will only be in the high 50's/low 60's.

Dollar spot will not cause any damage until night time lows are consistently 50 degrees and above. Also when day time highs get above 90 degrees you will not see any dollar spot. You can use Cleary’s 3336 early in the season then propiconazole when disease pressure gets higher, late spring/early summer. Also make sure you’re lawn is getting the proper amount of nitrogen, to much or not enough nitrogen can exacerbate dollar spot problems. Kentucky bluegrass will grow out of dollar spot damage in the the fall when it is well fed, if you want to go a more organic route.

Hi joneboy and Thank you, I was wondering if I should put something down, since i had it last summer, I just don't wanna strip all the nutrients from my lawn by putting down a fungicide, what do you think?? I am so on the fence about it

Joe Bigblue Did you put anything down yet??? I Just mowed my lawn for the first time today, its still got some grasses that are dormant but really greening up nice , did you mow yet?

Hi Lisa-

I did not put anything down yet. It was close to 80 degrees yesterday and today mid 70's, but tomorrow will only be 45 and rain.

I have no idea how this will affect any potential fungus issues, but I will continue to monitor it. I have not had to mow just yet.

The bigger issue right now is there are quite a few weeds coming in, even though I followed the pre-emergent timeline of blooming forsynthia. I think I should've applied it earlier this year.......

It never ends.

Well it must be a new season. Lisa has a new photo woo hoo! :o)

Joe - I feel like a kindred spirit, being not far from you. I put down premerg today but there definitely is some weed growth already, if not a lot. I got nailed by some kind of fungus last year. I think it was necrotic ring, which sounds nasty, right? I'm leaning toward putting down a fungicide that I bought last year but put down too late to do any good. I'm hoping that putting it down in late spring will help. LIke Lisa, though, I'd prefer not to use it, but I may have no choice.

danielj I know I am so on the fence, its so bad for all the micro organisms in the dirt, I just feel uneasy doing it ...but if I need to do it then that's a whole different story and I had to change pics hahahha thanks for noticing hahaha

@Lisa. I gotta say I think I made a decision today to use a fungicide this year. I thought about worst case scenarios. What's the worst thing that can happen if I DO NOT use a fungicide? Well, last year my front lawn got hammered by I believe necrotic spot ring. I even brought in some new sod to patch bad areas. You can't see damage from the street, but when standing on the lawn the small dead spots are all over the place. The if I get a similar outbreak this year, I might even lose the lawn. That's worst case and I believe it is a potential outcome.

Now, what's the worst case scenario if I DO use fungicides? Well, really nothing all that bad. I might kill off all the good fungus, but is that really the worst thing? Plenty of people use fungicides every year and have nice lawns. I do not believe a fungicide kills any microbes or critters in the soil (the microherd) as it is only kills fungi. If my soil structure is good, it will still be good even without good fungi for a season or two.

So I think in my case experimenting with the fungicide is a no brainer. Your lawn is not going to suffer greatly just because you might try preventive measures this year. Maybe that will give you something to consider if you haven't already.

I looked it up; while lawn fungus is most prevalent between 80-85 degrees, it can start at 65 degrees.

According to the forecast, that should be happening in the next ten days here in NNJ. Considering the amount of snow, rain, and temperature fluctuations there's been, plus the fact that there's been no spring to speak of, I have the feeling it's going to get really warm once May hits.

Whether is does or not, I'm putting down my fungicide in the next week.

I guess I am a newbie when it comes to fungicides as I only used them once late in the season last year. I'll have to look at the bag and see which one I actually bought. It does seem that if you use it more than twice you risk immunity from the Fungus so I think you might need more than one variety. Jc4 the fungus expert.

yeah JC puts it down every 3 weeks starting in May if I remember correctly.

Joe which one are you going to use??? I am thinking about doing it also so on the fence about it...I had dollar spot which I think came out from too much rain and it washed away all the Nitrogen, because when I put the Milorganite down it went away fast which tells me it was a low Nitrogen type thing going on, I Guess?!!! My Lawn has a lot of KBG so it grows out fast.. Ugh so on the fence it's pouring here today and rain off and on the next few days and temps dropping to the 30's at night...crazy weather just like you're getting... and Dan I don't blame you for doing it, Necrotic ring is awful... so many lawns got it last yr

I went to Home depot to get the Bayer but they didn't have it so I picked up Scott's just so I had some on hand.

I may continue to look for the Bayer; I remember it being highly recommended here.

Just called my Local nursery and they have it, when should I apply it??? Its Pouring here today and rain the next few days on and off, I want to use this as a preventive all summer, I am not going through what I did last summer, I def had dollar spot and scotts formula it don't take care of dollar spot on the pkg details idk why