There are several lawn fungus and disease problems that I encounter each year, but none are as common as Dollar Spot Disease. I see it mostly in mid-to-late summer but have found dollar spot infesting lawns as early as mid-June. Many folks mistake dollar spot in their lawn for dog urine spots from neighboring dogs strolling by. But as the spots spread, homeowners realize there is something else going on! (I just hope you didn’t accuse your neighbors and tick them off in the meantime) So let’s talk about dollar spot, and learn how to control it with safe, organic treatment options that work.

dollar spot just starting to show

In most cases, I find dollar spot infesting lawns in the front yard! I also find it in lawns that are less than 15 years old. What??

Yeah, read that again because it is important to understand. You see, most houses built these days, the lawn gets sod in the front and seed in the back lawn. I also find that it takes a good 15 or more years for sod roots to get really well established. This means the sodded front lawns are susceptible to dollar spot fungus.

So if you are seeing spots like the ones in these pics in your front lawn, it may be dollar spot. If you have had hot and humid days with intermitant rain (of your own watering) then is probably is dollar spot.

Is Dollar Spot Serious?

Not really, but it does look bad for a while and if it gets really had, it can cause some long term appearance issues. I find it worse in areas that are bordered by sidewalks, driveways and the street. This is because these areas heat up much hotter and faster in the sun, making the fungus go wild.

same lawn as above, but this is the parkway, severe!

How To Get Rid Of Dollar Spot In Lawns

You should put down a fungicide that is organic and safe. I like Serenade. Apply it 3 or 4 times over the course of the summer according to the label directions.

In addition, I want you to mow tall, catch your clippings and cut your irrigation back to once per week and only water in the mornings. Just make sure you water deeply when you do. I also need you to be ready to follow my fertilizer program in the fall to help the lawn recover. Remember, root systems in lawn expand in fall, and this will repair the dollar spot scars naturally.

Today I am going to expose one of the secrets to have a deep green lawn. You guys know you have to fertilize your lawn in order for it to be green, but you should also know there are certain types of fertilizers that do different things. Enter: Iron for lawns.

My lawn is treated with Milorganite iron

Iron is considered a micro-nutrient in the lawn. It is not necessarily essential, but a lack of it can make the lawn look pale or even yellow. (chlorosis) But for our purposes here, we want to use iron to give the lawn that deep blue/green coloring.

Yep, that’s right guys: iron is what makes Kentucky Bluegrass and other lawn grasses blue. THAT will surely help you stand out from your neighbor won’t it? Of course it will!

Now you need to make sure you get chelated iron for your lawn. Chelated means the iron is in a suspended state where it can be readily absorbed and use by grass plants. I say this because iron can bind up in soil where it can’t be utilized. If you get chelated, you will be just fine. The best source of chelated iron is milorganite. It’s organic and contains chelated iron! Awesome!

Be Careful With Iron – Ironite

If you decide to go with another type of iron for your lawn like Ironite, you need to be careful. Now, don’t get me wrong, Ironite works VERY well. The issue is, however, that Ironite have a few drawbacks. They are:

1) ironite can stain driveways, sidewalks, siding, decks, etc

2) you can over-apply iron and cause the lawn to turn grey or even completely “blow out” where the blades thin out completely

3) ironite is not slow-releasing and in my opinion won’t last as long in the lawn

Seriously guys, if you want iron in your lawn, use Milorganite. There are so many more advantages to it (like a boost of nitrogen as well) and it is error-proof… always important I think!

You guys know you can fertilize in the summer right? Whether or not you are properly watering your lawn or not, you CAN and SHOULD still fertilize it. But what you use becomes more important than ever when the temps in July and August are in the upper 90s or higher. This is exactly why organic fertilizers are perfectly suited for summer lawn fertilization. (Get the book here)

Why Organic Fertilizer In Summer

One of the key advantages to organic fertilizers is that they are naturally slow releasing. This means there is pretty much no chance you are gonna cook your turf even if you apply too much. Now, I’m not telling you guys to go out and dump shovel-fulls of organic fertilizer on your lawn, but you certainly don’t need to be too concerned if you do mess up a bit!

Slow release organic fertilizer is also good for your grass in summer because it won’t PUSH the growth. The last thing we want to do in hot August is stimulate the lawn to grow super fast. This will surely stress the root system (especially if you don’t irrigate properly) and cause it to thin out under pressure. Organic lawn fertilizers break down in heat and release nitrogen and phosphorus very slowly, just enough to keep the grass healthy and green, but not overly so.

Finally, organic lawn fertilizers also improve the bio-activity in the soil. Honestly, rich, healthy soil is the basis of a healthy lawn and organics improve it greatly.

Below are examples of fertilizers I use in the summer for my own lawn. You can also get my step by step book here.