Noticing brown or dying patches on your lawn in Texas is cause for immediate attention. Your lawn may be suffering from gray leaf spot! Gray leaf spot is a lawn disease that spreads through spores of fungal pathogens. When not treated properly, it can kill large patches of your lawn. If you suspect your lawn is suffering from gray leaf spot, you should contact professionals right away. They’ll be able to confirm if your lawn is dealing with this disease and will be able to apply treatments to eliminate it. After professionals have eliminated this disease from your turf, you'll want to implement a routine lawn care regimen to help your grass recover and build up its strength so it can stay strong against diseases in the future.

What is gray leaf spot and what damage can it cause?

Patch of gray leaf spot on a lawn in Austin, TX.

Gray leaf spot is a fungal disease that commonly affects lawns in Texas. It causes patches of thin brown/tan grass and can lead to decay and death of large areas of your lawn if left untreated. The affected areas appear to have a bluish-grayish tint or tiny gray spots on the grass blades, hence the name "gray leaf spot".

The disease spreads through airborne spores that are commonly carried during storms. When the grass blades are wet or the humidity levels are high, spores become more productive, and the risk of gray leaf spot spreading increases.

Grass that is less than one year old is more susceptible to gray leaf spot than grass that's more established.

What should you do if you find gray spots on your grass?

If you suspect that your lawn is suffering from gray leaf spot, it's important to seek professional help without delay. Gray leaf spot can appear on your lawn at any time of the year and spread rapidly, affecting your entire lawn if not caught in the early stages. It's best to have a professional assess the grass to determine if your lawn is infected with gray leaf spot, and if it is, they can administer treatments to eliminate it.

Professionals often use two types of treatment when addressing gray leaf spot to prevent resistance.

Implement a routine lawn care regimen to help your turf stay strong against gray leaf spot and other diseases in the future.

While curative treatments are effective at eliminating gray leaf spot, they can't reverse the damage that was already caused. So, you'll want to implement a lawn care routine to help it recover. An ideal routine lawn care regimen should include regular fertilization and weed control treatments, and you should also have your lawn aerated. Fertilization and weed control play a crucial role in promoting overall lawn health by supporting a strong root system and preventing weeds from absorbing nutrients for themselves. Aeration, on the other hand, creates a pathway in the soil to help water, air, and nutrients from the fertilizer reach the roots, which then helps build a robust foundation. In return, your turf will have the resources it needs to recover from gray leaf spot. What's more, the stronger your turf is, the better able it will be to fight off lawn diseases in the future!

Contact us today to schedule our turf disease control service!

At Dr. Tex Lawn & Pest, we provide a turf disease control service that is designed to eliminate common diseases including gray leaf spot! We offer our turf disease control service to residential and commercial properties, as well as HOAs, in Austin, TX, and nearby areas including Round Rock, Cedar Park, and Pflugerville. Give us a call at (512) 717-5071 to schedule our turf disease control service!