# Spots in Dormant Bermuda



## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

Hi everyone. I am seeing these different-color spots in my dormant bermuda in GA. I've never seen these before and now I'm questioning if I should be concerned. My lawn went into dormancy in November and was nice & healthy at the time. HOC a little under 1 inch. We're having a normal winter so far.

Photos taken from upstairs but I'll take close-ups if needed.







Thoughts?


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

Had a little break in the rain so here are the close-ups. I'm seeing the "spider webs" that I usually see in the summer but I didn't struggle with dollar spot much as I was treating with fungicides and kept it under control.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I noticed the same thing on my lawn yesterday. I'm not sure what it is. I'm hoping it's not early signs of spring dead spot.


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

Ware said:


> I noticed the same thing on my lawn yesterday. I'm not sure what it is. I'm hoping it's not early signs of spring dead spot.


Weird! I hope not :?

I haven't seen anything on neighbors' lawns... Even those that were hit hard by fungus over the summer and don't do fungicides.


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## coreystooks (Aug 6, 2019)

Got the same thing going on in mine as well, I just thought it was spots drying out quicker but could be wrong.


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

coreystooks said:


> Got the same thing going on in mine as well, I just thought it was spots drying out quicker but could be wrong.


I started seeing them in the backyard a couple of weeks ago and they became more obvious now and also popped up in the front yard :?


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

I haven't noticed that in mine, some of my areas haven't completely gone dormant, but I did notice some "dog barf " mold near an area with a removed tree.


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## Automate (Aug 14, 2020)

FATC1TY said:


> some of my areas haven't completely gone dormant


How does that happen in Atlanta? Is TifTuf that cold tolerant?


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

Automate said:


> FATC1TY said:
> 
> 
> > some of my areas haven't completely gone dormant
> ...


I'd think it is better than 419 and the rest, for sure.

I've got green up already in spots, and in some areas like around trees, or lower depressions, even near concrete it's still got dormant grass mixed in, but my yard in many areas has looked like a typical Feb/March green up.


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## GA250 (Jul 4, 2020)

Watching this thread as I noticed these spots in my lawn last night UGH....


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Same here. Just 6-8 of them, and only in the back. Just noticed today. I was wondering what in the world they were.


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## GA250 (Jul 4, 2020)

Only noticed these after our 70 deg temps past two days


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

Appreciate everyone's input. I'll keep an eye out there hopefully it's not a disease or something bad.


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## blitz28179 (May 28, 2020)

This is weird 
I started scalping my bermuda about 4 weeks ago and never got a chance to do the rest of yard until 3 days ago. (I did half of it) but noticed the side I still havent scalped had a ugly grey tint to it while the side I scalped had a lighter, more vibrant color like these spots you have.

Just out of curiosity did you get the leopard pattern going into dormancy?


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

blitz28179 said:


> This is weird
> I started scalping my bermuda about 4 weeks ago and never got a chance to do the rest of yard until 3 days ago. (I did half of it) but noticed the side I still havent scalped had a ugly grey tint to it while the side I scalped had a lighter, more vibrant color like these spots you have.
> 
> Just out of curiosity did you get the leopard pattern going into dormancy?


@blitz28179 I didn't get much of a leopard pattern going into dormancy. I remember seeing neighbor lawns had a more pronounced leopard pattern.


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## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

I was just about to post this


I thought it was just where a dog walked through some dew when I first noticed it. It's been raining here for a week and it's forecast to rain more so I don't know what to do


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## Huff (Oct 22, 2018)

This is a photo from Feb. of 2020. I think I posted it then asking the same question everyone else is asking. Never did get a satisfactory answer. I know I had fungus/insect damage problem in the fall of 2019 with the lighter tufts of grass being easy to pull out. Then when the grass went dormant, the light patches appeared. Did a dethatch and scarify in late spring/early summer and the grass bounced back nicely. I don't see the light patches in my lawn this winter like last year, but I'm really not sure why.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

It is actually pink snow mold. It happens without snow The disease is caused by a fungal pathogen, Microdochium nivale.
It will get worse and worse every year. It will lead to spring dead spot in those areas. Even after i scalped in August i could still see the pink snow mold spots. It usually shows up in Late December when the southern rain kicks in. It gets worse and worse. 
I had a spot in the summer that didn't fill in for months.

This year I applied Xzemplar and Eagle Fungicide. Because I had to do something. Put a full dose down in late September and the late October before my 1st frost. It absolutely Cured my problem. This is the cleanest my lawn has ever been. So far.
Bad news is that there is nothing that can be done right now because your grass is dormant. Next year apply the fungicides before dormancy and you will be good.
This is a link to information on the pink snow mold

https://blogs.extension.msstate.edu/turfgrass/2014/02/27/seeing-patches-on-your-bermudagrass-it-may-be-microdochium-patch/

This is why i used xzemplar. I used it because it was the cheapest of the fungicides listed and was very effective. 
https://turfgrass.ucr.edu/reports/pest_management/SDS_Fungicide_Trial_Final_Report_2018.pdf


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## McDiddles (Feb 24, 2020)

Tellycoleman said:


> It is actually pink snow mold. It happens without snow The disease is caused by a fungal pathogen, Microdochium nivale.


Nice info. Think you may have nailed it. Couldn't get your link to work.

https://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/diseases-in-turf/microdochium-patch-in-turf/


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

@HungrySoutherner


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## blitz28179 (May 28, 2020)

Tellycoleman said:


> It is actually pink snow mold. It happens without snow The disease is caused by a fungal pathogen, Microdochium nivale.
> It will get worse and worse every year. It will lead to spring dead spot in those areas. Even after i scalped in August i could still see the pink snow mold spots. It usually shows up in Late December when the southern rain kicks in. It gets worse and worse.
> I had a spot in the summer that didn't fill in for months.
> 
> ...


Would burning it cure it? Just curious


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

Tellycoleman said:


> It is actually pink snow mold. It happens without snow The disease is caused by a fungal pathogen, Microdochium nivale.
> It will get worse and worse every year. It will lead to spring dead spot in those areas. Even after i scalped in August i could still see the pink snow mold spots. It usually shows up in Late December when the southern rain kicks in. It gets worse and worse.
> I had a spot in the summer that didn't fill in for months.
> 
> ...


Thank you for sharing this! This is NOT good news for several of us here 

I hope it does not cause too much damage and my lawn recovers well in the spring. What's weird is that I don't see these spots in other lawns in our neighborhood, and we have the same Tifway 419 bermuda and all other conditions are the same except that I keep my lawn below 1" (this was my 1st season reel mowing) whereas all others are over 2"!! I wonder if the lower HOC going into dormancy has anything to do with this :?


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

blitz28179 said:


> Tellycoleman said:
> 
> 
> > It is actually pink snow mold. It happens without snow The disease is caused by a fungal pathogen, Microdochium nivale.
> ...


It didn't help me when I burned my lawn in the spring 2 years ago.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

Wow there is a webinar today on how to manage pink snow mold. How convenient

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2712139356153559054


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

Awar said:


> Thank you for sharing this! This is NOT good news for several of us here
> 
> I hope it does not cause too much damage and my lawn recovers well in the spring. What's weird is that I don't see these spots in other lawns in our neighborhood, and we have the same Tifway 419 bermuda and all other conditions are the same except that I keep my lawn below 1" (this was my 1st season reel mowing) whereas all others are over 2"!! I wonder if the lower HOC going into dormancy has anything to do with this :?


This is the second winter I have seen these same spots in my in my lawn and was following this thread with interest. For reference, last year my 419 came out of dormancy and the spots were gone by full green up. I noticed the spots again this winter and I assume the same will happen again this spring.

I have been reel mowing low for 25 years, so I am more inclined to believe it is chemically induced rather than mowing height. I have added several herbicides to my arsenal in the past few years, so I am simply doing the math as to when the spots occurred and what I began doing differently. With that said, I have no idea what is causing the spots but am wondering if we all share using a common herbicide around the same timeframe we began getting the spots. Like you, I am the only home in the neighborhood experiencing this.

Hopefully, one of the smarter members here will chime in and connect the dots for me.


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

Mister Bill said:


> Awar said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you for sharing this! This is NOT good news for several of us here
> ...


This past season I only spot treated some weeds using these herbicides but not in any pattern that would make me think this is a probable cause: SedgeHammer, Tribute Total, Tenacity/TriCor/MSO mix (for Zoysia patches).

Also this past season I rotated different fungicide types as our neighborhood got decimated with dollar spot but my fungicide apps kept things under control: Propiconazole, Azoxystrobin, Clearys 3336F. I did not apply any fungicide towards the end of the season as the conditions were not favorable for fungus disease. *However, I noticed that every morning I was seeing the typical spider web / mycelium things throughout the lawn even later in the fall and during winter when bermuda grass was dormant. Not sure if that translated to this type of fungus as opposed to the typical dollar spot we get in the summer?*


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

@Mister Bill, it's not herbicides for me. I applied very little to my back yard, which is where the handful of spots appeared. Prodiamine and fertilizers only. I didn't notice anything special before the spots appeared, though I do think it's in a low spot in the yard that probably stays soggy a bit longer after the rain.


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

Bermuda_Rooster said:


> @Mister Bill, it's not herbicides for me. I applied very little to my back yard, which is where the handful of spots appeared. Prodiamine and fertilizers only. I didn't notice anything special before the spots appeared, though I do think it's in a low spot in the yard that probably stays soggy a bit longer after the rain.


I have no idea what is causing it, I am going back to when the spots first appeared and troubleshooting what I was doing different prior to that timeframe. The areas where the spots are for me is a sloped well draining section between the driveway and neighbors yard where poa anna has been a problem and I rotated in few more herbicides to combat it. The poa is gone, but now I have the spots. I understand this is more likely a coincidence than not, but was throwing it out there for consideration until proven false.

No other yard in the neighborhood has the spots, so I surmised it is something I am adding to the mix. Given others have stated they are also the only ones in their neighborhood to experience the spots, I assumed it was the extra care we put into our lawns that is somehow the culprit. There are lawns nearby that have leaves and trash left on them all winter with no spots. My yard is swept clean in early fall and kept clean. Most others in the neighborhood never de-thatch or aerate, I do so once or twice annually. At this point I am simply shot gunning ideas here to see if anyone has a solution. Thanks for the input.


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

Awar said:


> Mister Bill said:
> 
> 
> > Awar said:
> ...


I also did not apply fungicides at the end of the season. I may consider doing preventive maintenance rather than curative going forward depending on what the consensus ends up being. Thanks.


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## Groundskeeper Willie (Feb 22, 2019)

Contact fungicides do work on this sort of thing, dormancy or no. Just sayin.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

@Mister Bill you didn't read my comment I told you what it was and how to treat it.


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

Tellycoleman said:


> @Mister Bill you didn't read my comment I told you what it was and how to treat it.


I did read your comment and appreciate your sharing the information you have given. My comments here are in regard to what is causing the disease, seemingly in higher maintained lawns,, not that I am discounting your analysis. Try and keep up, young man. :lol:


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

Lol ok thanks for the complement old man. I'm a product of the 1970's so anyone saying I'm young is great. 
I have noticed that the potasium apps that i would put down in late September lead to more outbreak in the winter. Not sure if that is more then just anecdotal evidence. @Mister Bill


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## GA250 (Jul 4, 2020)

Anyone witness any problems from these spots during green up? I have not...


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

GA250 said:


> Anyone witness any problems from these spots during green up? I have not...


Update:
Yes I faced some issues with green-up. Here's what my backyard looks like. My front yard did much better and I only have a couple of dead spots that are not as pronounced.

Any recommendations to speed up fill-in in those area? Other than the typical push with nitrogen... I expect to start PGR after the cool ~10 days that are coming up so fill-in may slow down :?


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