If your lawn is showing small, straw-colored circles scattered across the grass like someone sprinkled bleach on it, you may be looking at dollar spot.
Most homeowners don’t notice dollar spot when it first starts. They notice it when a few tiny spots turn into a patchy section near the sidewalk, along the driveway or in a low spot where the lawn stays damp. By then, the fungus may already be active across more of the yard than it looks like from the curb.
Dollar spot is a lawn disease that attacks the grass blades first. That’s why it can look minor in the beginning, even while the fungus is actively spreading.
It’s one of the lawn fungal diseases we see regularly in North Texas, especially from late spring through fall. Across Collin County, including Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney and the surrounding areas, warm days, cool nights, heavy dew and stressed turf can create the perfect setup for dollar spot to take hold.
That’s what makes it tricky. By the time those small spots are easy to see from the curb, they may already be spreading. Those individual circles can grow, merge together, and turn into large irregular dead patches across your yard before you realize what you’re dealing with.
CitiTurf serves homeowners in Collin County and nearby areas, and we treat this disease every season. Here’s how to catch it early and what we do about it.
Quick Answer: Is This Dollar Spot?
- Often seen on Bermuda and Zoysia in North Texas, but it can affect St. Augustine too
- Small, straw-colored or bleached circular patches, roughly the size of a silver dollar
- Most active late spring through early fall, especially during warm, humid days and cool, dewy nights when nighttime temperatures stay above 50°F
- Individual spots grow and merge into larger irregular patches as the disease spreads
- Look for white or tan hourglass-shaped lesions on individual grass blades
- In the early morning you may see cobweb-like growth on affected areas before the dew dries
Not sure what you’re looking at? Call or text 972-516-0001. We can probably get you on the schedule this week.
How to Identify Dollar Spot
Dollar spot is one of those diseases that sneaks up on you because it starts small, almost too small to worry about. But knowing what you’re looking at makes all the difference.
You may be dealing with dollar spot if you notice:
From the curb:
- A lawn that looks like it has tiny straw-colored or bleached spots sprinkled across otherwise green turf.
- Small bleached circles roughly 1–2 inches across, about the size of a silver dollar. That’s where the name comes from.
- Multiple spots scattered across the lawn that don’t seem connected at first.
- Spots scattered across the lawn that start small, then grow and merge.
Up close on the grass blades:
- White or tan hourglass-shaped lesions. These are the first signs.
- Dark brown margins around the edges of the lesions early on.
- Hourglass shape. As the lesion expands it often pinches in the middle, creating an hourglass pattern across the blade.
- Cobweb-like growth on affected areas early in the morning before the dew dries. If you see it, the disease is actively spreading. That’s the time to act, not wait and see if it disappears on its own.
What Causes Dollar Spot to Spread?
Dollar spot thrives when grass stays wet for too long, especially when the lawn is already stressed. In North Texas, those conditions are common from May through October. Around Plano, Frisco, Allen and McKinney, we often see dollar spot start in the same kinds of places: shaded side yards, low spots that hold water, or heavily irrigated lawns that stay damp overnight.
The disease is most active when:
- Turf is stressed from heat, poor drainage, mowing issues or inconsistent lawn care
- Days are warm and humid, nights are cool and dewy, and grass stays wet for long periods
- The lawn stays wet longer than it should, especially from nighttime or evening watering
- Soil is compacted and doesn’t drain well, keeping moisture near the surface
- The lawn is under-fertilized, since low nitrogen makes grass more vulnerable to dollar spot
Texas A&M AgriLife notes that dollar spot is most active from late spring through fall, especially during warm, humid days and cool nights that lead to heavy dew.
The warm-day, cool-night pattern is exactly what North Texas gets in late spring and early fall. That’s why dollar spot tends to peak in May through June and again in September through October, right when that temperature swing is most pronounced.
You can’t control the weather. But you can control when you water, how often you water and how healthy your lawn is going into peak fungus season.
Does It Affect All Grass Types the Same Way?
Dollar spot can show up on most North Texas lawns, but it doesn’t hit every grass type equally. And on some grasses, what looks like dollar spot may actually be a different lawn disease.
Bermuda
Bermuda is one of the most common hosts for dollar spot in North Texas, but it’s also pretty good at recovering on its own, especially if the lawn is healthy and well-fertilized. If we’ve just completed a fertilization treatment, it often makes sense to monitor the Bermuda for a few weeks before jumping straight to fungicide. The grass may bounce back without additional treatment. But if the spots are spreading, merging or getting worse, it’s time to take a closer look.
Zoysia
Zoysia is the other grass type where dollar spot shows up regularly here, and it doesn’t have Bermuda’s same recovery ability. Waiting too long on Zoysia can mean more visible damage and a slower recovery. If you’re seeing it on Zoysia, it’s worth treating sooner.
St. Augustine
St. Augustine can get dollar spot, but it’s less common. This is where correct identification really matters. Those silver-dollar circles on a St. Augustine lawn are more often a sign of brown patch or gray leaf spot, which look similar from the curb but need different timing to treat. If it really is dollar spot, fungicide is the move. But we’ll always confirm what we’re dealing with first, because treating the wrong disease just wastes time and money.
How CitiTurf Treats Dollar Spot
When we identify dollar spot, we move quickly to stop the active spread and help your lawn recover. Call or text us and we can probably get you on the schedule this week.
Before we treat, we confirm whether the damage is dollar spot or another common North Texas lawn disease, so you’re not paying for the wrong solution.
Here’s what the treatment looks like:
- Professional fungicide treatment: We apply a liquid fungicide treatment designed to stop the spread of dollar spot at the source. For severe cases, we may use a stronger professional-grade fungicide and choose the right product based on the turf type, disease pressure, and site conditions.
- Liquid iron blend: We mix in iron to help improve color and support recovery once the fungus is under control.
- Full yard coverage: We treat the affected turf areas and surrounding lawn as needed for the best results. If you’d like to skip certain areas, just let us know and we’ll talk through the tradeoffs.
Our goal is not just to spray and leave. We want to identify what’s actually happening, stop the active spread and help you understand what your lawn needs next.
Important: Fungicide treatment stops the active spread. That’s what it’s designed to do. The physical recovery of the damaged areas happens afterward through sunlight, proper watering, fertilization, and time. We’ll walk you through exactly what to do after treatment so you get the best possible outcome.
How to Prevent Dollar Spot From Coming Back
Once we’ve treated the active infection, a few simple habits can go a long way toward keeping dollar spot from coming back next season.
Water in the morning only
This is one of the most important prevention steps. Grass that goes into the evening or night wet is far more vulnerable to fungal disease. Morning watering gives your lawn all day to dry out before temperatures drop. This lines up with University of Georgia Extension guidance, which recommends watering early in the morning and watering deeply instead of running short, frequent cycles.
Water less frequently
Give your lawn time to dry out between watering cycles. Short, frequent watering keeps the soil surface constantly moist, exactly what dollar spot needs. Deep, infrequent watering is better for the grass and worse for the fungus.
Aerate regularly
Compacted soil holds moisture near the surface and makes it harder for your lawn to drain properly. Core aeration breaks up that compaction and helps water move down into the root zone where it belongs instead of sitting on top.
Bag your clippings when dollar spot is active
The fungus can spread through infected clippings left on the lawn. During an active outbreak, bagging your mow clippings helps stop the disease from spreading to healthy areas.
Keep up with fertilization
Under-fertilized lawns are more vulnerable to dollar spot, especially Bermuda. Staying on a consistent fertilization program helps your grass stay healthy, recover faster and better handle disease pressure. NC State Extension also points to proper nitrogen fertilization as an important part of preventing dollar spot and helping turf recover.
Related Resources
From the CitiTurf Blog:
- Gray Leaf Spot: A Damaging Lawn Disease Common on Texas Lawns
- Brown Patch Disease Identification: Signs, Causes, and Lawn Symptoms
- How to Get a Great Lawn in North Texas
- How to Get Rid of Grub Worms in Your North Texas Lawn
CitiTurf Services:
