Spring Dead Spot

What it looks like

Circular patches of dead or dormant grass, from about 6 inches to several feet across. The grass in these spots stays brown while the rest of the lawn greens up, and roots underneath look dark and rotted. Patches often come back in the same spots year after year, sometimes growing into rings as the centers fill back in with weeds.

When it shows up in the Triangle

Infection happens in fall and winter, but you won't see the damage until spring green-up—especially after a hard winter. The dead patches usually stay visible from around April through September as the surrounding grass fills back in.

Where you’ll see it

Shows up in bermudagrass and zoysiagrass lawns.

What you can do

• Keep fertility balanced through the season rather than pushing growth late
• Avoid feeding the lawn nitrogen right before it goes dormant in fall
• Aerate the lawn multiple times over the summer to improve root health
• Dethatch to reduce buildup that can stress the grass
• Mark or map affected spots each spring so treatment can target those areas in fall