Protect Your Lawn from Suffolk County’s Hidden Enemy: The 2025 Guide to Preventing Dollar Spot and Brown Patch in Brookhaven’s Humid Climate
Suffolk County homeowners know the challenge well: one day your lawn looks pristine, and the next, mysterious brown patches appear seemingly overnight. Suffolk County has all the right weather conditions that help promote disease and fungus in lawns. Heat, high humidity and moisture all lead to and can cause an outbreak of fungus and disease at almost any time. For Brookhaven residents, understanding how to prevent and treat two of the most common turf diseases—dollar spot and brown patch—can mean the difference between a thriving lawn and costly renovation.
Why Suffolk County’s Climate Creates Perfect Storm Conditions
Suffolk County’s combination of sandy soil, salt air, extreme temperature swings, and high humidity creates unique challenges that require specialized knowledge and different treatment approaches. Humid summers create perfect conditions for fungal diseases that aren’t common in drier climates. We found the most common here on Suffolk County are Red Thread Disease, Brown Patch Disease, Dollar Spot Disease and Leaf Spot Disease.
These conditions are particularly challenging in Brookhaven, where the combination of coastal humidity and summer heat creates an environment where fungal pathogens thrive. While growing in a circular pattern, the fungus will begin to infect turfgrass foliage when air temperatures are above 80° F (28-30° C) and when nighttime temperatures are in the 70’s (21-26° C) with high humidity.
Identifying Dollar Spot: The Silver Dollar-Sized Threat
Dollar spot is characterized by round, bleached-out or straw-colored spots, ranging from the size of a quarter to the size of a silver dollar. Spots appear as sunken areas in the turf, especially low mown turfgrass (0.5 inches or less). In larger infected areas of grass, spots join together and look like larger brown areas or spots the size of silver dollars.
Early detection is crucial. Fluffy white mycelia can be seen when fungus is actively growing during morning periods of heavy dew. Humid weather with warm days, cool nights, and heavy dew is necessary for fungal growth and development. On individual grass blades, symptoms on individual grass blades appear as bleached-out or tan lesions that are often accompanied by reddish brown bands present at the outer edge of the leaf lesion.
Recognizing Brown Patch: The Circular Destroyer
Brown patch appears as circular patches, ranging from a few inches to several feet in diameter. The infected leaves first appear water soaked and dark, eventually drying, withering, and turning dark brown. A dark smoke ring often surrounds the outer margins of the diseased area when humidity is high and disease is actively growing.
Brown patch is the most common and important disease of tall fescue in the Southeast. In most cases, affected areas of mature turfgrass are able to recover, but tall fescue lawns less than a year old can be killed. The disease is particularly problematic because leaves in the blighted area are usually killed, and the disease can rapidly kill large areas of turfgrass in short periods of time under conducive conditions.
Prevention: Your First Line of Defense
The most effective approach to managing both diseases involves preventive cultural practices tailored to Suffolk County’s unique conditions. Provide proper culture, including adequate, balanced fertilization and deep, infrequent watering. Provide good drainage. Similar to dollar spot, the removal of dew as early as possible in the morning, or scheduling irrigation to avoid long dew periods will aide in the reduction of brown patch severity by decreasing leaf wetness duration. Improving air circulation in susceptible areas can also help to reduce disease occurrence.
Proper mowing practices are essential. Mowing the lawn lower than the optimum mowing height can increase disease severity, as can mowing too high, which slows the leaf drying time. Do not mow fescue lawns shorter than 2½ inches high, nor higher than 3½ inches. Mow the lawn after the morning dew has dried and mow the diseased areas last.
Treatment Strategies for 2025
When prevention isn’t enough, early treatment is crucial. Consider a preventive fungicide program for tall fescue and creeping bentgrass when conditions favor disease development. For best results, preventative applications should be initiated in the late spring or early summer when night temperatures consistently exceed 60°F.
Contact and systemic fungicides for managing brown patch are available, and are most effective when used on a preventative basis. Contact fungicides like chlorothalonil or mancozeb can manage brown patch when applied on a 7-to 10-day schedule. For dollar spot, Dollar spot can be managed with the use of many systemic fungicides like myclobutanil, fenarimol, propiconazole, boscalid, and triadimefon applied every two to three weeks, or with contact fungicides like chlorothalonil applied every 7-10 days.
Professional Lawn Care Brookhaven Services
Given Suffolk County’s challenging conditions, many homeowners turn to professional services for comprehensive disease management. Rolling Hills Property Services understands the unique challenges of maintaining lawns in this region. At Rolling Hills Property Services, we believe every property has the potential to be extraordinary. Regardless of if you’re looking to improve your curb appeal, clear and prep land for a new project, or simply maintain your outdoor spaces, our team is here to help. We offer a full range of services customized to meet the unique needs of Suffolk County homeowners.
Their approach emphasizes quality and community commitment. We’re not just some fly-by-night crew; we care about our community. We treat every property like our own, using the best equipment and techniques to keep things looking sharp. Your satisfaction drives our commitment to providing phenomenal service and building lasting relationships.
Timing is Everything in 2025
Preventatively, fungicides should be applied to turfgrass tall fescue in the spring and early summer. Frequently brown patch symptoms become obvious around the first week of May in the Upstate. Environmental conditions favoring the dollar spot disease are very warm days with high humidity and prolonged wet conditions like dew. This disease generally takes place from June to September.
Don’t wait until symptoms appear. The most effective way to control dollar spot is to stay ahead of it. The best way to prevent brown patch or large patch in the home lawn is by following good lawn care practices. This is much easier and less expensive than the use of fungicides and can be very effective.
Building Long-term Lawn Health
Success in preventing turf diseases requires a comprehensive approach that addresses Suffolk County’s specific environmental challenges. Provide good drainage for both surface and subsurface areas. Correct soil compaction by core aeration. Prevent excessive thatch buildup. Water in the morning so grass can dry quickly. Mow regularly at the recommended height.
By understanding the unique challenges of Brookhaven’s humid climate and implementing proper prevention and treatment strategies, homeowners can maintain healthy, disease-resistant lawns throughout 2025. Whether you choose to tackle these challenges yourself or work with professional services, early detection and preventive care remain your best defense against dollar spot and brown patch diseases.