A cobwebby growth of mycelium may be visible early in the day if dew is present. Symptoms of yellow patch tend to subside in December and then reappear in late February and March. In spring, rings become more conspicuous. The ring color tends to contrast more sharply with healthy plants. In some cases the damage may remain somewhat superficial.
Affected plants remain yellow but recover quickly when temperatures increase.
However, rings can become necrotic and sunken during prolonged cool, wet weather. These damaged areas do not recover quickly. This fungus is somewhat similar to, but distinct from, the Rhizoctonia fungi responsible for large patch disease of zoysiagrass and brown patch of cool-season turfgrasses. The fungus survives in the soil as a hard resting structure called a sclerotium. The structures, about the size of a pinhead and dark brown, may be numerous in thatch surrounding damaged turfgrass.