Turf Care Blog – August, 2016

August 5, 2016 – Turf Blog

We are at the point in summer where we have hit a bit of a heat wave over the past few weeks with high weather pressure and humidity. This is generally when turf diseases start to occur and we have to have our eyes out for the first signs of it so we can apply fungicides to prevent any out breaks.

Typically, in this region we only have a few types of diseases to watch out for, such as dollar spot, fusarium, and brown patch.  Other regions, that get hotter and more humid than here, have even more to contend with and thus have to spray more regularly.

Once we’ve determined that the environment is right for a disease we will go out and spray a fungicide at what they call a “preventive rate”. Essentially this is a low rate that protects the plant from being infected. Should we decide to hold off from spraying it can be a matter of merely a day in which a major outbreak can occur.  We then have to spray at a “curative rate”.  This is typically double to three times the amount of a preventive application would require.

In addition to the heat and humidity, we have been dealing with a disease on our fairways called “Take-All Patch”. This disease normally occurs in newly built golf courses during the first 3-5 years due to high pH levels in the soils. You may notice brown/reddish circular shapes in the fairways, this is Take-All patch. It’s a very manageable disease for us as we spray a combination of fertilizer products and water it in after to help prevent it from spreading. Over time this will be less prevalent as the course matures.   The photo below shows a Take-All Patch from #6 Fairway.

Johnny Connor
2nd Assistant & Environmental Steward