Disease Program 2021

If you seeded last fall it is doubly important that you continue reading.

Background

• Brown Patch is a summer disease of cool season turf grasses, mainly fescue in our area, that affects the leaves of grass plants. It may show up overnight with conditions such as high heat and humidity, excessive dew and/or excessive rainfall.
• On mature lawns that are 18 months or older, Brown Patch does not affect the crowns and roots of the plant, which means it is unlikely that it will result in permanent damage. The disease may cause lesions on leaves, but the plants have enough energy to grow out of the disease when the stressful weather conditions break.
• There are examples, however, of mature lawns that perennially suffer from brown patch. Why a small percentage of lawns are so susceptible is difficult to say with any certainty other than pointing out that dealing with any living system, whether it be the human body or a lawn, there are so many factors that anomalies are bound to appear.
• We refer to all lawns that have not yet reached 18 months as “baby lawns.” Baby lawns are more susceptible to long-term damage because their root systems are not yet fully established and are therefore not as capable of weathering a brown patch assault as are mature lawns. SO, IF YOU SEEDED LAST FALL, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU CONSIDER OUR PREVENTATIVE DISEASE CONTROL PROGRAM.

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Cultural practices YOU can implement to reduce Brown Patch pressure

• If you water, do so deeply and infrequently, 2-3 times per week at most, and only in the early morning. Overwatering causes more lawn problems than underwatering.
• Frequent mowing is best, at a height of 3.5 – 4 inches. Allowing the grass to get too long between mowings can cause the blades to lie over and trap moisture.
• Mow with a very sharp blade. Dull blades rip the grass tips, weakening the plants making them more vulnerable. Dull blades also negatively affect the color as the grass tips turn brown from the ripping.
• While mowing, leaving the clippings is usually the healthiest option, provided you do not let the grass get too high. But if the grass does get too long between cuts, it may be best to bag or rake the excess clippings. Further, if the grass gets out of control, it is best not to whack it back down to your normal height all in one mowing…rather, cut 1/3 or less of the grass height initially, then mow again in 3-4 days to get grass to normal length.
• Do not apply any fertilizer in addition to what we are already applying in your annual program.

Options to prevent and / or control Brown Patch

1. Do nothing* – Purdue University, the leading authority in turf management, says taking no action is often a valid option, as mature turf normally repairs itself when favorable growing conditions return. Be aware, however that if unfavorable conditions remain for 4 weeks of longer with no relief, even the healthiest of fescue lawns can sustain lasting damage.
2. Wait and see what the weather brings and how your lawn responds – There are products that can immediately halt a brown patch outbreak, but the effects in the form of lesions on the grass blades will remain until the blades grow and are cut off by successive mowings. This may take a few weeks.
3. Apply more “good guys” to battle the “bad guys” – MoreLife is a bio-nutritional product that has living microbes, with microbial food and plant nutrients. The energy in this application helps affected grasses grow out of the disease, and the organic material encourages healthier soils for the long term. It is not a fungicide. This is a more natural response if you took the wait and see approach mentioned above, and begin to see a problem. It is a more supercharged application of biologicals than our routine lawn applications, and is recommended for homeowners who have a history of severe brown patch problems.
4. Be proactive with our 3-application fungicide program – Applied around the first of June, July and August. Fungicides are chemical compounds that prevent and kill parasitic fungi.

*Be assured that we are not “doing nothing.” Last July, we did trials on a few lawns sufferings with brown patch. To the biological products that we always include in your lawn program, we added an enhanced fertilizer. The combination of these two products showed not only a reduction of brown patch, but also a color improvement. In 20 years of dealing with brown patch on fescue lawns, the improvements were the most encouraging I have ever seen. That combination is now part of every program for all the lawns in our care.