Great news--we've got Take-all Patch!

If you recall, during the the past few years, we have had sporadic outbreaks of a root-borne turf disease, Take-all Patch, in late spring.  As the pathogen is compromising the plant's root system, by the time you see symptoms on the foliage, the damage is already done.  In an effort to prevent disease development, we initiated trials last fall, which included changes to fertility, cultural practices (aimed at reducing organic matter content), and fungicide applications.

Well, we've never been so happy to see turf disease.  Hmm, maybe we should rephrase that:  It is very helpful that we are seeing turf disease in the untreated areas.  Since Take-all patch can be hit or miss, had this been a year when we saw little or no Take-all anywhere on the golf course, it would have been impossible to know if the preventative treatments made last fall worked, or not.  Fortunately, (sort of) we are seeing a good deal of Take-all in many of the same locations as we have in prior years.

There is plenty of Take-all on #13 fairway.

However, the really good news is that we are seeing no Take-all on the tee and fairway areas we treated with a combination of fungicides last fall.  A comparison of spring, 2017 and spring, 2018 in these pictures speaks volumes:

#3 Legends tee in spring, 2017.

#3 Legends tee in spring, 2018.

#7 approach in spring, 2017.

#7 approach in spring, 2018.

We always try to make solid long-term plans in managing the golf course.  But it was still somewhat surprising to see that the fungicide applications made a full seven months ago, between Halloween and Thanksgiving, could have such a profound effect on turf health this year, as we are now past Memorial Day and entering the summer months. 

Given the relatively short residual activity of today's plant protectants, it certainly shows that the correct timing of fungicide applications is critical in helping to control Take-all.  It is also worth noting that after consulting with several sources on a best management plan for Take-all Patch, it was Steve McDonald, of Turfgrass Disease Solutions, that recommended the combination of fungicides which were so effective.

So, what does this mean going forward?  Well, for this year, we will still have some Take-all to deal with in the untreated areas.  However, in looking ahead, we have a good game plan for the future.  We will most definitely expand the use of this fungicide program in the fall, and look forward to seeing even less Take-all in 2019!