County Agent’s Corner

Brown Patch was the subject of last week’s column and I expect conditions to be nearly perfect for this fungal disease to appear this spring.

I also expect Take All Root Rot will cause a problem in some lawns this spring.

It is during the spring and summer months that symptoms of this serious soil-borne fungal disease becomes most noticeable.

High moisture conditions combined with warm temperatures provide the ingredients needed for the disease to flourish.

This disease was first described in Texas in 1991 on St. Augustine and since that time it has also been confirmed on bermudagrass, zoysigrass and centipedgrass.

Take-all root rot may be mistaken for brown patch or chinch bug injury and the possibility of these problems can be eliminated with some simple test.

To eliminate the possibility of brown patch, pull on the grass. Rhizoctonia brown patch does not cause root rotting, so the grass is not easy to pull from the ground, as is the case with take-all root rot.

A simple to conduct water test easily spots chinch bugs. The pest can be floated to the surface of the lawn by pouring a gallon of a waterdishwashing detergent mixture over a 1-squareyard area.

If infected with chinch bugs, the tiny pest will be seen scurrying across the turf.

Once these two problems have been eliminated as possibilities, attention can be directed toward take-all root rot.

Early symptoms of the disease include a yellowish appearing (cholorotic) thinning turf in large circular to irregular patches.

It is not uncommon for the yellowish irregular patches to vary in size from 1 foot to more than 20 feet in diameter.

The roots of infected grass are usually short, blackened and rotted. The stolons often can be lifted easily from the soil because of the poor root system.

The plant’s nodes may be discolored and the yellow foliage will slowly die and turn brown.

Treatment for take-all root rot involves cultural practices combined with applications of fungicides specifically labeled for control of the disease.

Cultural practices include implementing a balanced fertility program, aeration, thatch reduction and proper irrigation.

Kleberg residents wishing to learn more about take-all root rot and strategies to control the disease may request the Extension publication L-5170 Take-all Root Rot of Turfgrass from the Kleberg-Kenedy AgriLife Extension Service Office.