Category: Disease Control

Recent weather (remnants of hurricane Isaac) raised concerns about gray leaf spot in the Ohio Valley and the lower Midwest in general.  You may recall that the pathogen does not overwinter efficiently in the Midwest, and inoculum (airborne spores) from...

Melting snows revealed some significant snow mold damage. As you know there are two types of snow mold diseases, gray snow mold (aka Typhula blight) and pink snow mold (Microdochium patch). Although they create similar symptoms (circular patches of tan...

Part II: Summer diseases in Residential Turf Part III: Summer weeds: Common summer weeds and their control Part I: Too hot: Why some turfgrass species look poor in summer Color Variation in Residential and Commercial Lawns Crabgrass Control Now is...

Rust is a disease of taller mown turf. Outbreaks are most common on residential lawns, low budget athletic fields, and, occasionally, on golf course roughs. A variety of related fungi cause rust. Ccommon names include leaf rust, crown rust, and...

Summer Stress With a warm and wet summer, we are experiencing decline in some of our turf around the state due to temperatures, disease, insects, and weeds. In response, we are publishing a four part series on this topic to...

Gray leaf spot has been identified on perennial ryegrass fairways in northern Kentucky.  It is likely that outbreaks will occur in southern Indiana with the next rainstorm (or it may already be established).  If the turf that you manage has...

Slime mold can occur on all turf grasses.  The disease does not infect the plant but instead grows on the outside of the leaves.  Yellowish, purplish, or grayish fruiting bodies may be observed during wet periods.  As the turf begins...

The near term forecast indicates an early arrival of summer, when temperature and moisture conditions favor diseases that can cause serious damage to turf on golf courses, athletic fields and residential landscapes.  Two of the more important diseases are discussed...

Melting snows revealed some significant snow mold damage.  As you know there are two types of snow mold diseases, gray snow mold (aka Typhula blight) and pink snow mold (Microdochium patch).  Although they create similar symptoms (circular patches of tan turf—sometimes with orange/brown...

Although the cool weather tends to limit disease in new seedlings, a spike in the temperatures could trigger outbreaks in juvenile turf yet this year. Late summer is clearly the best time of the year to seed for a variety...

Dollar spot is caused by a fungal pathogen, Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, that blights leaf tissues but does not affect turfgrass roots or crowns. The disease is a common concern on golf course turf, especially creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass greens, tees, and...

Rust is a disease of taller mown turf. Outbreaks are most common on residential lawns, low budget athletic fields, and, occasionally, on golf course roughs. A variety of related fungi cause rust. Ccommon names include leaf rust, crown rust, and...

The diseases rust and dollar spot are thriving in Indiana lawns right now, which is fairly typical for this time of the year. These are both low nitrogen diseases, so are almost inevitable as we try to keep lawns on...

Summer patch and necrotic ring spot are root-infecting diseases in Kentucky bluegrass lawns.  Their symptoms are some of the most difficult to manage, much less control the disease. Although these diseases differ slightly in when they attack the roots, the...

Brown Ring Patch Brown ring patch is a disease of annual bluegrass on putting greens.  Damage is largely cosmetic, although in some areas smoothness and uniformity of putting surfaces are disturbed, warranting chemical control.  The duration of symptom expression usually...

Yellow patch, also referred to as cool season brown patch, is caused by Rhizoctonia cerealis, a fungus closely related to the pathogens that cause brown patch and the Rhizoctonia large patch of zoysia grass. Although symptoms can be striking, yellow patch...

Winterkill in warm-season grasses is highly variable and difficult to study by scientists. Because of this, our understanding of winterkill is based on science as well as practical experience and observation. Since winterkill in warm-season grasses can be affected by...

With the warm dry weather slowing growth of most turf areas, rust is becoming common on many non-irrigated turf areas.  Rust symptoms are reddish-orange lesions or spots on the leaf blades and a rust-colored powder that you can rub off...

We have just documented the first case of gray leaf spot this year from a golf course in Bloomington . We have learned that the disease will develop over a broad range of environmental conditions (not just hot and wet)...

Photo by: Steve McDonald of Turfgrass Disease Solutions located in Philadelphia Photo by: Cale Bigelow in West Lafayette Over the past week a relatively new turf malady has become prevalent on golf turf throughout the region. This new phenomenon has...