Yellow Patch, Fairy Ring and a Bit of Brown Ring Patch

In Northeast Ohio, it’s been a record year for yellow patch (Rhizoctonia cerealis) sightings. Of the courses I’ve visited over the last three weeks, 75% of them have had at least one green with a few classic symptoms: smooth, yellow rings on Poa annua.  This disease has been mostly absent in my area for at least six years, so it’s been interesting to observe the large number of outbreaks this spring. Typically, yellow patch does not kill the infected turf down to the crown and it’s stopped with ArmorTech® IP 238 in a spray solution with a pH of 6.

Like its cousin, brown ring patch (Rhizoctonia circinata. var circinata), manifests itself in yellow/tan rings. These rings tend to be irregularly shaped with jagged edges. BRP can, in extreme instances, take Poa annua plants down to the crown. DMI and strobilurin fungicides have proven to be very effective for control when used at high rates. It’s important to consider your recent and upcoming PGR applications when applying DMI chemistry to avoid overregulating turf growth.

Fairy ring can often be confused with BRP.  If you don’t want to wait for lab results and are not certain whether it’s fairy ring or BRP, ArmorTech Teb XL 360 is effective at treating both.Regardless of which of the above you encounter, it takes longer in the spring for infected/affected plants to heal. New, healthy shoots will begin to be evident 4-6 days after treatment; however gray, cool weather can drastically slow the recovery.

Morgan Timberlake
Golf Sales Manager