Take-all patch is a disease of creeping bentgrass that can occur on golf course greens, tees, and fairways. Most take-all patch development occurs on less mature creeping bentgrass stands, but I have seen it on greens and fairways that have been established for 30 years or more. This disease is caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis, which is a root-infecting, soilborne fungus. This fungus is existent in almost all soils but only causes damage when conditions are favorable. In the Midwest, these conditions usually occur in the months of April, May, and October when the soil temps are less than 65 degrees Fahrenheit and wet conditions are more prevalent. Even though the fungus is not active in higher soil temps, you can still see a decline in the turf through the summer simply because of damaged root systems that are unable to recover under summer stress.
Because take-all infection likes pH above 7.5, acidifying treatments may decrease the severity of patch development. Using ammonium sulfate fertilizers during these periods will help lower pH but will not be effective on its own. Chemical applications applied when the soil temperatures are between 55-65 Fahrenheit are the most effective control of this disease. A lot of penetrant fungicides like DMI’s, QoI’s and T-Methyl may be used to suppress take-all patch development. How the product is applied is extremely important to their success in controlling this disease. Since this is a root-infecting disease, it is important to get the product down to the root zone. You will have to water in the product with enough irrigation to get it into the roots or apply before rainfall.
If take-all patch is a problem at your facility, consider treating with one of our ArmorTech fungicides labeled for take-all patch (ArmorTech Zoxy 2F, ArmorTech PPZ 143 MC, ArmorTech TEB 360 XL, and ArmorTech TM 462). You can also reach out to your ATS rep for more information on these products.
