Diseases can negatively affect the appearance and playability of your course, and take-all patch is one of the biggest offenders in the spring and fall.

What Is Take-All Patch?

Take-all patch is a disease that affects creeping bentgrass, which is common on 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. Take-all patch infects the crowns and roots of the plant, often leading to turf death and lengthy recovery times—not something any superintendent wants to deal with. 

Take-all patch is caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis, a root-infecting, soilborne fungus. This fungus is present in almost all soils, but only causes damage when conditions are favorable. These conditions usually occur when soil temperatures are below 65°F and wet conditions are prevalent. Even though the fungus is not active during higher temperatures, you may still see a decline in your turf going into and throughout the summer. This is because damaged root systems are often unable to recover under summer stress.

Symptoms of Take-All Patch

Take-all patch will cause yellow, tan, and/or dark red patches to appear on bentgrass. On mixed stands, only the bentgrass will be affected. These patches sometimes appear as a ring, with seemingly-healthy turf in the center. Patches can range from only a few inches to as large as several feet in diameter. 

As the disease progresses, these symptoms will become more visible. The roots and crowns of bentgrass plants will darken, affected turf may die, and other grasses will fill in the dead areas. As patches age, they may sink slightly compared to the healthy turf around them.

When and How to Treat Take-All Patch

It’s best to treat take-all patch around the time symptoms are set to appear. In the early-to-mid-spring, turf starts exhibiting symptoms in April and May. In the early fall, it traditionally shows up in October. Exact timing will vary depending on your geography.

Cultural and Fertilizer Treatments

  • Because take-all patch likes a pH above 7.5, acidifying treatments may decrease the severity of patch development. 
  • Using ammonium sulfate fertilizers will help lower the soil’s pH, but will not be effective on its own.
  • If a soil test reveals low manganese levels, applying manganese sulfate can help reduce the severity of take-all patch symptoms.

Chemical Treatments

Making chemical applications when soil temperatures are between 55-65°F will provide the most effective control of take-all patch.

Many penetrant fungicides, including demethylation inhibitors (DMIs), quinone outside inhibitors (Qols), and thiophanate-methyl can be used to suppress take-all patch development. How the product is applied is extremely important to its success. Since take-all patch is a root-infecting disease, it’s important to get the product down to the root zone. You’ll either need to water in your product with enough irrigation to get it into the roots or apply it three hours (or less) before a rain event. 

If take-all patch is a problem on your course, consider treating it with one of our ArmorTech fungicides labeled for take-all patch:

You can reach out to your ATS rep for more information on these products and others. Plus, your rep will be able to help you develop a treatment plan that’s tailored to your course.

If you’re dealing with take-all patch, give your rep a call. If you’re new to ATS, welcome. Use our ‘find a rep’ tool to get connected in seconds.