kimscandy – posted 12 March 2002 16:55
HELP!
I have this spot around my water meter that keeps getting bigger year after year. The grass keeps dying out. I don’t think it’s a fairy ring because there’s no mushrooms. It’s about 20 feet +/- round. It started about 4 years ago.
I have centipede grass.
Thanks.
[This message has been edited by kimscandy (edited 12 March 2002).]
seed – posted 16 March 2002 20:26
Kim, what you’ve got sounds like Centipede Decline. I don’t recall if anyone has formally assigned this to a specific fungus, but it is a patch disease associated with heavy fertilization and ensuing thatch. Cutting back on fertilization and periodic topdressing with sand will help gradually reduce the thatch problem, over a couple years. These kind of diseases are sometimes worse at high soil pH (alkaline). Among several web links, the third one, by Bethel Farms in Arcadia, Florida, is the most helpful.
Phil in Florida
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/turf/publications/Centipdecline.htmlhttp://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/pubs/pathol/ag360.htmlhttp://www.bethelfarms.com/diseases5.html