Amerishade Problems

Outdoors – posted 15 November 2004 07:54

I had a new form of sod put down in my back yard – apprx 10,000 sq feet back in July called Amerishade. It is a form of St Augustine and was developed as a joint venture between the Univ of Florida, LSU, and other schools in the south. It has a dark green look and grows more sideways than vertical. I recently developed brow/yellow spots in a few places that spread all over my lawn. I had a guy come out and fertilize (weed and feed) and also put down a fungus chemical. That did not do much so he came back out and retreated for the fungus. I am starting to see green in the middle of some areas but it also seems to be spreading to other areas. I am curious if anyone has experience with this type of grass and if anyone has suggestions on what I need to do. This seems to be a slow process and painful process. When can I expect a green lawn again? Do I need to resod some areas? I am in the Tampa area.

Thanks.

ted – posted 15 November 2004 09:33

it sounds like you already had fungus then the lawn care guy just made it worse by fertilizing the fungus! i would ride it out thru the winter then reassess in the spring. don’t forget to soil test.

turfie – posted 15 November 2004 11:46

Greetings:

I don’t know anything about this new cultivar called Amerishade, or if has resistance to chinch bugs, but if you have dead spots that are enlarging, you should check to see if you have them. They cause the type damage that you described. It may be cooling off in your area by now, which means they will not be as active and have caused most of the damage they will for this year. Just for kicks, I suggest you do a little digging between the turf blades close to the perimeter of the dead areas. Look for tiny crawling insects. Chinch bugs have a stripe across their back. Younger ones are red with a white stripe, and more mature ones will be dark with the white stripe. They will hide in the sheath of the leaf sometimes, so if you pull the lower leaf down away from the plant one may be exposed. These insects have quite a few generations per year and usually need repeated treatments with insecticides to keep them in check. They can destroy your lawn. Even floratam, which was resistant to chinch bugs is being attacked because populations are now present that have adapted to it.

I would rake out the dead grass. If this is a fungal pathogen, that will help reduce the spread. Stolons can creep back into a clean area better than an area filled with dead thatch and grass. In the spring, you can sprig those areas for quicker grow in.

The best protection against pest problems is to maintain proper fertilization and watering requirements. Excessive water and nitrogen will encourage thatch build up, which promotes fungi and provides a nice home for chinch bugs. About 2 inches water per week during heavy growing season and 4 pounds of N per 1000 square feet per year divided into a few applications is sufficient. Of course, you want a complete fertilizer and P levels should be based on a soil test.

If you find chinch bugs associated with enlarging brown spots, spot treat including about a 6 foot buffer around the area(s). Chances are they are not in other healthy grass areas, because they typically feed together in an area until the grass is dead, then move to another area. Talstar, sevin, orthene are examples of products available.

Hope this helps.S. Bledsoe

Jason – posted 14 January 2005 13:22

It appears Amerishade is very susceptable to fungus. I have had Amerishade since March of 2004. Around September the same problems occured in my yard. Dr. Laurie Trenholm of the Univerisity of Florida, warned of the fungus problems in Amerishade. Everyone in the city of Lakeland is having the same problems with the Amerishade sod. The city of Lakeland has the sod in football stadiums and various parks, all having the same problems. No one is able to get a handle on it. The guys at Lesco said an Amerishade rep came down and said around september you have to put down a pre emergent fungicide. or basically have a crystal ball. What a beautiful grass with some very crappy properties. I will most likely be resodding with Delmar or Palmetto. Good luck.

mikemaas00 – posted 20 January 2005 12:06

I’m guessing you meant preventative fungicide. Preemergent is a type of herbicide. Yeah sounds like you are going to have to put a preventative application of fungicide every year around spring green up and again before fall sets in. Good luck.

Outdoors – posted 20 January 2005 18:30

I contacted Turfgrass in the Tampa Bay area and told them that my fungus was getting gradually worse. Their Customer Service Dept told me to use Heritage or Bayleton fungus prevention/repair granules. I called my lawn treatment guy and he priced out these products. They were so outrageously expensive he told me I would be better off to go find smaller quantities and apply myself. I found Bayleton at Cypress Creek Nursery and it was 54 bucks for a 40 lb bag!! I have since applied 5 bags or 2 yard treatments. I am seeing some green coming back but mostly dollars weeds. I hope it greens back up in the spring. Does anyone know when this grass should start turning green in Central FL?

mikemaas00 – posted 25 January 2005 09:51

You got a pretty good price on that bayleton. A 40lb bag is closer to 80 bucks where I’m from. Bayleton is systemic and will only work when your grass is actively growing. I hope it was when you applied it. If it was dormant (don’t know how far south you are), you might have thrown away money. If the grass was damaged alot, you might have to resprig those dead patches. Otherwise, it should come back earlier than May. If not, you’ll need to resod or sprig.

tennisdude – posted 13 February 2005 17:01

Hi. I installed Amerishade in early October in my Tampa yard. Within a few weeks, I had fungus in a few areas too. I have since learned that sod is more susceptible to diseases between March and November. Semi-dwarf sod should only be installed in the cooler winter months. Also, Amerishade is the most shade tolerant of all the semi-dwarf varities. It only needs 2-3 hours of sun per day. In my yard, the sunnier areas got stressed and ended up infected with the fungus. You shouldn’t use Amerishade in areas of your lawn that get more sun. Try Seville, which can handle 3-4 hours of sun per day, in those areas. Also, you should definately put down Bayleton in March and September on your Amerishade sod as a preventative fungicide.

Mr. Green – posted 29 March 2009 06:33

Our entire neighborhood has had problems with brown patch over the past few years. I have tried various fungicides and found one that stands out above the rest. It’s organic and made from garlic (stinks too). My neighbors have been resistant to trying it because of the price and probably the smell. It works incredible well though.

My yard now stands out as the best in the neighborhood. Whenever I see neighbors outside I yell out, “look at mine…it’s the Greenest of the Green!” You gotta have a little fun in life.

Garlic GP is available at http://www.garlicgp.com/