When to use fungicide

bwmaier – posted 12 January 2005 18:47

I know its a little early, but last year I got a fungus on my yard (I think it was brown patch). When is a good time to apply fungicide? What is a good brand of fungicide to use?

I have hybrid bermuda and live near Atlanta, GA and have clay soil.

Thanks

mikemaas00 – posted 13 January 2005 10:54

Since I’m guessing your bermuda is dormant, it would not do you a whole lot of good to use a fungicide now. I would wait until it comes back out of dormancy in the spring. If it’s not dormant already, I’d be very surprised. If your fungus starts growing again in the spring, you can find fungicides at your home depot or whatever. If you want to spend a little more money to make sure you get it, I would go to your nearest Lesco store and buy a product like Compass if you want to spray or Bayleton if you want a spreadable fungicide. Both of these will cost you at least 50 bucks and will cover at least 8,000sqft. Go to

ted – posted 13 January 2005 13:05

your bermuda is definitely dormant this time of year in Atlanta. since you’re not going to be able to purchase a professional fungicide due to licensing requirements, i would recommend soil testing for proper nutrient needs, and watering properly. overfertilization and improper watering can lead to disease formation. also check the sharpness of your mower blade, this is frequently how the disease enters the grass thru a mowing “wound.” what time of year did you have the fungus? i’m guessing it wasn’t brown patch fungus, but some other type.

bwmaier – posted 13 January 2005 17:57

Sorry, I should have been more specific. Yes, the grass is dormant. It probably won’t fully green up until late April. Last summer we had a lot of rainy, muggy afternoons. I think the fungus first appeared in July. I called the county extension agent and they recommended applying fungicide to prevent the problem, before the fungus made an appearance. They told me it was easier and cheaper to prevent than to fix once I got the fungus. Plus, I’m sure that by walking over the yard with the lawn mower that helped spread it. I didn’t always bag, and I know this didn’t help the problem.

I wasn’t going to apply the fungicide this early. But, it seems that they told me June was the best time. What are your opinions?

I would prefer a granular product. I use a spyker broadcast spreader. Last year I bought the Scotts brand fungicide. Thanks again.

–Brian

ted – posted 13 January 2005 20:01

the county extension agent was correct in that the preventative angle was the best choice. there’s no quality granular product for most diseases. i would try a local lawn care company for a liquid spray- cheaper than doing it yourself, and alot more effective. cut the water off in warm muggy situations and cut back on the nitrogen during fungus season. you didn’t cause any problems with the mowing. that’s an old excuse for homeowners to use on the mowing company when they get fungus! don’t forget to soil test- your potassium levels are crucial to disease resistance. don’t do it at the county extension. take it to Lesco- there will be a few around Atlanta.

RHD – posted 27 March 2005 15:37

Ted:Curious about your recommendation regarding using Lesco for soil sample testing rather than the county extension. I did not even know that Lesco analyzed soil samples. Why do you recommend Lesco? Quicker? More accurate? Better recommendations? I am in Atlanta also.

ted – posted 27 March 2005 17:14

yeah, lesco does their tests thru CLC labs in Ohio- the top lab in my opinion. the county ag folks are not turf experts by a long shot. the CLC guys give you detailed recommendations and a “prescription” for your lawn. they also have accurate recommendations on which type of lime to buy etc. etc. they’re also alot faster, too.

Turfmiester – posted 27 March 2005 19:37

Your state college has the best soil testing facilities in your state. I am in North Carolina and the soil testing lab at N.C State University is better than the local county agriculture agent. Lesco is more into the golf turf feild testing than home lawns. Try Georgia State University.

ted – posted 27 March 2005 21:48

lesco doesn’t soil test- they send it to CLC labs.

cohiba – posted 29 March 2005 16:09

CLC Labs is as good as many and better than most.

In my Opinion………………

turfie – posted 02 April 2005 06:20

Hi guys,

There seems to be many professionals in this industry with a favorite soil testing lab for one reason or another. Maybe it boils down to the way they present their results and recommendations. You have to be careful, though when sending soil samples from one area to a lab very far away. They usually use extractants that are suited to the soil type in that region. It does make a difference. There are several soil extractants that are designed for use on specific types of soils. Your results for P and Ca, especially will be skew if the wrong extractant is used. It has to do with the pH of your soil and the chemical reactions that tie up P and Ca. For example, here in West Palm Beach, FL, the soils are calcareous with high pH. If one sends a sample even to University of Florida in Gainesville where they use Mehlic I extractant (very low pH), the results wont be reliable. Too much Ca and P will be released that wouldnt normally be available. We need to use Olsen’s solution, which is a higher pH extractant. If you have an acid soil in NC, the extractant will be different than if you have an organic soil elsewhere.

Here is a website that may help you know which extractant you need:

ted – posted 02 April 2005 21:43

i think clc uses bray since most of the “regular” part of the country is acidic. florida and texas tend to be alot higher on ph- any other states with high ph’s?

turfie – posted 03 April 2005 06:45

Right on. Bray is designed for your acidic soils that are clay (contain aluminum and iron phosphates) such as in NC. I dont know about soils in Ohio. Florida is a strange animal. There are 2 types of acidic soils here – acid-sandy and muck, both requiring different reagents (not Bray b/c no Al) for nutrient analysis.

turfie – posted 03 April 2005 06:52

I dont know what other states have high pH soils – I’m guessing arid regions like arizona and NM. But these would be saline soils because of upper movement of salts in the profile.

ted – posted 03 April 2005 17:58

i guessing areas with high limestone in the soil base??? i tested some lawns in nashville one time ( all rock in the soil) and they were almost as high as texas. houston runs around 7.5 – 8.

turfie – posted 04 April 2005 19:53

In our case there is free calcium carbonate in the form of shells. Limestone underlies many of our soils, also a contributor as you suspected. Although, I believe it depends on how close the limestone layer is to the surface. All the soils weren’t made from weathered limestone, there were sand, clay, and phosphate rock deposited over the limestone millions of years ago.

This limestone is crushed into rocks and used for fill material, and also used for cement. Many previously excavated areas can have a high pH because the soil contains a lot of these rocks.

PATRICK – posted 04 May 2005 22:13

ASSOXYSTROBIN sp.? THE SPELLING ESCAPES ME HOWEVER THER EARE SOME VERY GOOD FUNGICIDES AVAILABE TODAY CALL YOUR LOCAL LESCO OR ANDERSONS .SOIL TEST FOR FUNGUS IS LIKE BOILING WATER BEFORE YOU BUY THE CHICKEN. WHEN TOO APPLY ? A PREVENTATIVE APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE ON A TIMELY SHEDULE ACCORDING TO LABEL OF SAID PRODUCT. REMEMBER THERE ARE NO GUARUNTEES YOU MAY NEED TO MAKE ACURRATIVE APPLICATION IF NECESSARY. REMEBER THAT CONDUCIVE CONDITIONS IN YOUR LAWN WILL BE THE PRIME TEMPLATE FOR FUNGUS PROLIFERATION . STUDY UP

bwmaier – posted 12 May 2005 13:40

I think I already know the answer to this, but which product would be better at preventing any diseases for my hybrid Bermuda: Eagle applied by a professional (liquid application) or 1% Bayleton granular that a homeowner could buy from Lesco? I am not a pro and this is for my lawn at my house. It looks like they both have the same ingredient, only the Eagle product is 20x more concentrated. Thanks for your suggestions.

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 13 May 2005 22:45

At the risk of opening a can of worms in an obviously chemical oriented thread, there is an organic solution to almost all fungal turf diseases. If you apply ORDINARY corn meal at a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet to your bermuda, every 60 days, you will need neither fungicide nor fertilizer for the entire season. The testing for this started back in the mid 90s at Texas A&M University. The practical experience comes from organic gardeners from around the world. Ordinary inexpensive corn meal (not the expensive corn GLUTEN meal) stimulates the entire range of beneficial soil microbes to prevent turf disease and provide a natural fertilizer to the grass. The only real common fungal disease that corn meal does not work against is rust. There are organic solutions for that, too, but one can of worms is enough for now.

ted – posted 15 May 2005 12:10

always go with the pro product. don’t forget the cultural issues, too- mowing, watering,soil testing and fertilizing all have alot to do with fungus.

smrtn240 – posted 14 July 2005 20:03

alot of your dmi’s are good to use for rhizoctonia ex. banner, bayleton

ddean – posted 18 July 2005 11:36

quote:Originally posted by Turfmiester:Your state college has the best soil testing facilities in your state. I am in North Carolina and the soil testing lab at N.C State University is better than the local county agriculture agent. Lesco is more into the golf turf feild testing than home lawns. Try Georgia State University.

Can you give me the website or contact information to have testing completed by NC State? Thanks!