Initially small, light-brown dead patches appear on turf resembling Fusarium. Once Take-all Patch is established, the patches continue to grow throughout the year, causing turf to appear a bronze to red colour and fade out to brown. In cooler times of the year the patches can be grey.
Patches may grow to 15 cm per year and can exceed 1 m. Often the patches are slow to recover and the middles are invaded by weeds and other grasses.
Stolon and rhizomes, bases of shoots and roots become brown-black before they die. Encouraging conditions include:
- cool wet conditions in poorly drained soils
- soils with higher pH than 5.5
- soils with light texture, low organic material and low or unbalanced fertility.
Lowering your soil pH can suppress the disease. Message the team at Lawn Addicts about the best professional lawn care products available online to control Take-all Patch.