Many areas of the Northeast have seen higher-than-normal temperatures over the past several weeks. During July and August, it’s common to experience weeks of stressful weather, but this year the high temperatures settled in early. High humidity and isolated severe storms were also an issue. High temperatures, high humidity and heavy rainfall is not a good recipe for turf health. Recently in my travels, a plethora of diseases and maladies have been observed including anthracnose, brown patch, dollar spot, Pythium, leaf spot and more. Not all fungicides give complete control, even if the disease is on the label, so multiple applications and rotating chemistries may be necessary along with prioritizing plant health over optimal playability. An excellent resource to navigate the efficacy of fungicides on different diseases is “Chemical Control of Turfgrass Diseases 2024.”
If you’re not sure which pathogen or pathogens are causing an issue, a turfgrass diagnostic lab can help. Each lab has recommendations on how to take, package and send samples, so be sure to follow instructions prior to collecting the sample. For the best chance of an accurate pest identification, take samples before making plant protectant applications. The technicians in the lab likely won’t know anything about your golf course, so help them with diagnosis by including information about recent cultural practices, environmental conditions, location of sample and any other information associated with the problem. Photographs and other clues that can point lab techs in the right direction are also helpful. There are many turfgrass diagnostic labs throughout the Northeast and across the country. For a listing of university-based plant diagnostic labs in the U.S., visit the National Plant Diagnostic Network website.
Keep in mind that it is common for no pathogens to be found in a sample of damaged turf. This typically indicates that the turf is simply weak and struggling to survive the environmental stresses of summer. If pushing your turf too hard is the root of your problems, implementing more-conservative maintenance practices and knowing what not to do will help you successfully navigate this stressful summer.
Northeast Region Agronomists:
Darin Bevard, senior director, Championship Agronomy – dbevard@usga.org
Elliott L. Dowling, regional director, East Region – edowling@usga.org
Brian Gietka, agronomist – bgietka@usga.org