Take-all root rot is a very common lawn disease in Palm Beach County caused by the Gaeumannomyces graminis var. fungal pathogen that attacks just about all warm-season sod grasses. Take-all root rot, like its name implies, can devastate the root system of St. Augustine and other sod grasses which in turn prevents the sod grass from being supplied with adequate nutrients and irrigation from the underlying soil. You won’t see take-all root rot fungi damage to the actual blades of grass until the lack of water and nutrients has started to cause the area of sod grass to die off. This disease is triggered by heavy rainfall and most commonly occurs around hurricane season in South Florida (the summer months and early fall).
* Technically, there really is no prevention and/or controlling take-all root rot. The fungus that causes take-all root rot lives in the thatch layer of your sod grass and is naturally present at all times in the soil of your South Florida lawn. The fungi only become a problem when your lawn is under stress from excess irrigation or rainfall, poor drainage and extreme temperatures
Take-all root rot is almost impossible to treat once you have noticed the visible portions of your lawn to die off, so prevention is the best deterrent for this fungal infection.
Take-All Root Rot Fungus Best Practices For Prevention
- Improving Drainage in Your Soil
- Have a Soil Amendment Done if Needed
- Raise Cutting Height on Lawn Mowers for Drought Stressed Lawns
- Avoid Liming Your St. Augustine Lawn During the Rainy Season
Will Take-All Root Rot Go Away Without Treatment?
Left untreated, take-all root rot fungus will spread throughout your commercial or residential West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington or Jupiter lawn and create large, unsightly patches of dead sod. So waiting to see if it goes away on its own will only cause a bigger problem for you and your lawn. Focus on what caused the pathogen to become active. Was is stress, poor drainage, unusually high rainfall or something else.
Do Fungicides Work on Take-All Root Rot?
Yes, take-all root rot fungus can be managed with the use of the proper fungicides, but because the pathogen is naturally prevalent in South Florida you should make whatever changes are necessary to prevent the fungal disease from becoming active. If the disease is a recurring problem it is best to apply the fungicide as a prevention and not a cure, so apply before symptoms are detected.
Why not leave your lawn fungal disease problems to a professional? Our highly trained pest control and fertilization technicians have been keeping the lawns of West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington, Jupiter and other Palm Beach County, Florida cities lush, green and fungus free for over twenty five years.
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