Dr. Lee Miller of UMO: early Pythium, Zoysia winterkill, bentgrass bonking
In this episode of the TurfNet Turfgrass Hotline, Frank Rossi chats with Dr. Lee Miller of the University of Missouri about prevention, appearance and control of early Pythium root disease... which is not a fungus, he emphasizes. With the very wet conditions this year in many parts of the country, "...all you need for Pythum to get a grip is a pond for it to swim in." He notes that preventative control applications as early as April may be necessary under these conditions. Another topic is winterkill of Zoysia which was particularly bad this past winter in the transition zone. "Dead Zoysiagrass stays dead. It doesn't come back." Brown Patch and other foliar diseases, particularly of tall fescue, have also been particularly severe this year. They wind up the conversation with etiolation of bentgrass, a bacteria that loves hot weather and appears to have a relationship with Primo use. Recent "Bentgrass Bonking": primarily physiological decline due to organic matter holding water and "boiling roots", sometimes from the bottom of the rootzone up. Presented by Civitas Turf Defense and DryJect.