Grass Disease? HELP!

[Acute Cut]

:confused:
Ok, i have a MAJOR issue in my lawns. Actually this seems to be a county wide eppidemic. This disease has overtaken most every lawn. No matter the cutting height or weather or not the lawns are fertalized. I posted it on my website so yall can see pics of it. There are three pics. What i dont have a picture of is the recent developments of the grass. The ends of the "dead" grass seems to be growing new grass but instead of one strong blade it is like five weaker ones that are growing out sideways. . the link is:
http://www.acutelawn.com/bulletinboardphotos.html

If i cut the grass shorther then it just shows the LARGE brown spots of dead grass. Also, i have pulled soil samples to check for thatch. A few yards have some thatch, but most have very little thatch. The ones that do hve it are still within the allowed peramiters.

Thank you guys (and gals) very much for any assistance you can offer.

Acute Cut

[lawrence stone]

Looks like Red Thread.

Power rake infected areas if possible.

Remove all clippings.

Apply one lb of N per 1K sq ft.

I rarely get any turf diseases on property I manage do to superior agronomic practices.

[LoneStarLawn]

Do the spots look like they are covered with "webs" in earlier mornings with heavy dew? I'm thinking it is Dollor Spot...
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/images/3075_1.jpg
I could be wrong.

Lack of fertilization can cause dollor spot (lack of nitrogen)

[Acute Cut]

it does sort of look like a web in the morning. Especially with the way the new grass is growing in. There seems to be like five new grass blades extending from the top of the dead stems now. It is very ugly too look at.

Doesnt red thread have a redish tint to it? This just looks like dead grass blads and stems that have just died and then split all apart or something.

I have powerraked one lawn and it didnt seem to tear out too much of the dead stuff. I was not happy with the results either way. If it is red thread then it is in eppidemic proportions.

[lawnboy11]

I'm not sure, but it sounds like it might be patches of bentgrass. It's hard to tell from the picture. Bent grass is used on golf greens and looks best cut very short and vigorously maintained as on a course. In a lawn it's a weed usually, at least in the northeast. Anyway, I'm not sure that's what it is, but it sounds and kinda looks like it.

[Runner]

I'm not real sure, because I can't tell the texture of the grass by the pictures, but what it looks like to me, is bentgrass. It is just starting to go dormant, is all. This will turn like this when that happens, and it goes dormant long before many other grasses do.We have it all over around here, too. Do you have a cooperative extension service around you? Take some in to them, and see what they say. I'd be curious to know as well. In the meantime, I'm going to print off some copies of your pics, and I'll ask my friend, John. He'll know.;)

[LoneStarLawn]

If you are sure it is a disease then I still think it may be dollar spot...
From your description does some of it look like this?...

http://ianrwww.unl.edu/pubs/plantdisease/graphics/dollar_3.jpg

When dew is present on grass blades in the morning and dollar spot is active, a grayish white, cobwebby growth of fungal mycelium will be seen

http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/hort/homehort/dollrspt.jpg

If this not present then it may be something else.

[wmsland]

Your picture sure looks like you have a really nasty grassy weed called Nimblewill. It grows in patches, and resembles bentgrass. It goes dormant this time of the year and turns white or brown. The worst part is that it is very difficult to control. It doesn't look so bad in the summer when it's green, but really sticks out this time of the year, not a whole lot that can be done about it.

[Acute Cut]

ok
not leaf spot
not red thread
i pulled out the big book of diseases i have and crossed those two off. There never was any sort of spotting or discolorization other than the whole thing just dying off as you see it in pic one. This problem has only come about as of last fall, but i only saw it on one or two accounts. now i see it EVERYWHERE i go. People are calling me up from all over the place asking me about it. (people meaning not my regular customers)

I see it mostly in lawns that are cut higher i guess. those cut lower just have the tops cut off so it is harder to see. I mow at 3-3.5 on my lazer and at level 3 on my wb. Whew, i feel so much better knowing i have finally found some help. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[GroundKprs]

I'll run with Runner. It sure does look like bentgrass. Notice that the bluegrasses in the pics are not affected. You could have had something that affected only the bent, or it is going dormant. Doubt very much it would have been dollar spot in your area now, DS is a hot weather problem. (But it's always hot in TX, right Lonestar?)

I would expect red thread would have also affected the bluegrass. If it has been very cool in your area, perhaps snow mold could have gotten the bent. Best to check with your turfgrass extension specialist for recent or ongoing regional problems.

[LoneStarLawn]

Originally posted by GroundKprs
Doubt very much it would have been dollar spot in your area now, DS is a hot weather problem. (But it's always hot in TX, right Lonestar?)


Yeah it is a hot weather problem but it can happen in the fall (around here I guess). Yes it always hot here...LOL. I guess I should have paid more attention to location. Sorry about that.

[ant]

allen nice job on the pictures.
replys to post like that realy helps the foaks on the forum...
ant:)

[turf13]

Put the disease books down! It is definitely either colonial bentgrass or nimblewill. No selective control! They will both go dormant with the advent of colder weather after a heavy frost.

[KirbysLawn]

I agree with Bentgrass. I have a few lawns on golf courses and it looks like crap on fescue lawns when mowed high. My dad's old lawn has it also and he lived no where near a golf course.

[Acute Cut]

Wow, here's an old thread for yall. I still am working twords figuring it out. Many of you were right. I still wonder some things, but atleast i know i am narrowing in on it. It does appear to be only affecting the bent grass. It has never really had a problem before last year, so i am still led to believe it to be a fungus attackin only the bent grasses. The other solution put forth to me by WSU (Washington State University) is that it is not a disease at all, but merely "false crowning." This is what was sent to me.
"From the pictures, I do not think this is a fungal disease. This looks like a fairly common occurrence that is usually called "false crowning". It is common in lawns where bentgrass is mowed taller than it should be. It generally shows up the most in ryegrass lawns where bent has invaded as a weedy species. When the bentgrass is mowed too high, the crown of the plant (the main growing point) gradually becomes elevated in the plant canopy, instead of staying at the soil surface where it belongs. This results in abnormal growth patterns in the grass (such as the "witch's broom" appearance), and also scalping during mowing, which leads to the yellow and/or straw brown color.

If the lawn is one comprised either wholly or mostly of bentgrass, one possible solution is to mow the turf shorter (gradually) until you can regularly cut it at a height that is suitable for bent (3/4 to 1 inch or so). It may continue to look bad for a while - you will be forcing the plant to return to its proper growth habit - it may take a while.

If the lawn is primarily other species and the bent is there as a weed, there's not a lot you can do. It will continue to look bad mowed at typical lawn heights. The only thing that can be done is to remove the bentgrass, either mechanically or with a non-selective herbicide applied to the bentgrass only.

The people who called it thatch weren't really right, but many people call it this. A really thatchy lawn might eventually look similar to this. Sorry there's no easy fix, like a fungicide. Hope this helps."

My sincerest thanks to those at WSU for thier help. They say that if i still need a firmer answer to submit a sample to them and they will do all the tests for only 25$. What do yall think? Problem solved? Should i just start cutting closer and wait it out?

I also note that if i could have been able to really tell grass apart (or taken the time to use my books and find out) i could have saved myself alot of time. Geesh. Sometimes we do the stupidest things in our search for "other" answers. my bad. Thanks to those that have offered so much help so far too. I sincerely appreciate it guys. (and gals as approp.);)

[earthandturf]

Could it be Ophiobulus Patch? This is a n important disease of the Pacific Northwest, it attacks the crown and roots of the plant in cool wet weather. Ophiobulus Patch appears as patches of bronzed or BLEACHED turf. In advanced stages, the turf in the center of the patches has poorly developed roots and will eventually die. Test for high PH anduse resistant varieties of fine fescue and perennial ryegrass and moderate applications of fertilizer containing ammonium sulfate. Just my 2 cents.:alien:

[lawnkid]

I usually get this on my lawn after the winter but a little fertilizer and it eventually goes away. I think it might either just be snowburn or just bent grass like everyone else says.

[Acute Cut]

Earthandturf:
I am sincerely thinking it to be the ophious patch. I just went out and tossed some pherrus ammonium sulfate on the lawns. In the highly affected areas i tossed a little extra cause it says that you should add up to 2 lbs per 1K in heavy areas. I did this on thursday the 4th of April. Ill check it on monday and just watch it closely from then on. I am out of town currently, but i know it is raining in my area up there so i am happy. (I added the pherrus for moss, two birds with one stone so to speak) I can honestly say that i do not know of ANY LCO's in my area that know the solution to this. I know MANY that dont. Hell, i even seen a guy that works at a golf course call it thatch and then he thatched his lawn. I am not currently impressed. Needless to say the problem is still there.

There really isnt a whole lot of info on this disease out there. I have found a total whopping 3 paragraphs from 3 diff sources. The scary part is that the old ortho book (copyright 1985, 4$ special for boredom reading mostly) had the ONLY picture i have been able to find of it. And it was hand drawn, but good enough. The affected bent grass looks EXACTLY like the pic. I have not seen any areas die off in the center yet though. So, that worries me a bit because i have some pretty affected areas. If i nail this one, then I will be the man around my area. Our biggest commercial stores in our area are getting affected pretty badly i noticed. Perhaps they should hire me if they want it fixed. Muhahahahhaa.

I'll keep ya'll posted.