Brown Patch Fungus Invades South Florida Lawns

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Feb. 5, 2014 - PRLog -- Due to the season and most recent wet weather, Brown Patch Fungus has invaded the lawns of South Florida homeowners. Brown Patch is a fungus disease most likely to be observed from November through May when temperatures are below 80 degrees Farenheit in South Florida. It is not normally observed in the summer. Infection is triggered by rainfall, excessive
irrigation, or extended periods of high humidity resulting in the leaves being continuously wet for 48 hours or more.

The disease usually begins as small patches (about 1 ft. diameter) that turn yellow and then reddish brown, brown, or straw colored as the leaves start to die. Patches can expand to several feet in diameter. It is not uncommon to see rings of yellow or brown turf with apparantly healthy turf in the center. Turf at the outer margin of a patch may appear dark and wilted. This disease is often confused with herbicide damage or over-fertilization damage on a South Florida type of grass known as St. Augustine.

Disease Control: Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers. If you use fertilizer, use slow-release nitrogen sources with a balance amount of nitogen and potassium. Using high nitrogen fertilizers, in general. though, will result in the fungus getting worse. Also, reduce watering. Irrigate only when absolutely necessary and do so only in the early morning hours (between 2:00-8:00) when dew is already present. Since mowers can spread this disease, mow diseased areas last,
and wash turf clippings off the mower before proceeding to the next site. To prevent or eliminate brown patch fungus on your lawn, combine these disease control measures along with a liquid fungicide application. X Terminator, Inc. provides liquid fungicide lawn sprays at a reasonable rate with effective results. "Almost all our truck-mounted tanks this time of year are filled with fungicides. We are seeing fungus' everywhere we go and expect this problem to
continue or get worse over the next month or two", says Travis Papagno, owner of X Terminator, Inc.. You can contact X Terminator, Inc. at (954) 426-1551 or visit their website at http://www.xterminatorincpestcontrol.com.