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According to the turf specialists at Texas A&M, the fungus over winters on the roots and crowns of infected plants. As the disease becomes active during cool, wet weather in the fall and spring, it is spread from infected roots to healthy adjacent roots. 

Symptoms become apparent in spring as small, depressed circular patches begin to appear in the lawn. A thinning of the turf grass within the affected area occurs as roots, nodes and stolons become infected and the plants decline.  The leaves of infected grass plants do not easily separate from the plant when pulled, and the stolons will often have discolored areas with brown to black roots. The roots are sometimes so rotted that damaged stolons are easily pulled from the ground.

Regrowth of the grass into the affected area is often slow and unsuccessful as new growth becomes infected. During the stressful high temperatures of the summer months, the weakened, infected turf grass continues to decline. The small patches coalesce to form irregular larger patches, eventually reaching to 1.5 feet in diameter.

It may take one to two years for the disease symptoms to show up. Infected sod may serve as a source of infestation, even if it shows no immediate symptoms of the disease.

Take-All Patch seems to thrive in lawns that have one or more of the following conditions: soil is compacted and/or its pH is higher than 5.5. Additional contributing factors include poor drainage, grass being over watered and excessively fertilized.

Texas A&M recommends that the lawn should be treated in fall with a fungicide containing Bayleton (e.g. Fung-Away). Fertilizer should only be applied in late fall, and only after fungicide treatment. They recommend delaying spring fertilization until late April to early May. When mowing, clippings should be collected from affected lawns.

Preventative Control Measures

Texas A&M, and other, turf grass specialists recommend the following good horticultural practices:

1. Correct compacted soil. Core aerate lawns in spring. The resulting plugs of soil that are on the lawn will decompose and fill the openings. The benefits include:

(a) making it easier for air, water and nutrients migrate downward,
(b) encouraging the grass roots to grow downward and outward, rather than up towards the surface - this is thatch, and
(c) helps worms, beneficial soil bacteria and fungi to do their job in enriching soil organic content.

2. Before core aerating the lawn, apply gypsum at 40 lbs. per square feet and spread 1/2" of compost.  Core aeration should be followed by an application of organic fertilizer at 2 times the recommended rate.

3. If core aeration is not needed, then apply a slow-release fertilizer when the grass greens and begins to grow. Do not feed the lawn any earlier. There is no benefit to doing so, and it only serves to promote fungal disease development. Organic fertilizers can be applied earlier, before the grass greens up. They contain high amounts of insoluble nitrogen which the grass cannot immediately absorb. It must be first decomposed by beneficial soil microbes into its soluble form.

4. Water in the fertilizer with a bio-stimulant such as Medina Hasta Gro Plus to boost the population of beneficial organisms in the soil. Fungicides destroy beneficial soil organisms.

5. During the warm season, water infrequently, but thoroughly. Water early in the day to allow the grass to dry quickly. Over watering promotes the fungal disease.

6. When mowing do not remove more than 1/3 of the turf grass height. Removing more than that will excessively stress the grass. St. Augustine lawns must be mowed at the highest mower setting. The taller grass blades will shade the roots, relieving heat related stress. In a mixed Bermuda Grass/St. Augustine lawn this practice shades the Bermuda Grass invader causing it to eventually decline and disappear over a two to three year period.

7. Maintain an acidic soil pH. It seems that Take-All Patch does not survive very well in soils where the pH is 5.5. Soil pH can be lowered by applying either Ammonium Sulfate, wetable sulfur, or other soil acidifiers containing iron. However, in order to apply the appropriate amount of any of these products, a soil pH test must be performed. Information about soil testing can be obtained from the Harris County Master Gardener. They are located in Bear Creek and their telephone number is 281-855-5600.

8. In late fall, apply a slow-release or organic fertilizer to encourage good root growth over the winter. Apply only after fungicide treatment. Water the fertilizer in with a bio-stimulant such as Medina Hasta Gro Plus to boost the population of beneficial organisms in the soil.