The Garden Club

A Fungus is Among Us!

On a recent walk through the neighborhood, my husband and I noticed the poor condition of many yards that have St. Augustine grass.  We also observed that some home owners are trying to improve their yard by replacing the sod.

We too had the same problem last year.  Our yard looked like it wasn't getting enough water or sun.  Ironically, we don't have any shade in our front yard and water our yard regularly; however, it continued to look as ifour yard had fungus.  We tried fungicides and replacing the sod, but neither would improve the health of our grass.  That's when we visited Neil Sperry's web site to find an answer.  The solution - Canadian sphagnum peat moss.  

According to Mr. Sperry's  magazine "Neil Sperry's Gardens" (March/April 2011), Take-All Root Rot (TARR) is a fungus that causes St. Augustine turf to look yellowed and lethargic at a time when it should normally be greening up.  It attacks the root system giving somewhat the same symptoms as grub worm damage (grass pulls loose easily from the soil), yet you won't find any grubs present.  This is a relatively new St. Augustine disease and is more prevalent in the shade.  Often, the area eventually turns to bare dirt.

Texas A&M research has shown that a one-inch layer of acidicpeat moss is more effective at controlling the disease than fungicide treatments.  According to Dr. Colbaugh at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, one treatment of peat will probably remain effective for up to three years.

To treat, you will need to break the peat into fine pieces as you apply it.  Water it a time or two for 10-15 minutes so that it washes into the runners and onto the soil surface.  There's no need to adjust the height of your mower after you've treated the lawn.  

If TARR is active in your yard, you will see rapid results after treatment.  For more information, please reference www.neilsperry.com and click on "most asked questions" and then select "lawns."  

In addition, Mr. Sperry posted a short video on this topic on his Facebook page on 4/14/2011.

Not only did we see a dramatic improvement in our yard within a few weeks after applying the peat moss, we also saved $$ by not needing to purchase harmful chemicals or trying to re-sod the majority of our front yard.

Lesley Lenamon, Member since 2010
PEGC(Prestonwood Estates Garden Club)