Take-All Patch Fungicides

Take-all patch is a root disease of creeping bentgrass and related cool-season grasses, especially on young, high-pH sand-based greens.

What to Look For

Orange-bronze rings or patches develop as roots darken and lose function. Centers may recover with weeds or resistant grasses, producing a frog-eye appearance.

Why It Develops

High soil pH, alkaline irrigation, excessive lime, low manganese availability, poor drainage, and stress on young turf favor disease.

Reduce Disease Pressure

• Avoid unnecessary lime and high-pH topdressing.
• Use acidifying nitrogen sources where soil testing and agronomic guidance support them.
• Maintain adequate potassium, phosphorus, and micronutrients.
• Improve drainage, rooting, and overall stress tolerance.

What University Research and Extension Guidance Says

Penn State and Kentucky emphasize pH management and fall preventive timing on sites with a history of spring symptoms. Applications must reach the crown and root zone. Disease often becomes less severe as a new green matures, but aggressive liming can prolong the problem.

Choosing and Using a Fungicide

Use the products below as a starting point, then match the active ingredient, FRAC group, turf species, use site, timing, rate, interval, and watering directions to the current product label. Preventive or very early applications are usually more reliable than rescue treatments after extensive injury. Rotate effective FRAC groups and combine fungicides with the cultural changes above.

Research and label note: University research may identify useful activity even when a current product label does not name this disease. That is research evidence, not a label direction. Apply a product only where the turf or application site and use pattern are permitted, and follow the complete label and applicable state requirements.

University sources: Penn State Extension: Take-All Patch; University of Kentucky: Chemical Control of Turfgrass Diseases 2024.