 Plant Diseases in Arkansas
Zoysia Patch
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Dr. Steve Vann - Extension Urban Plant
Pathologist
Zoysia grass is probably one of the most popular turf grasses here in
Arkansas. Along with Bermuda, Centipede and St. Augustine it is considered a
warm season grass. Periodically, however, it can be susceptible to a particular
fungus disease called Large Patch. Large patch is actually caused by a fungus
that survives in the thatch of the grass. The disease is often referred to as
Rhizoctonia large patch, or Zoysia patch.
These patches usually develop on the Zoysia grass, usually either in the fall
or early spring. And this particular fungus is most active when the thatch
temperatures are between 50 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. As the temperatures warm
up then the fungus becomes inactive. Oftentimes the turf grass will recover.
However, it can become very unsightly in the home lawn.
These patchy areas may be anywhere from 6 inches to 20 feet in diameter. One
diagnostic characteristic, oftentimes, is the formation of an orange fringe
around the perimeter of the patch here. That’s one diagnostic characteristic for
Zoysia patch.
In order to have this disease properly evaluated you would need to collect an
appropriate sample from this area and submit it to a trained professional. To do
that, I would suggest taking a small garden spade and collect an area right on
the edge of the good grass and the bad grass.
Typically what we do is cut a circle approximately four inches in diameter.
So just dig this down, again you can see the depth here (2 – 3 inches). We want
to leave the soil attached to the roots and put the sample into a plastic bag.
Seal it up.
Homeowners who are interested in additional information about this particular
disease on Zoysia and Bermuda grass, I would suggest that they take a look at
one of our Extension Fact Sheets (FSA-7527). It contains a lot of additional,
detailed information about Zoysia patch.
Announcer
To learn more,
contact your county Extension agent, and follow the links in this section.
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