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Turf diseases to be aware of

June 18, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Becky Nelmes

Turf diseases to be aware of: Summer is here and with it are several turf diseases to be aware of. Here’s a guide to dealing with a few of them. Anthracnose is a stress disease, so combining any 2 or 3 of several potential stresses can encourage the disease. Common stresses include lowering of height […]

Mansfield Sand supports golfing health project

June 18, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Mansfield Sand supports golfing health project: Mansfield Sand, a provider of silica sand-based products for the sports turf industry, has donated £1,000 towards a pioneering golf project due to begin in June at Coxmoor Golf Club in Sutton-in-Ashfield. The innovative partnership between Golf in Society, Mid Nots Dementia Partnership, and the Sutton golf club is […]

Turf diseases to be aware of

June 18, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Becky Nelmes

Mansfield Sand supports golfing health project

June 18, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Turf diseases to be aware of

June 18, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Becky Nelmes

Turf diseases to be aware of: Summer is here and with it are several turf diseases to be aware of. Here’s a guide to dealing with a few of them.

Anthracnose is a stress disease, so combining any 2 or 3 of several potential stresses can encourage the disease. Common stresses include lowering of height of cut, low N inputs, heat, extremes of soil moisture, high thatch, aggressive verticutting, high wear, etc.

Turf diseases to be aware of

Symptoms within a sward are patches of irregular, yellow/brown/bronze-coloured patches and a loss of turf density. Foliar blight-affected leaves lose colour to become a yellow colour and black spots containing fruiting bodies (acervuli) can be seen on the leaves.

The three biggest factors in anthracnose development are mowing height, deficiencies of N or K (mainly N) and poor control over soil moisture. Avoid these three and your chances of avoiding anthracnose are greatly increased. Keep green speeds up by applying slow-release N to maintain turf health without excess growth. I recommend high potassium liquids in nearly all my golf green recommendations throughout summer to help keep anthracnose at bay as higher levels of K in the leaf reduce anthracnose. It’s also a good idea to add in phosphite and salicylic acid with your foliar mixes. Both work in a similar fashion by ‘tricking’ the plant into thinking it’s under attack from a pathogen and increasing its defences.

Consistent moisture levels across the whole surface are important in preventing Localised Dry Spots and anthracnose, so use of a soil moisture meter and hand watering is crucial. Maintain a good wetting agent programme to maintain consistent soil moisture across your site.

Take-All Patch affects golf greens and you probably won’t see symptoms until later in the summer, but you can prevent it now. For those on Take-All prone sites: get a good programme of biostimulants in place employing seaweeds, amino acids and humic acids.

Light straw-coloured circular patches become visible that have a well-defined edge between healthy and infected turf. They may have a bronze tinge around the edge when the disease is active. These may be slightly depressed and contain unaffected species or weeds in the centre

Low soil manganese levels are often associated with this disease as the pathogen oxidizes available Mn²⁺to Mn³⁺or Mn⁴⁺, making it unavailable to the plant; extra manganese inputs have been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms. High pH soils are also more vulnerable.

On sites who traditionally suffer badly, two applications of azoxystrobin 2 weeks apart in early summer, and then again in late August will help. Combine applications of azoxystrobin with a wetting agent to get the active ingredient down into the soil where it’s needed.

Be aware of Waitea Patch during a hot spell. Hydrophobic layers are a factor with this disease, therefore moisture and thatch management are key. With modern moisture meters you can really track soil moisture levels very accurately and watch the VMC% drop and then treating with a hand water and surfactant hose end pellets to keep moisture consistent.

With a Poa annua sward, turf shows symptoms of coalescing yellow rings around 20-40cm in diameter. There is often (but not always) darker green turf in the centre of the ring. The disease affects the leaves, stem, crown and upper roots and if it gets to advanced stages will turn leaves a brown/red colour and kill plants. Very similar in appearance to Superficial Fairy Rings, but Waitea does not have the mushroom smell or mycelium below the surface associated with Superficial Fairy Rings. Waitea Patch can develop mycelium on the leaves, crown and soil surface, but not sub-surface.

The big difference between Waitea and Superficial Fairy Ring is smell: fairy rings give off a distinct mushroom smell when you take out a core and have good sniff. Waitea Patch does not smell anywhere close as strong of mushrooms, if at all. Mycelium can develop on the surface with Waitea Patch, but below the surface with Superficial Fairy Rings and is usually reasonably easy to spot with Fairy Rings (take a core and put it into a ziplocked, soil sampling bag to incubate for 24 hours to see where mycelium develops if uncertain).

Superficial Fairy Ring always have some element of hydrophobic soil associated with them – Waitea CAN have hydrophobic soil too, but it will be likely be completely unrelated to the disease.

With Waitea Patch you need to try to reduce surface moisture (i.e. don’t hand water it!) and with Superficial Fairy Rings you’ll need to break that hydrophobicity with a wetter and get moisture back into the soil (i.e. hand water it with a hose and wetting agent pellet!).

Geoff Fenn BSc (Hons)

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Mansfield Sand supports golfing health project

June 18, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Mansfield Sand supports golfing health project: Mansfield Sand, a provider of silica sand-based products for the sports turf industry, has donated £1,000 towards a pioneering golf project due to begin in June at Coxmoor Golf Club in Sutton-in-Ashfield.

The innovative partnership between Golf in Society, Mid Nots Dementia Partnership, and the Sutton golf club is focused on providing the opportunity for local people with chronic illnesses, such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease, to enjoy a healthier and more active lifestyle through golf.

Mansfield Sand supports golfing health project

Started in 2016 by entrepreneur Anthony Blackburn, Golf in Society is a fast-growing social enterprise committed to transforming the UK’s ageing population through the health and wellbeing benefits of golf.

People wanting to take part don’t need to have played golf, but must have a long-term health condition and would benefit from weekly golf sessions that provide outdoor physical exercise, mental stimulation and social interaction.

Anthony said: “We believe we have developed a recipe for success. Our golfers love our fun and competitive weekly golf sessions, which are tailored to an individual’s needs. At the same time, their carers get a much-needed respite break.

“We have already had a lot of interest from local people who have been frustrated by inactivity during the pandemic.”

As part of Dementia Action Week, Mansfield Sand sales directors Gary Cunningham and Sharon Morris were invited to Coxmoor to meet people behind the project and hand over a cheque for £1000 towards the set-up costs.

Gary said: “As a regular supplier of sand and other products to the golf industry, including Coxmoor Golf Club, we are big supporters of golf.

“This is a great project, which is about much more than golf — It has the potential to transform lives.

“When we were contacted about this new project we were delighted to help. As a company we take our involvement in the local community seriously and we believe this project will really benefit local people and encourage them to get fit and stay healthier for longer.”

David Thornton, an ambassador for Golf in Society, added: “It has been encouraging to see the local business community rallying round, even in these difficult times, to support our latest new venue.

“We are very grateful to Mansfield Sand for its substantial donation.

“Anyone with a long-term serious health condition, such as dementia, is welcome to come along to the weekly golf sessions, which we hope will formally start on 22nd June.

“We are putting on taster sessions before then on Tuesdays, from 11am-1pm.”

There are still spaces available to join the project sessions. Contact either Dianne Holmes, wellbeing team Ashfield District Council, 07917 158511 / d.c.holmes@ashfield.gov.uk

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

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Turf diseases to be aware of

Mansfield Sand supports golfing health project

Turf diseases to be aware of

Mansfield Sand supports golfing health project

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Turf diseases to be aware of

Turf diseases to be aware of: Summer is here and with it are several turf diseases to be aware of. Here’s a guide to dealing with a few of them.

Mansfield Sand supports golfing health project

Mansfield Sand supports golfing health project: Mansfield Sand, a provider of silica sand-based products for the sports turf industry, has donated £1,000 towards a pioneering golf project due to begin in June at Coxmoor Golf Club in Sutton-in-Ashfield.

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