Summer Patch Control: How To Get Rid of Summer Patch

In the summertime, you may notice some yellowing in your lush green lawn; that may be Summer Patch trying to break out of the soil and establish itself. If left untreated, this disease has the potential to kill off the root system of your turfgrass.

Summer patch is a lawn disease that usually becomes apparent in the summer, which is how the disease earned its name. It is caused by a pathogen known as Magnaporthe poae which is most active during late spring and summer when turfgrass root growth is diminished. This allows Summer Patch to really take hold. It thrives on wet soil conditions and can spread very quickly under the ideal circumstances.

If your lawn has Summer Patch, you can control it and prevent its spread with the help of our DIY guide which was put together by lawn care experts. Follow our directions carefully and you will be able to restore your lawn and get rid of Summer Patch quickly and affordably.

Identification

Make sure that you are certain the disease on your lawn is actually Summer Patch and not some other disease or issue. Your grass can get yellowing patches of grass from dogs, drought, insects and a variety of other issues that might not be summer patch.

Summer Patch is most often confused with another disease called Brown Patch. Both diseases start out the same with early signs showing small, circular, slow-growing or thinned/wilted areas of turf. When enough time has passed, you'll notice large patches of straw-colored grass.

You might see grass blades change from a healthy green to tan-brown, often with a reddish color as they start to die off. This reddish color is an early symptom of something more severe and often only appears after a small area of grass has died. Grasses infected by Summer Patch tend to wilt, grow poorly, or start to sink down in the turf stand.

Use the image and description above to determine if you have Summer patch. If you are not entirely sure that you have Summer patch, you can get in touch with us and we will confirm the disease type and suggest products for control.

Inspection

Where to Inspect

Walk around your yard and check your grass for Summer Patch, especially when conditions are damp. Summer patch will affect cool seasons grasses like fescues and ryegrass but bluegrasses are especially vulnerable.

Check to see how severe a problem it is on your lawn so you can determine how much fungicide you will need for treatment.

What to Look For

Look for areas of your grass that are slow-growing, has wilted turf, and is dotted with irregular, straw-colored patches and rings that get bigger and bigger over time. You should also look for areas with excessive shade and poor drainage.

To confirm that the disease is Summer Patch, dig up the grass along the edge of the patch and check the roots, crowns, and stolons for browning.

Treatment

Before using any pesticides, make sure you have on the proper personal protective equipment for the job to prevent chemicals from coming in contact with your eyes or skin. Gloves, safety goggles and long-sleeved clothing are a must.

The saying, "Prevention is better than the cure" certainly applies to Summer Patch. It's best to prevent Summer Patch from taking hold altogether rather than try to deal with it when it has already appeared. If symptoms of Summer Patch have shown up on your lawn, use Patch Pro to stop the disease from spreading. It is important to note that for best control, Patch Pro must be applied before the disease starts to take hold, around early April.

We highly recommend Patch Pro because it works quickly and is cost-effective. Patch Pro contains the active ingredient propiconazole and is a systemic fungicide which means it penetrates the infected plant and works for a longer period of time (30-90 day residual).

Step 1 - Measure & Mix Patch Pro

To determine how much Patch Pro you need, you will need to calculate the square footage of the target area. To do this, you will need to measure and multiply the length of your lawn times the width (length x width = square footage).

Patch Pro is labeled to treat Summer Patch preventatively at a rate of 2 fl. oz. per gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft. on a 14 day schedule. For a 28 interval schedule use the application rate 4 fl. oz. per gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft. For example, if you had calculated 2,500 square feet of yard to treat and want to use the 14-day schedule rate, you would need to mix 5 fl. oz. of Patch Pro in 2.5 gallons of water.

We recommend mixing Patch Pro in a 20 gallon hose-end sprayer to make large volume treatments to a yard and to provide sufficient enough water for the Patch Pro to reach the root system of your turf.

Make sure the sprayers control valve and water pump are off and then attach the hose-end sprayer nozzle to the hose. Remove the reservoir and then add the proper amount of Patch Pro and the proper amount of water. For large volume applications, use 2 or more gallons per 1,000 sq. ft. for the product to reach the roots. The product will mix with the water to make an even emulsion. Reattach the reservoir to the nozzle and turn the water to the hose on. You are now ready to spray.

Step 2: Apply Patch Pro To Affected Areas

To spray, push forward on the control valve of the hose-end sprayer. Apply Patch Pro to infected areas spraying to wet but not to the point of runoff. The key is to focus on low lying areas of the yard that get a lot of shade as they are more susceptible to Summer Patch. You will also want to make sure to spray other vegetation around the infected area to prevent spores from spreading.

Application of Patch Pro will stop the rest of your yard from getting infected with Summer Patch and over time, the affected areas of your turf will begin to recover. Do not expect an instant recovery of infected areas after spraying Patch Pro as it will take a few weeks for the grass to green up again, especially if you have maintained a fertilization schedule.

Apply Patch Pro beginning in April, using either a 14-day or 28-day schedule, making sure to spray in the summer and early fall to prevent future outbreaks.

Prevention

To prevent Summer Patch from being a reoccurring issue in your yard, you must work to keep it from coming back by practicing organic control measures and routine maintenance.

Keeping your lawn healthy by mowing at the correct height, providing proper light by dethatching and trimming back shade, watering deeply but not frequently, and keeping a routine fertilization schedule will strengthen the plants ability to ward off any repeat attacks of Summer patch or any other lawn disease.

Patch Pro can also be used as a preventative treatment against Summer Patch during the period when they are more likely to infect lawns (which is usually in mid-spring beginning in April).

Key Takeaways

• Summer Patch is a lawn fungus which, if left untreated, has the potential to kill off the root system of your turfgrass.
• Our go-to recommendations to treat Summer Patch is Patch Pro. Most generic products only provide 10 to 15 days of control while Patch Pro effective for much longer so you won't need to treat as often.
• Prevention is the key. The earlier that you detect the fungus and treat it, the more successful you will be in eliminating the problem. You can prevent Summer Patch by keeping a good lawn fertilization schedule, mowing at the proper height, reducing shade and watering deeply but infrequently once a week.