Spring Dead Spot Disease

If you have noticed the dead patches in some of the fairways, the patches are caused from a disease. The disease is called Spring Dead Spot Disease or SDS. This disease attacks Bermuda grass in the fall from soil borne pathogens. These circular patches of turf can range from 6 inches in diameter to several feet and remain dormant as the surrounding turf turns green. The patches of dormant turf eventually disintegrate, leaving depressions in the playing surface. In the fall, the pathogen infects the turf and penetrates root systems inhibiting water and nutrients to be transported. Over the course of the winter when the turf is dormant, there are no symptoms evident and everything appears normal making it unable to predict the severity of the disease. In the spring, as the weather begins to warm, the infected turf is unable to draw water and nutrients to break dormancy. For decades this disease has plagued Bermuda grass in the transition zone and extensive research and trails have been performed with no luck in confirming cost-effective and reliable fungicide treatment. The magic bullet for solving this disease has not been found. To reduce the amount of time that these spots are apparent is achieved by continuously verticutting and reapplying fertilizers to encourage the healthy turf outside of the patch to fill in. Currently after our fertilization and verticutting, 3-4 inches of new growth encroaching into the patch has already been observed in the infected areas.

Spring Dead Spot

June 9th 2009



July 12th 2009