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PostPosted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 1:07 pm 
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Location: Carrboro,NORTH CAROLINA
My recently installed Palmetto St. Augustine sod is developing Take-All Root Rot. I prefer to use an organic approach to dealing with it and have considered using horticultural cornmeal on the affected areas, as well as the entire 1,800 sq.ft., if necessary. I understand from some of my readings that molasses should be added to the cornmeal, and that compost should be added. It is somewhat confusing, so I need some guidance and advice. How is the cornmeal to be applied, and how much is necessary (1 inch depth, etc.). Do I remove the dead leaves and stolons first? Do I water the mixture in after application? In other words, how do I go about doing the entire procedure? I'd appreciate all the details anyone can provide. Thanks. Tigertech


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PostPosted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 1:40 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:32 pm
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Howdy!

Did you try this?
Go to the Home page and click on 'Article Library.' You will then see the letters of the alphabet. Click on T for Take-All Patch. There is quite a bit of information on the cause and the treatment.

Good Luck
!

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Char Harris,
Flower Mound, TX


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 8:57 am 
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Location: Carrboro,NORTH CAROLINA
Thanks, Char. I had already read that information in the article library, and it appears in numerous other articles I've read in researching the problem and possible solutions. Other articles claim that compost tea is worthless in treating St. Augustine fungal diseases, especially several written by a researcher at Washington State University who calls its ability to control TARR "a myth". Frankly, I'm inclined to press on with horticultural cornmeal and compost and possibly compost tea. We've had a very wet stretch here in central North Carolina, but my drainage appears to be adequate. I plan to aerate the grass to facilitate root exposure to the treatment as well.

I'm not happy that, in all of my extensive research prior to choosing Palmetto, nowhere was its susceptibility to TARR mentioned. Back home in Louisiana, we didn't have that problem, although grubs and chinch bugs occasionally had to be dealt with.

Again, thanks. Tigertech


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 9:30 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2010 6:39 pm
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Location: Dallas, TX
There are no TARR resistant varieties. Current varieties can offer SAD and Cinch bug resistance, but not the Fungal diseases. Palmetto offers neither SAD, Cinch or fungal resistance but is supposed to have the best shade tolerance. Raleigh is the variety for SAD and Cinch resistance.

I attacked my fungus problem this way...

Immediately:
1. Aerate
2. Apply 20 lbs. corn meal per 1000 sqft
3. Apply 3/8" compost top dressing

Ongoing:
1. Water 1" deep on an as needed basis as infrequently as possible
2. Mow at the highest level

Results are pretty good so far... SA is coming back and filling in.


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 9:58 am 
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Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:32 pm
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Tigertech wrote:
Thanks, Char. I had already read that information in the article library, and it appears in numerous other articles I've read in researching the problem and possible solutions. Other articles claim that compost tea is worthless in treating St. Augustine fungal diseases, especially several written by a researcher at Washington State University who calls its ability to control TARR "a myth". Frankly, I'm inclined to press on with horticultural cornmeal and compost and possibly compost tea. We've had a very wet stretch here in central North Carolina, but my drainage appears to be adequate. I plan to aerate the grass to facilitate root exposure to the treatment as well.

I'm not happy that, in all of my extensive research prior to choosing Palmetto, nowhere was its susceptibility to TARR mentioned. Back home in Louisiana, we didn't have that problem, although grubs and chinch bugs occasionally had to be dealt with.

Again, thanks. Tigertech

_____________
Hi Tigertech,

I have had many fungus problems in my SA (before going Organic).

I went totally Organic the first of this year. I now treat my SA with corn meal once a month. I am very pleased with my yard. In previous years I would now be treating for summer patch. My SA is a beautiful green and it is spreading...it looks great. So the Organic program is working. But I will add that our weather is different this year. We have had very little rain, it is already reaching the 100's and it is very humid. Also, there is much 'due' present. It starts around 9pm. and is really heavy by morning. The dew is one reason why I spread CM once a month.

Do you make your own Compost Tea? I find that very interesting, but have not tried it. I do 'buy' Garrett Juice Plus and spray it on my grass and plants. I also spread peat moss after spreading CM. Just a lite layer. And I spread Molasses once a month. I also use Texas Green Sand, used coffee grounds and manure composts. I am concentrating on improving my soil. We have lived in this house for 15 years. We treated the grass....not the soil.
So I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do.

Good luck to you!

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Char Harris,
Flower Mound, TX


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:49 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jun 05, 2010 12:51 pm
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Location: Carrboro,NORTH CAROLINA
Thanks for the feedback, guys. I'm waiting for delivery of my cornmeal; nobody in this area carries it, so it is coming in the next day or two. Ditto for the molasses (dry form). I received what I thought was to be the molasses today, but it turned out to be cottonseed meal mistakenly sent by the vendor. I did get the compost today, and I intend to make a batch of tea with some of it and will use some compost as is.

Tomorrow I'll start aerating the lawn if I can get the necessary equipment or device to do it from the local supplier. Honestly, this really needs to move forward faster.

Thanks again.


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 6:13 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:32 pm
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Honestly, this really needs to move forward faster.

___________
That is so true!

Are you bagging your grass clippings until the fungus is under control? And cleaning your mower blades after each mowing? Those are two ways fungus can be spread to other parts of your yard.

Luckily, this is just the begining of the growing season. Your grass has lots of time to recover before winter. :D

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Char Harris,
Flower Mound, TX


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 7:54 pm 
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Location: Carrboro,NORTH CAROLINA
Char, I'm going to try the "simple" method for making some compost tea that I saw in a video on this site. It requires a 5-gal bucket, a couple of handfuls of compost, frequent stirring to add air, letting it steep overnight or longer, then using the liquid as a drench. I'll also use some compost as is.

As for the other details you asked about, I am cleaning the mower blade and underside of the mower body after cutting (dilute bleach solution), as well as the trimmer. I bag the clippings and clean the bag with dilute bleach solution, too. I have a pair of shoes dedicated to using on the lawn and clean them after finishing the yardwork. Outside of that, I offer a small prayer that the darned grass doesn't give up the ghost.

Thanks for the suggestions and the interest. It's much appreciated.


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:32 am 
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Thanks for the info on the homemade compost tea. I am going to try that!

You are taking great steps to keep the fungus from spreading!

Please keep us up to date on your progress with the treatment
!

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Char Harris,
Flower Mound, TX


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PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 8:24 am 
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Location: San Antonio,TEXAS
The article from Washington State was written by Linda Chalker-Scott. She's a pessimistic jacka$$. She creates these myths all by herself, and then refutes them all by herself. I can do that too.

MYTH: Dry molasses will kill Gypsy moths.
FACT: and then I pull up info from someone's article on chemical means for killing Gypsy moths. First of all, nobody ever claimed that dry molasses would kill Gypsy moths. Similarly, nobody ever claimed that compost tea would kill TARR. It is farily well known that it doesn't.

If you want to make compost "tea" easily, plunge some compost into a 5-gallon bucket with 4 gallons of water and 4 ounces of molasses, swish it around, strain out the compost (back into your compost pile) and USE THE TEA IMMEDIATELY. Technically this liquid is called compost leachate because there was no aerated brewing process. This is very similar the "tea" that goes into Garrett Juice in commercial production but that tea is highly filtered.

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David Hall
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Dirt Doctor Lawns Forum


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