# 1" KBG issues in Michigan (Fungus, Grubs?)



## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

This is my first year reel mowing at about 1".

I had killed off and reseeded part of the lawn with Midnight KBG, and it was doing very well up until about 3 days ago,
I started to notice these brown spots mixed in and they could be easily pulled out (as if the roots were gone or rotted) the surrounding green grass seems to be attached well.

It started in one spot and seems to be spreading somewhat quickly (maybe 2-3 ft each day).

Some key info:
1) I have applied PGR 2x now and I was supposed to apply again today @.25oz/M (100% according to greenskeeper app).
2) My last nitrogen fertilizer was about 25 days ago (1lb/M) - 1.75lb/M for the year.
3) I have been irrigating, but only maybe two times in the evening. I've been watering these areas during the day because they looked to be in trouble.

Any thoughts on what this could be? Should I hold off on applying PGR to this section of the yard?

Thanks!


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## Chris1 (Apr 22, 2020)

could be heat stress from cement . it has been a hot dry June . any evidence of fungus on blades ? any issues with poa a ? 
did you put out grubex ?

avoid night watering . if possible take a core in the stressed area and examine soil , roots , etc


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## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

This is not look like drought stress from 'close to concrete'. Did you check for grubs, hydrophobic soil, dollar spot? Pets?


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

I did pull a plug and the soil seemed moist throughout so dont think its drought. No Poa in this part of the yard, so definitely not that. I checked for grubs in one spot but did not see any signs of them.

I spread some Seven yesterday evening in case it was an insect/grub issue and watered in. I also purchased some fungus control products but am holding off on using.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

I don't see lesions. It looks like it pulls up easily suggesting a root problem. I would lean toward grubs or root fungus. Look into Summer Patch, though the stand appearance isn't classic for it.


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## Shawn E (Jun 24, 2018)

+1 to don't water at night. Common mistake. I have KBG at 7/8" right now. 2nd season reel mowing. I always collect clipping to not spread fungus. You'll need to get on a fungus treatment plan KBG looks good low but if your soil doesn't drain well then you'll easily get fungus. Move your watering to 5am.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

This issue is in my most compacted area for sure! Good advice on the clippings, I usually collect but not all the time like I should.

I dropped some Scotts grub ex and disease ex.

I pulled out a spot and noticed this little creature. I'm thinking this is a sod web worm, not not entirely sure. Also saw quite a few "Webs" this morning in other spots.


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## LawnDetail (Apr 15, 2020)

The webs are most likely Mycelium. Something I started doing this year and has helped tremendously with disease is walking the yard with a push broom in the morning to remove the morning dew.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

Many root problems including root diseases are worsened by compaction. Soil pH can also impact diseases. High pH, for example, worsens Summer Patch. The possible Mycelium suggest a foliar disease, and I would lean to Dollar Spot on KBG at this time of year. How is the area looking now?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@LawnDetail those are spiderwebs.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

Seems to be a bit worse now. We had about 1 inch of rain here last night. I've always had trouble in this particular spot but never really paid much attention when I was mowing closer to 4".

Is this looking like summer patch? Its strange how a very gentle tug pulls the grass right out of the ground.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

That's very close to the concrete. Get a shovel and check for grubs/rocks.


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## LawnDetail (Apr 15, 2020)

g-man said:


> @LawnDetail those are spiderwebs.


@g-man 
Thanks for the comment, how do distinguish a web from mycelium in his photo or are you going by the pattern in his other photos.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@LawnDetail DS looks slightly different.








- From purdue

Mostly DS looks to be attached to the leaves and you see the damage instead of green leaves.


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## halby (Jun 8, 2020)

I'm in SE Michigan, my whole neighborhood is dealing with this. Brown patch hot us hard. We had a really wet spring than went right to hot and humid. The brown patch and leaf spot are bad this year by me


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

I've checked and its not looking like any rocks are causing this. Seeming to only be happening in the Midnight KBG that I seeded last Fall and other parts of the yard. Its this still looking like it could be summer patch or another fungas vs insects?

Its odd how the grass pulls out like the roots are rotten.


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## Kmartel (Feb 12, 2019)

Check for lesions on margins of good grass. If not for your video I first thought disease. Truthfully a bit lost...


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@Longtee81 can you post a core soil sample of that area? Like a dead spot vs a green spot?


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

I'm not able to locate any lesions on the good grass.

It really does appear to be mostly occurring the midnight KBG areas that I reseeded throughout the yard, and less so in my original turf/sod. In the locations I planted Midnight essentially all of those areas have the same thing going on even though they are very far from one another. I don't know whey whatever is attacking it would be doing so, but leaving other established areas alone for the most part (at least for now).

Here are some pics and a video.

Thanks everyone for your help!


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Now take both those cores and rinse all the soil off of them so we can see the roots of the good vs. Bad.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

Rinsed them off... much of the one in question seemed to break up but left some root mass behind (possibly from the few green blades in the core?).

https://youtu.be/fPoCSyCsjGs


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I don't see root issues (like summer patch). But the yellow/orange tips hints to anthracnose. Take a sample and send it to a turf pathology lab. I think MSU has one.


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## Kmartel (Feb 12, 2019)

Anthracnose is my thought.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

g-man said:


> I don't see root issues (like summer patch). But the yellow/orange tips hints to anthracnose. Take a sample and send it to a turf pathology lab. I think MSU has one.


Thanks for the tip!

I dropped off a sample at the pathology lab today, will share the results when I receive them. It does seem to have a lot of characteristics of anthracnose, so it will be interesting to see what this actually is.

It has started to show up a few other sections throughout my yard and seems to be most in the section with the Midnight KBG.

Question -- I'm getting over my GDD for the PGR, should I hold off on reapplying to let it rebound out, or should I continue to use it in the areas not impacted by this issue? I've done 3 applications at .25/M to date so not a very high amount.



Thanks,
Steve


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## LawnDetail (Apr 15, 2020)

I have the same type of spots and the grass pulls up very easily from the crown on the dead's spot just like you did in your video. Still trying to figure it out.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

LawnDetail said:


> I have the same type of spots and the grass pulls up very easily from the crown on the dead's spot just like you did in your video. Still trying to figure it out.


Yes, it doesn't seem to quite fit with any of the common issues. I think I may have found something that could explain most/all of these issues. I was looking into Billbugs and this video appears to highlight what I am experiencing.

Worth checking out!


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## LawnDetail (Apr 15, 2020)

Yep that's what I got. Found this in a dead spot today. Thanks for the video.


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## CTJomh (May 24, 2018)

Watching this topic closely. I had/have some issue that seems similar to yours. Tried a few things but never found out what the problem was. I will tell you that, I am now recovering well by just stopping the PGR and letting it grow out. I also applied propaconozole, while I was already regulated, which regulates growth as well. Can't wait to see what you come up with.


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## CTJomh (May 24, 2018)

Pictures above were about a month ago. Below is today


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

CTJomh said:


> Pictures above were about a month ago. Below is today


Wow, that recovered really well!
Did you do anything in particular to help it along the way (Nitrogen, etc..)

Also, did you treat them this season or do you plan to treat/target the billbugs next year? Thanks!


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## CTJomh (May 24, 2018)

I didn't mean to hijack this thread. I know my experience is likely different than the OP but merely wanted to say that I didn't see much improvement until PGR was stopped. The original poster was talking about PGR.

No I never found billbugs, grubs or applied any insecticide. In fact I have no idea what I had. I just allowed and encouraged(nitrogen) it to grow.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

Awesome, I missed your earlier post on stopping the PGR, thanks I will give this a try once and hold off on reapplying when it wears off!


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

Update: I just noticed today there are some spot that are definitely billbug damage.
I'm hoping it's not as bad as last year, but I'm thinking we may be seeing a replay.

Looking back at my post last season it is to the day! I've noticed a lot of bird activity. This year I will not make the mistake of thinking it is a fungus and not watering.

I tried an insecticide on May 26th and grubex on June 15th, but I'm guessing my timing wasn't quite right.





I've been really happy with this new grass I seeded in the fall. 50% Mazama, 30% Bewitched, 20% Award.
Grows so much slower than my sod it replaced and is more uniform in color and growth.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Definitely late with the grubex. https://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/insects/hunting-billbug-in-turf/


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

g-man said:


> Definitely late with the grubex. https://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/insects/hunting-billbug-in-turf/


Thanks for the link and info! I'm assuming this info applies to the bluegrass billbug also. Any point in fighting them at this point, or should I just wait until next season?

I tried to follow the GDD tracker and to contact killer during egg lay, but I should have done it sooner.

Will the grubex kill the larvae that emerges in the soil?



This model GDD model seems a bit off as I'm already seeing some visible damage.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I don't know much about the specifics. Grubex is slow to get to the soil. I would do cyzmic now.


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## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

halby said:


> I'm in SE Michigan, my whole neighborhood is dealing with this. Brown patch hot us hard. We had a really wet spring than went right to hot and humid. The brown patch and leaf spot are bad this year by me


Livonia here, I have seen a lot of fungal issues around my area. I have some dollar spot and minimal amount of melting out.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Definitely spider webs in that photo.

Edit: just realized that was a 2020 post. Please ignore this!


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

g-man said:


> I don't know much about the specifics. Grubex is slow to get to the soil. I would do cyzmic now.


Thank you for the suggestion! I had some Cyzmic CS on had and sprayed at the recommended rate (maybe slightly stronger) and am watering in tonight to try and get it down into the the soil.

Fingers crossed I can slow them down a little before they get to work.
Noticing more "spots" this evening than the start of the day. I should have been watching it closer. They have been in my side yard (non irrigated) for a while and I failed to notice. It's interesting how they first emerge in the warmest (near sidewalk), non irrigated areas. I wonder if that has something to do with the soil temps being higher in those locations and speeding things up a bit.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

Harts said:


> Definitely spider webs in that photo.
> 
> Edit: just realized that was a 2020 post. Please ignore this!


  I brought this post back as it appears to be a reoccurring issue to the day! I'm sure I've had billbug issues for years, but just never noticed when the lawn was kept longer.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

Jeff_MI84 said:


> halby said:
> 
> 
> > I'm in SE Michigan, my whole neighborhood is dealing with this. Brown patch hot us hard. We had a really wet spring than went right to hot and humid. The brown patch and leaf spot are bad this year by me
> ...


Good to know Jeff, thanks for sharing! I have done two apps of disease ex, hoping to stay ahead of the fungus, but haven't yet sprayed any propiconazole as I'm not sure how that will impact the TNex I've been putting down. I think I'm past due for that as a preventative. We've been so dry here in Lansing. I'm hoping that's helping to keep those fungus issues away.


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## Prefontain6287 (Jun 19, 2019)

Longtee81 said:


> Update: I just noticed today there are some spot that are definitely billbug damage.
> I'm hoping it's not as bad as last year, but I'm thinking we may be seeing a replay.
> 
> Looking back at my post last season it is to the day! I've noticed a lot of bird activity. This year I will not make the mistake of thinking it is a fungus and not watering.
> ...


Really nice turnaround.

I am having the exact same issue this season as you had and I have been really confused about what has been going on so I am glad to have stumbled upon your post. 
Just wondering what you found effective last year to minimize damage the remainder of the summer and/or prevent damage this year? 
Did you just water and fertilize and avoid the PGR?




The severity of my damage appears to be at a similar stage as yours was last season at the same time of year.
I applied GrubEx in April which has added to the confusion of things
Based on your experience last year is it just going to be a bumpy ride through to the fall until I can reseed?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Fyi, i had issues with propi foliar under tnex regulation. Pete is doing propi under tnex regulation but he water it in immediately.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

Prefontain6287 said:


> Longtee81 said:
> 
> 
> > Update: I just noticed today there are some spot that are definitely billbug damage.
> ...


Your yard looks great and the Billbug damage doesn't look too bad. It may get worse before it gets better, but don't panic. I had them in my back yard too and it peaked around July 11th. By the end of July after a few good storms, it filled right back in. By mid August you would never know it was damaged.

I don't think you will have to do anything to get it to fill in during Summer/Fall, just keep up with the water and fertilizer. I ended up burning down (glypho) the entire front and side yard and seeded with 3 elite KBG's. I was planning to do this anyway. The back filled in all on its own.

A major mistake I made last year while I was determining the issue was to think this was a fungus. Because of that, I backed off/stopped the watering which made the damage much worse. I think it's key to keep on a normal watering schedule to keep the vigor.

I think billbug damage is much more common and is often never diagnosed properly. It's really easy to know when you have them. Here are a couple of videos that show the damage. The "tug test" and visible frass (looks like sawdust/sand) present under the chewed stems is a dead giveaway. Here are a couple videos I took earlier today showing some of the worst damage in an area that the sprinklers don't hit.











I'm going to have to figure out a better plan of action for next year as I expect similar damage again this year based on the very early signs. I think it's key to get the adult beetles in the spring when they are active but before they place the eggs.

Good luck with your battle!


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

g-man said:


> Fyi, i had issues with propi foliar under tnex regulation. Pete is doing propi under tnex regulation but he water it in immediately.


Thanks for the heads up! I did notice that in Pete's journal. I think I'm going to try the spraying and watering in immediately.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

Longtee81 said:


> g-man said:
> 
> 
> > Fyi, i had issues with propi foliar under tnex regulation. Pete is doing propi under tnex regulation but he water it in immediately.
> ...


I use Propi a lot and keep my grass under Primo regulation all year. I use them in the heat and 80% of the time have no issues, but I have gotten some phytotoxicity from it. As far as I can tell, it doesn't matter if you water it in or not. It may be worsened by drought stress and I water to prevent stress.

Studies on phytotoxicity from Propi are mostly in Bentgrass, but it has been shown in KBG to a lesser degree. The studies also show that it can happen any time up to weeks after application (presumably as long as the Propiconazole is still active), so it isn't just some sort of burn like fertilizer.


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## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

It had been relatively dry in Livonia since the start of spring. I began using Conner Ward's Lawn App March 25th. Since then, I have only gotten 6.34" of precipitation. Yesterday was a wonderful .70". During the same period last year, it rained more.

I took this picture yesterday, my house is the blue pickup in the driveway. One of my neighbors, has a sprinkler system yet to be turned on and she has a lawn service. Her lawn has brown patch or dollar spot all over. Another neighbor just started treating his, what I assume to be brown patch. On my way home from work I look at all of the houses and see what conditions are going on. I'm seeing diseases everywhere.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

Jeff_MI84 said:


> It had been relatively dry in Livonia since the start of spring. I began using Conner Ward's Lawn App March 25th. Since then, I have only gotten 6.34" of precipitation. Yesterday was a wonderful .70". During the same period last year, it rained more.
> 
> I took this picture yesterday, my house is the blue pickup in the driveway. One of my neighbors, has a sprinkler system yet to be turned on and she has a lawn service. Her lawn has brown patch or dollar spot all over. Another neighbor just started treating his, what I assume to be brown patch. On my way home from work I look at all of the houses and see what conditions are going on. I'm seeing diseases everywhere.


Wow, your yard is looking great! Really stands out well and is super dark green!

Yes this rain in recent days should bring life into the neighbors. I'm noticing lots of issues around the neighborhood that seem like more than just typical drought stress.


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## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

Longtee81 said:


> Jeff_MI84 said:
> 
> 
> > It had been relatively dry in Livonia since the start of spring. I began using Conner Ward's Lawn App March 25th. Since then, I have only gotten 6.34" of precipitation. Yesterday was a wonderful .70". During the same period last year, it rained more.
> ...


Thank you. It stands out indeed, as I'm the only one who does the bare minimum requirements to keep people from complaining. The rainfall was more than I was expecting, with more on the way. From what I have seen, Southeast Michigan has a lot of Lon disease is going on now.I have been watching my lawn since the rain stopped and I am getting close to needing another application of fungicide.


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## MarkJor (Aug 3, 2019)

Detroit checking in. I've never used a spring preventative and haven't had really any fungus issues for that matter. Last year I dove into the PGR game and started a early summer Tnex+FAS+preventative fungicide app which I applied when GreensKeeper said to. Fast forward to 2-3 weeks ago, right before I was planning on starting my first PGR cocktail app of the season, and I noticed some slight melting out and beginning of brownish spots which I couldn't figure out if it was dollar spot/brown patch/or something else.

I took a bunch of pictures and emailed them to someone who answered the MSU lawn care hotline. Week and a half later they finally answered back saying it's brown patch. They also mentioned S/SE Michigan had the highest disease pressure this spring that they've recorded in a long time.


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## twinbirch (Jun 16, 2021)

I'm in Minneapolis, MN I have new KBG sod and I think I have the exact same thing going on. If you figure it out I would love to know what you do.


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