# Fungus identification help please



## d213rr (Feb 27, 2021)

Hi, I've been learning so much from this forum but need some help please. I have 6 week old TiffTuff Bermuda that is showing some patches that, to me, look a little different than Dollar Spot, but I wanted to ask the experts. It is white or almost bluish and is shown in the small spots in the picture. I have probably 6-8 of them.

I have been rotating fungicides with the last azoxystrobin and Cleary 3336F (2 oz/1000)being applied on August 13th, propiconazole (1 oz/1000) two weeks prior to that.

I had put down some 10-10-10 on Aug 10th and Scotts Green Max a couple weeks earlier. I didn't sod all of my lawn all at once so I have established turf and new sod which is why I tried the Green Max..soil test earlier in the year showed everything in normal ranges.

I also sprayed a low dose of T-nex down on Aug 18, 0.25 oz/1000 but probably a bit lower as my pacing left a good 0.8 gallon of the 4 gal I meant to spray. It was my first PGR app.

Thanks


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## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

Have you done a soapy water test for bugs?


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## d213rr (Feb 27, 2021)

No, I haven't. But I can try that and will report back.

I put down the following recently, though:

August 7 - Bioadvanced Grub Killer Plus (imidacloprid and trichlorfon) - heavy rate
July 23 - Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer (imidacloprid) 
July 14 - Grub-Ex

After the new sod was put down (~July 9), I found a couple of grubs under some sod pieces when I lifted them up and used this regimen to try to kill them off. I just bought Bifen XTS as well and was planning to put that down tomorrow since I've read so many instances of army worms on here.

Thanks


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## d213rr (Feb 27, 2021)

I did a soap test and did not see any bugs.
Here's another picture with leaf next to it for reference. It doesn't seem to be spreading but there are probably 8 or so of these small white spots.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@d213rr Looks like slime mold.


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## Austinite (Oct 4, 2018)

Please take photos MUCH closer. Like... as close as you possibly can while retaining focus. Open the canopy in at least one photo.


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## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

Spammage said:


> @d213rr Looks like slime mold.


@Spammage I suck at fungus id, trying to learn, are you getting slime mold from that patch to the right of the leaf?


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## Staygald (Jul 8, 2020)

Alabama??

You don't have a fungal issue, you have army worms eating the green out of your grass.

https://www.wvtm13.com/article/armyworm-invasion-in-alabama-yards/37203628


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

Staygald said:


> Alabama??
> 
> You don't have a fungal issue, you have army worms eating the green out of your grass.
> 
> https://www.wvtm13.com/article/armyworm-invasion-in-alabama-yards/37203628


Dude, just stop. We know that you are battling an armyworm infestation, and you aren't the only one, but not every active turf issue right now is armyworms. Armyworms don't leave white moldy patches on the grass, they eat all the green and leave little or nothing behind.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

Amoo316 said:


> Spammage said:
> 
> 
> > @d213rr Looks like slime mold.
> ...


Yes, at least it looks like it could be slime mold. Some closer pictures would help though.

edit - there is also some leaf spot and dollar spot present in the picture. That could be powdery mildew, but that isn't really that common with bermuda.


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## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

Spammage said:


> Yes, at least it looks like it could be slime mold. Some closer pictures would help though.
> 
> edit - there is also some leaf spot and dollar spot present in the picture. That could be powdery mildew, but that isn't really that common with bermuda.


Thanks, I didn't even notice it at all until you said slime mold and I zoomed in to try to find it.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

I can certainly see the dollar spot damage which made me think dollar spot mycelium at first but when you look closer, I'm thinking it slime mold or powdery mildew (like @Spammage said). I don't see any mycelium in that white spot. Looks like there are some scalp marks as well since the brown spots are squared off in the first post.


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## d213rr (Feb 27, 2021)

Thanks all. I've taken several more pictures of the lawn with the first being a close up of the white stuff. It doesn't seem to have spread and I had trouble finding it yesterday so I thought it was gone until I checked again today.

For history, the back yard was about 40% sodded with Tif Tuff last year. That existing sod was doing great all year, but now is getting thin and a bit less healthy looking around the edges. The new sod is doing best where it gets most sunlight (of course) and there are some shadier areas that are more wet that have developed some black algae. I've always had issues with algae in parts of the back yard, and moss. I had the new Tif Tuff installers grade the soil to encourage the water to flow to my drain. I know moss and algae are a function of shade and drainage. So I've trimmed trees and added more sun just recently. I have liquid copper fungicide ready to spray in these areas or I could buy some chlorothalonil.

The pic right next to the pea gravel pebbles is where I had probably cut too low too early on with the new sod. It was brown across the whole lawn for a week or so but subsequently recovered very well except for that one area near the pebbles. My HOC is now 1 inch since that 3/4 inch 3-4 weeks ago. Since I noticed that area had brown (dead ) grass laying down, I verticut and raked up the dead grass three days ago. Even though I had hit it with a low dose of T-Nex on the whole lawn last week, I put down some 10-10-10 this past weekend to try to get some growth in the thinner areas.

Re watering, I'm trying to cut back on watering and am generally doing 3 times a week. I need to do an irrigation audit. There are some areas that are too wet after watering, (where the algae is growing) and others that are too dry.

I've used quite the regimen of fungicides that I think it may be algae that is causing the problems in the pictures, with thinning and black stuff near the soil.

Please let me know your thoughts.


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## d213rr (Feb 27, 2021)

Sorry for writing a book...and introducing a couple more problem areas into this post. But I'm getting a little bit more worried now.

I'm due for another propiconazole spray as my last one was July 31. Should I put down a 2 oz/1000 treatment rate and the bifen XTS, and just give it time and try to avoid watering the wet areas to let them dry out?

What about the algae in those wet areas? Aerate and sand? Liquid copper or chlorothalonil? Thanks!


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## d213rr (Feb 27, 2021)

I went ahead and bought some Eagle because I can more clearly see dollar spot today on multiple parts of the lawn. And I will spray bifen XTS as I saw some moths last night at dusk. Finally I will try the liquid copper on the areas with algae and reduce watering to help things dry out. Hoping this helps things.


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## Jagermeister (May 18, 2021)

Propiconazole is more effective on Dollar Spot than Eagle (both same MOA). You might try to rotate between Propi and thiophanate methyl. Might spot spray with chlorothalonil (also works on algae). Check out this guide from NC State, which is excellent. Also can look at algae. I have the same issue right now on my GA lawn.

https://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/diseases-in-turf/dollar-spot-in-turf/


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## d213rr (Feb 27, 2021)

Thanks Jagermeister. I applied 1 oz/1000 of propiconazole and went over the problem areas twice. I am a little worried about the "PGR effect" since I already had put my first dose of PGR down 8 days ago and some of the weaker areas of TifTuf in the backyard do look a little bronzed. Wish I wouldn't have started on the PGR but it does seem to be working great for my common bermuda in the front yard.

I had sprayed Clearys 336F 2 oz/1000 on August 13th and spread azoxystrobin on that same day. I forgot that Eagle was mode 3 like propiconazole. This is my first year doing my lawn on my own and reel mowing. I previously used mowing and chemical services. I feel like I'm just getting over the hump with buying herbicides/pesticides/fungicides ($$$), but i think I'm going to buy some chlorothalonil because algae is a very common issue in my backyard. Have you had success with it? Does it reduce the algae that's there or simply prevent further spread? Also, I read the label for it and it says not for home lawns. Is it because it is toxic? Any worse than the other stuff I've been putting down?

By the way, I live in Alpharetta.


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## Jagermeister (May 18, 2021)

@d213rr Yes, close by! Seems like a lot of Forum members live in the area!

I haven't attacked the algae yet with a chemical. Been dethatching, scarifying, scraping etc. and also focusing on pruning and drainage, which causes this algae in the first place. I think it will just come back if you do chems alone.


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