As the temperatures rise in summer, irregular yellowing areas may appear in some lawns. The yellow progresses to brown, and an examination of the runners shows that they are dead. If you pull up a declining runner, you will find that most of the roots are dead and have shriveled and turned dark brown. Healthy roots have a creamy color, and a few may still exist at the ends of the runners. The declining turf often looks drought-stressed because of the lack of healthy roots to take up water.

Take-all root rot, also known as take-all patch, is a fungal disease most often noticed in St. Augustinegrass lawn, although the fungus also infects bermudagrass and zoysiagrass. Take-all kills roots and runners, leading to the decline and death of irregularly shaped areas of a lawn.

Read and download a copy of Skip’s Lawn Pest, Disease, and Weed Management Schedule.

Download the Lawn Care Schedule and follow along for a month-by-month guide to Fertilizing, Aeration, Mowing, Watering, and more.