Colletotrichum spp.

Anthracnose is a group of fungal diseases targeting both the roots (basal rot) and leaves (foliar blight) of turf — especially when conditions are warm, humid, or when your lawn’s under stress. will mainly target low mown areas such as golf greens. The grass types most susceptible are; Poa, Bent, Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass and couch.

What causes anthracnose;

• Low levels of fertility – especially Nitrogen.
• Lower mowing heights and scalping.
• Warm & humid conditions
• Prolonged periods of leaf wetness – ie: watering at night or dew left on in the morning.

How to recognise anthracnose;

• Leaf blades often start yellow, then turn tan or brown, sometimes misread as drought stress. Juvenile leaves may even blush red.
• Basal rot: the crowns and roots go black and are easy to pull.

How to fix anthracnose;

• Start by feeding it; a little bit of nitrogen goes a long way.
• aerate to relieve compaction.
• Top dress or oversow with more resistant grass varieties. Avoiding high stress times.
• Fungicide.

Turf identification is the important first step in treating anthracnose, and Lawn Addicts has a variety of professional lawn care products available online.