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LAWNS 



Helminthosporium leaf spot and melting-out. These problems are now severe on sus- 

 ceptible bluegrasses. Look for spotted leaves, a reddish-brown undercast to the 

 turf, thinned-out areas, and dead spots. The fungi have girdled the leaf sheaths 

 and are rapidly rotting the crown tissues. Lawns will look MICH WORSE when hot, 

 dry weather finally arrives and the weakened grass comes under water stress. A 

 fungicide spray program is questionable now. The best bets are Acti-dione--Thiram, 

 Daconil 2787, Dyrene, Fore, Tersan LSR, and Ortho Lawn and Turf Fungicide- -applied 

 according to manufacturers' directions at two-week intervals. Cultured controls 

 include mowing frequently at the recommended maximum height, removing thatch if it 

 has accumulated to half an inch, fertilizing with a slowly available fertilizer, 

 and avoiding frequent light sprinklings or waterlogging the soil. 



Fairy rings. These are evident now as lush, dark- green rings in turf. Fairy rings 

 are more unsightly than damaging. Lawn fertilization with a nitrogen material plus 

 pumping water into the soil at 1-foot intervals just inside the dark ring (using a 

 root- feeder attachment on a garden hose) will mask the symptoms for several months 

 to a year or more. 



Dog spots. Such spots may resemble small fairy rings. Usually there is an outer 

 ring of lush grass. It helps to train the dog to use an area in the back yard that 

 is out of sight, fertilize with nitrogen, and flush down the more unsightly areas 

 with a hose. 



Leaf smuts . The Plant Disease Clinic is now receiving reports of lawns with dull- 

 gray to blackish streaks- -followed by leaf- shredding, stunted growth, and a general 

 decline in growth. Dead patches of grass will appear when water stress becomes a 

 problem. Bluegrasses differ in their resistance to leaf smuts (see Report on Plant 

 Diseases No. 402 and 409). Overseeding with a resistant grass may be warranted. 

 Soil drenches of benomyl (Tersan 1991 or Benlate) are effective. Apply 6 to 12 

 ounces of the systemic fungicide in 5 to 10 gallons of water per 1,000 square feet. 

 Immediately after application, drench the area with an inch of water (600 gallons 

 per 1,000 square feet) to make sure the benomyl moves down into the root zone where 

 it can be taken up by the plants. The manufacturers' directions should be followed 

 carefully. 



READ THE LABEL AND FOLLOW ALL PRECAUTIONS 



This weekly report was prepared as follows : 



INSECTS: H.B. Petty, Steve Moore, Roscoe Randell , Don Kuhlman, and Tim Cooley , College 

 of Agriculture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Illinois Natural 

 History Survey. 



WEEDS: Ellery Knake and Marshal McGlamery , Department of Agronomy, and A.J. Turgeon, 

 Department of Horticulture. 



PLANT DISEASES: M.C. Shurtleff, Ed Burns, and Tim Bowyer, Department of Plant Pathology 



AG COMMUNICATIONS : Don Button. 



AG ENGINEERING: John C. Siemens. 



The information for this report was gathered by these people, staff members, county Ex- 

 tension advisers, and others, in cooperation with the USDA Animal and Plant Health In- 

 spection Service. 



