Fungicides

A healthy and vigorous turf results from grasses that have adapted well to the site and maintenance within its species requirements. Diseases develop from stress related problems, wrong site selection and improper management practices. Frequent mowing encourages dense, low growth habit. Each species has an optimal height of cut. LOW mowing height stresses the plants. Diseases may develop from stress related problems such as mowing too low or infrequently and the incorrect mowing. Fertilization also plays a big part. The species and cultivars nutritional requirements vary. The rate of fertilization varies by soils, irrigation, rainfall and mowing. Nitrogen gives a green colour and a lot of leaf growth. Excess nitrogen give slush tissue with reduced disease tolerance and deficient nitrogen gives starved tissue with no plant vigour and the plant begins to stress.

Healthy and vigorous turf results from maintenance within the species fertility requirements and diseases develop from physiological stress related problems, excess fertility and improper timing of fertility practices. Fungicides can be contact, translaminar or systemic. Contact fungicides are not taken up into the plant tissue and only protect the plant where the spray droplet is deposited. Translaminar fungicides redistribute the fungicide from the upper, sprayed leaf surface to the lower, unsprayed surface; systemic fungicides are taken up and redistributed through the xylem vessels. Few fungicides move to all parts of a plant.