A decade into his career as a superintendent and just over a year at Indian Summer Golf & Country Club in Olympia, Wash., Justin Ruiz has battled his share of Pythium.
Prior to joining Indian Summer, Ruiz took on the disease in the mountains of Arizona – a transition zone, of sorts – where Pythium Blight was prevalent during “monsoon season” of July and August.
During that period, there was a chance of rain every afternoon. If rain came in and the grass stayed wet overnight, the Pythium would ignite if control was not applied.
“Since we also had Gray Leaf Spot to worry about later in the summer, we would rotate chemistry - mixing a contact for Pythium and systemic for GLS - and as the conditions lingered, we would rotate to a systemic for Pythium and a contact for GLS,” Ruiz said. “I would never use the same mode of action back to back. I knew if I had resistance, it could be devastating. We had great success with this program for Pythium blight.”
Indian Summer was a different animal. The course had long endured Pythium root rot or cool season Pythium, and when he first arrived at the property, little-to-no successful attempts were being made toward the disease and insect pressure.
“Severe damage was sustained year after year,” Ruiz said. “I figured the best way to get the ball moving in the right direction was to create an integrated plant management plan.”
The Pythium wasn't noticeable as mycelium on the surface. It works in the soil and attacks the roots, according to Ruiz.
“When I moved from Arizona to Washington, I looked into the disease and wasn't necessarily sold that there was a cool-weather Pythium,” he said. “When I started on property the greens were a little lean. Malnutrition, coupled with reduced sunlight from the clouds and sun angle, made the grass weak.”
Saturated conditions from the rain also gave a good environment for Pythium since it uses free water to move around from plant to plant.
“To combat the disease I tried to remove as many stresses as possible,” Ruiz said. “Grass wants to live and it can take quite a bit of stress, but when you magnify it with multiple deficiencies, it begins to struggle and cannot defend itself from such a weak pathogen.”
Ruiz started a nutrition program through the winter months to help spoon-feed the turf without opening himself up for Microdochium patch. He reduced the amount of rolling to avoid smashing turf that was already saturated and uncovered greens drainage to help water move out of the profile quicker. Additionally, they tried to be diligent about spiking greens on a two-week basis, which seemed to help with root rot pressure.
“We already knew what Pythium looked like when it showed up,” Ruiz said. “I learned that from Tom Cook at the University of Oregon. He made sure we knew the aggressiveness of the disease and the economic importance it has on the property.”
A good rule of thumb that Ruiz uses: Blow on it and the mycelium will not disappear. If it does disappear, then it is probably a spider web that is holding some dew.
Once he started his IPM program, he had only minor issues, mostly stemming from efficacy of the products chosen.
Ruiz recommends doing homework on understanding the pest and quotes The Art of War:
"It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle."
He suggests knowing how many gallons per acre your spray rig puts out and the pH of the water you fill your tank with.
“Spraying Pythium is done with only a select few products that are expensive,” Ruiz said. “Make sure you are applying products according to the label. The company has paid $100-200 million dollars to write the label. If you want the product to do what it claims, you need to apply like it says.
“Most importantly, recommended gallons per thousand, rate per thousand and pH of the water,” he added. “If any of these variables are off, you will open yourself up for disaster.”
Also, he pointed out that chemicals are there for a tool in a well-rounded program.
“Cultural practices help build a strong foundation of healthy soil and turf,” Ruiz said. “Chemicals help when the conditions are necessary. Build a plan and reflect upon it each year. What worked, what didn't and what else can I do to get myself away from making a good environment for Pythium to live?”