Bowling Green Diseases

The commonest diseases for the majority of bowling greens will typically be Red thread, Fusarium (Microdochium) patch, and Anthracnose.

Where an attack of red thread occurs, this should not cause undue concern because it is more of a cosmetic disease and will eventually grow out without the need for a fungicide application. Maintaining a healthy sward though good maintenance practices will effectively eliminate the potential for this disease, so if there is a severe attack a review of maintenance practices must be carried out to try and identify any actions which may have contributed to the attack. The main grasses affected will be slender creeping red fescue as well as any dwarf perennial ryegrasses which are occasionally over sown onto some bowling greens, especially at rink ends.

A mid to late summer attack of red thread can usually be controlled with a light application of nitrogen fertiliser although it is essential to consider the wider maintenance picture to help identify any contributing factors which might be stressing the grass plant. An application of fungicide would only be applied as a last resort for a green, for example, when a major tournament or competition is due, although over a relatively short period of time the grass will overcome the disease of its own accord.

Where annual meadow grass has a high percentage presence within a sward then an attack, or two, of microdochium (fusarium) patch disease can be highly likely during the year. This is a disease that can rapidly infect and kill large patches of green, so the annual meadow grass needs to be managed carefully, primarily through slightly increasing the height of cut to reduce the stress on the plant, thinning out (slightly) the sward by verticutting and scarification to improve air circulation amongst the grass leaves, and to ultimately adjust maintenance practices to reduce the encroachment of annual meadow grass by making conditions less desirable and providing conditions which allow the more desirable fescue and bent grasses to be more competitive.

Anthracnose might also be a problem on some bowling greens, especially those which suffer from compaction and where annual meadow grass forms a high significant percentage of the sward, along with relatively poor soil fertility for the annual meadow grass. The aim should be to encourage maintenance practice which are more suited to a browntop bent and fescue sward, thereby reducing the potential for this disease.

Dollar spot could be an issue on some greens, especially those with high percentages of slender creeping red fescue, although the likelihood of attack is much less common than other diseases. The disease will often occur at the same time as red thread, as well as anthracnose, which can be due to very low levels of nitrogen, but care needs to be taken not to apply too much nitrogen towards the end of August or September as whilst this can help alleviate the effects of dollar spot, it will most likely act as a catalyst for the development of fusarium patch disease. Commonly, the assumed presence of this, often small patchy, disease is more likely either bleached out red thread or yellowing of anthracnose, both of which can superficially look similar to dollar spot from a distance.

Take-all patch disease will be quite rare, often only arising following newly constructed sand profile greens, which have not built-up adequate antagonistic soil microbes to counter the disease, or where the sand within an established profile is primarily around a pH of 7.0, or where a very acidic profile (for example, one with a pH of about 4.5) has had alkaline materials applied (e.g. lime: calcium carbonate), particularly to the surface layer, to raise the pH to around 6.0 – 6.5.

Fairy rings, types 2 and 3, can provide a visual nuisance, but would typically be tolerated being maintained by picking any fruiting mushrooms and also applying sulphate of iron, or similar, to produce a more uniformly coloured sward at certain times of the year. It is unusual for a destructive type 1 fairy ring to be present on a bowling green.

Reducing fungicide applications can save considerable costs, but will mostly result, especially in the short and medium term, in a reduction in visual and surface quality, especially if annual meadow grass is a significant component of the sward. However, the interpretation of what is meant by detrimental can be quite a subjective judgement. The use of sulphate of iron over the autumn and winter period can help build resilience to fungicide attack and so should be considered where the soil is not excessively acidic.

The use of fungicides can take place at any time of year, although some periods, especially where humid conditions persist for relatively long periods of time, may need more attention than others. A typical number of fungicide applications will vary, with some clubs not applying any to others using these chemicals on four or more occasions per year. Strategies might involve the use of preventative fungicides, supplemented by curative fungicides as and when required, to just the use of curative fungicides; the approach will be influenced by a range of factors, including, available budget, desired quality of surface, the time of year, and the extent of annual meadow grass within the sward.