Brown patch (Rhizoctonia) Trouncing the Southwest: Warning and New Photos

Brown patch (caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia) has been ravaging southwestern golf courses this winter due to heavy rains and relatively mild temperatures. Although most of us think of brown patch as a summertime disease, in locations with warm and dry climates (such as the southwestern U.S.), it is moisture—and not air temperature—that is the main limiting factor in brown patch attack. This means that brown patch can be a problem during the winter/rainy season, even when average air temperatures…