Watch for rapid blight and anthracnose

Rapid blight (caused by Labyrinthula) can be a year-round problem on poa and rye, but the cool fall weather seems to especially encourage this disease. Aerification, sand topdressing and renovation procedures seem to further increase the plant's susceptibility to attack.

If you have suffered with rapid blight in the past, prevention is once again the name of the game. Good results have been achieved with Insignia (0.9 oz/1000 sq ft), Compass (0.25 oz/1000 sq ft) or mancozeb at 6.4 oz/1000…