You guys can do what you want, but implying that chemical fungicides are "necessary" forever ain't cutting it in my experience. If you don't want to do a proactive regimen, fine --- but Brown Patch can be controlled by a balanced soil biology as well as any other fungus can. It ain't special

This has me thinking?

I know there is more to fungicide than just this one specific question but while I was at the local JD shop; they recommended applying Disarm G or Heritage G turf fungicide the month of June.

I'm trying to understand both sides of whether to apply or not? Why would I apply it to prevent something that may or may not happen?

Thanks for your time!

If the right conditions exist, and a person has knowledge gained from past experiences, then it's certainly possible to predict what might happen in the near future. So, applying the correct fungicide at a preventative rate might stop a break out of something. However, the only way that person would know if it worked or not is from that past experience.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend using a fungicide as a preventative. A well balanced soil, being loyal to the 1/3 rule, and watering responsibly usually cuts down on any outbreak. With that said, I plan to use Serenade and possibly Companion b/c they are biological fungicides that encourage the growth of good bacteria (I believe) to prevent my annual outbreak of Red Thread and this past year's Pythium.

I too plan on using something as a preventative. I'm still learning that taking care of a lawn is more than mowing and edging every saturday. Last year I got hit with Brown Patch, and bad at that. It took out nearly a third of my yard before I knew what hit me.

This year I've been educated a bit more so I'll be better on my watering and lawn maintenance, but still want to make sure I dont get killed again. I'll probably go with regular applications of serenade and cracked corn to keep the beneficial bacteria levels up. Serenade all summer could get expensive though, so here's hopin Andy can share his find on the bulk buy.

I'll PM you my source.

Great info, thanks

I have had my fair share of wars with the Rhizoctina family. 2010 was a terrible year. Last year I did several things differently and the results were terrific.

1) I applied 5 pounds of nitrogen from ammonium sulfate per 1,000 SF. Penn State believes ammonium sulfate can reduce the effects of take-all patch and summer patch by as much as 80% when a total of 4 pounds of nitrogen from ammonium sulfate per 1,000 SF applied multiple times a year. I applied 5 because I wanted to use the entire 50 pound bag. I dislike fertilizer left overs.
2) I had the lawn dethatch. Many publications state thatch as a contributing factor for brown patch.
3) I took steps to lower pH. I believe this is not a major factor but I am not taking any chances.
4) I think the biggest reason for success is multiple applications of phosphite. I investigated a few fungicides and the active ingredient was phosphite. I decided to purchase a phosphite fertilizer at significant savings.

I decided to purchase a phosphite fertilizer at significant savings.

Phosphites can be sold as a fertilizer or a fungus control. Guess which one costs less to get approved for sale?

This isn't rare - there is actually an aquarium plant supplement that acts as a Carbon source to the plants instead of having to bubble CO₂ through the water. It is also an excellent algaecide, but that requires federal testing and registration. So, they sell it as a Carbon supplement and let the Internet spread the info that it is a good algaecide.

I noticed my local organic supplier has Serenade Max wettable powder in 6lb size ($115). The recommended dilution is 1/4-1/3 cup per gallon. Seems like that would be pretty cost effective.