Anti-fungal pelleted blend for treating plant fungal disease

1 . An anti-fungal pelleted blend, comprising:

multiple types of dry pellets homogenously admixed together, wherein the multiple types of dry pellets collectively have N-P-K values where:

N is from 20 to 40,

P is from 4 to 20, and

K is from 5 to 20; and

a water-soluble protective coating coated on the multiple types of dry pellets, the protective coating including a mineral source or mineral sources of boron, copper, iron, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, or a combination thereof,

wherein the multiple types of dry pellets coated with the water-soluble protective coating are from 90 wt % to 100 wt % dissolvable in water at 20° C. within 3 minutes.

2 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 1 , wherein the multiple types of dry pellets comprise one or more type of source pellets including potassium source pellets comprising potassium chloride.

3 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 2 , wherein the multiple types of dry pellets comprise one or more type of source pellets including potassium phosphate, potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate, or a combination thereof.

4 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 1 , wherein the multiple types of dry pellets comprise urea source pellets, ammonium source pellets, phosphorus source pellets, and potassium source pellets, wherein the urea source pellets, the ammonium source pellets, the phosphorus source pellets, and the potassium source pellets are each water-soluble at greater than 100 g/L at 20° C.

5 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 4 , wherein the urea source pellets, the ammonium source pellets, the phosphorus source pellets, and the potassium source pellets are each water-soluble at greater than 300 g/L at 20° C.

6 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble protective coating comprises from about 0.05 wt % to about 0.5 wt % of a total weight of the anti-fungal pelleted blend.

7 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 1 , wherein the mineral source or mineral sources include chelated copper, chelated iron, chelated manganese, chelated zinc, boric acid, ammonium molebdate, or a combination thereof.

8 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 1 , wherein the mineral source or mineral sources include four or more of boric acid, ammonium molybdate, copper EDTA, iron EDTA, manganese EDTA, or Zinc EDTA.

9 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 1 , wherein the N-P-K values are:

N is from 22 to 36,

P is from 6 to 15, and

K is from 6 to 15.

10 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 1 , wherein the multiple types of dry pellets include:

urea source pellets;

ammonium source pellets including ammonium sulfate;

phosphorus source pellets including an ammonium phosphate compound; and

potassium source pellets including potassium chloride, potassium phosphate, potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate, or a combination thereof.

11 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 1 , wherein the multiple types of dry pellets include:

urea source pellets;

ammonium source pellets including ammonium sulfate;

phosphorus source pellets including monoammonium phosphate; and

potassium source pellets including potassium chloride.

12 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 1 , wherein the multiple types of dry pellets coated with the water-soluble protective coating have a water solubility of at least about 100 g/L.

13 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble protective coating provides one or more of from 0.005 wt % to 0.05 wt % boron content, from 0.01 wt % to 0.2 wt % copper content, from 0.05 wt % to 0.3 wt % iron content, from 0.01 wt % to 0.2 wt % manganese content, from 0.01 wt % to 0.2 wt % zinc content, from 0.0001 wt % to 0.002 wt % molybdenum content, or a combination thereof, based on the total weight of the anti-fungal pelleted blend.

14 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 1 , wherein the multiple types of dry pellets comprise one or more type of source pellets including monoammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, triammonium phosphate, or a combination thereof.

15 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 1 , wherein the multiple types of dry pellets comprise phosphorus source pellets including monoammonium phosphate and potassium source pellets including potassium chloride.

16 . A method of treating turfgrass for fungal disease, comprising:

applying the anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 1 to soil covering plant roots of the turfgrass infected by a fungal disease at an average coverage density of about 0.005 pound to about 0.015 pound per square foot; and

watering the turfgrass on a daily basis starting at a time from about 6:00 PM to about 12:00 AM midnight and completing watering prior to about 12:30 AM the next morning, wherein watering includes applying an average of ⅛ inch to ⅜ inch water to the turfgrass, and wherein the 90 wt % to 100 wt % of the multiple types of dry pellets coated with the water-soluble protective coating is are dissolved on the turfgrass and turfgrass soil within about 20 minutes after watering in complete.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein treating includes causing a visibly-active fungal infection to go dormant to allow the turfgrass to return to a condition where the visibly-active fungal infection is no longer visible, and wherein an average coverage density of the anti-fungal pelleted blend is about 0.0075 pound to about 0.015 pound per square foot.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein applying and watering is carried out from 2 to 4 times in a season with from about 2 weeks to 6 weeks between treatments.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the water-soluble protective coating coated on the multiple types of dry pellets includes a mineral source or mineral sources of boron, copper, iron, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, or a combination thereof.

20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein treating includes:

preventing a visibly-active fungal infection from spreading to other areas of turfgrass not affected by the fungal infection,

preventing the fungal infection from infecting a continuous area of turfgrass that is uninfected, or

preventing an outbreak of a visibly-active fungal infection,

and wherein an average coverage density of the anti-fungal pelleted blend is about 0.005 to about 0.0125 pound per square foot.

21 . The method of claim 16 , wherein an average coverage density of the anti-fungal pelleted blend is about 0.005 to about 0.015 pound per square foot.

22 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the watering begins after the temperature drops below 70° F.

23 . The method of claim 16 , wherein an ambient relative humidity where treating occurs at the hottest time of day on 75% to 100% of the days ranges from about 20% to about 50% R.H., and wherein a temperature where treating occurs at the hottest time of day on 75% to 100% of the days ranges from about 85° F. to about 105° F.

24 . The method of claim 16 , wherein applying the anti-fungal pelleted blend occurs without use of a chemical fungicide.

25 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the multiple types of dry pellets provide N-P-K values where:

N is from 22 to 36,

P is from 6 to 15, and

K is from 6 to 15.

26 . The method of claim 16 , where the multiple types of dry pellets include:

urea source pellets;

ammonium source pellets including ammonium sulfate;

phosphorus source pellets including an ammonium phosphate compound; and

potassium source pellets including potassium chloride, potassium phosphate, potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate, or a combination thereof.

27 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the multiple types of dry pellets include:

ammonium source pellets including ammonium sulfate; and

potassium source pellets including potassium chloride.

28 . An anti-fungal pelleted blend, comprising:

multiple types of dry pellets homogenously admixed together, wherein the multiple types of dry pellets collectively have N-P-K values where:

N is from 20 to 40,

P is from 4 to 20, and

K is from 5 to 20; and

a water-soluble protective coating coated on the multiple types of dry pellets, the protective coating including a mineral source or mineral sources of boron, copper, iron, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, or a combination thereof,

wherein the multiple types of dry pellets coated with the water-soluble protective coating have a water solubility of at least about 100 g/L and are from 90 wt % to 100 wt % dissolvable in water at 20° C. within 3 minutes.

29 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 28 , wherein the water solubility is at least about 200 g/L.

30 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 28 , wherein the water solubility is at least about 300 g/L.

31 . An anti-fungal pelleted blend, comprising:

multiple types of dry pellets homogenously admixed together, wherein the multiple types of dry pellets collectively have N-P-K values where:

N is from 20 to 40,

P is from 4 to 20, and

K is from 5 to 20; and

a water-soluble protective coating coated on the multiple types of dry pellets, the protective coating including a mineral source or mineral sources of boron, copper, iron, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, or a combination thereof, the water-soluble protective coating providing one or more of from 0.005 wt % to 0.05 wt % boron content, from 0.01 wt % to 0.2 wt % copper content, from 0.05 wt % to 0.3 wt % iron content, from 0.01 wt % to 0.2 wt % manganese content, from 0.01 wt % to 0.2 wt % zinc content, from 0.0001 wt % to 0.002 wt % molybdenum content, or a combination thereof based on the total weight of the anti-fungal pelleted blend,

wherein the multiple types of dry pellets coated with the water-soluble protective coating are from 90 wt % to 100 wt % dissolvable in water at 20° C. within 3 minutes.

32 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 31 , wherein the two or more of the mineral sources of boron, copper, iron, manganese, zinc, molybdenum are included in water-soluble protective coating.

33 . The anti-fungal pelleted blend of claim 31 , wherein the all of the mineral sources of boron, copper, iron, manganese, zinc, molybdenum are included in water-soluble protective coating.