I have two sites with very unhappy liriope and sadly it took me too long to diagnose the problem. One site the homeowner routinely overwaters despite my recommendations and the other site is commercial, dry, windy, hot and very exposed. They have no irrigation (I hand water with treated well water). The problem is worse at the commercial site, and originally I thought browning of the leaves was due to lack of water, so I babied them more this year and the problem is still the same. The liriope (Big Blue) is up against concrete in really crappy soil (I didn't do the installation), we've had a lot of drought, and the tips would go pale, then the blade, then the whole thing would go brown. Crown rot usually progresses the other way, but these crowns ARE rotten and it really doesn't look like anthracnose. The rhizomes still produce new plants but 95% of them turn brown within 2-3 weeks. A different area of this property has massive amounts of Liriope spicata which has thrived until this last week when I noticed one or two plants with rot.

Everything I've read is less than optimistic about getting rid of the fungus, so I'm looking for experiential advice. Soil soaks, organic products, non organic products, kitchen sink concoctions or whatever. Replacing the plants will do nothing if the fungus is still in the soil for several years.

Thanks for your help.