Summertime Turf Blues

Summer brings a lot of stress to cool season turf.  As I mentioned before weed control is one of the trickiest applications we make.  Here is a spot spray on crabgrass that burned 7 tee Seaside.
The second photo shows proof the days are getting shorter. Bermudagrass begins to puff up and scalp.  Mowing heights are slowly raised as fall approaches.

The greens are the wettest in the summer.  The water in the soil does not evaporate much during high humidity of summer.  We are trying our best to maintain 15% moisture in the greens, but it is difficult.  The result is more susceptibility to hallmarks.  Many are going unrepaired by players.  If everyone repaired their hallmark and one additional, it would really help the greens thru the summer stress period.

July USGA Update

AT THE HALFWAY POINT By Darin Bevard and Keith Happ, senior agronomists, Mid-Atlantic Region July 19, 2012

Weather conditions continue to provide management challenges, but we are about halfway through the traditional summer stress period.

The story in this region continues to be the weather! Rain has occurred in some areas, but others are currently under drought conditions. Within a 30 minute drive there has been as much as a 75 percent difference in rainfall amounts since early summer. For some, the rain has been just right, not enough for others, and in rare cases far too much. When this happens in conjunction with high heat, turfgrass decline has occurred. Scald, wet wilt and water mold diseases have been a problem. It is always better to operate from a position of prevention rather than curative treatment strategies when managing pythium outbreaks. Disease pressure has been high and many superintendents have supplemented their treatment programs with conventional fungicides. Research has demonstrated that phosphites may only provide protection from pythium under moderate pressure.

There have been steady outbreaks of Hyperodes weevils this season. Damage has been limited but still there has been a need to scout and spot treat whenever damage is discovered. We are experiencing multiple generations of this insect. It is not uncommon in the same plug to see larvae, pupae and callow adults! Select the controls carefully! One specific product may not control all of the life cycles.

Playing defense has become the strategy of choice this July. The heat has been oppressive and all efforts are being made to minimize any chance of self inflicted damage. Mowing frequency on greens is being reduced and supplemented with rolling. Water is applied carefully, and the grass is being fertilized lightly to promote controlled growth. Playing defense now will make a difference when the weather is more favorable for maximizing playing quality.

Summer weeds, especially sedges, kyllinga and goosegrass have been problematic at many golf courses. Preemergent strategies have been ineffective in many instances. This may be a product of early germination due to warm spring weather. Application timing may have been too late, or pressure may be extremely high. Regardless of the reason for weed emergence, as you consider postemergent strategies, keep the health and quality of desirable grasses at the forefront. A poorly timed herbicide application under environmental stress could severely thin or even kill the turfgrass. While weed populations are unsightly, they are not nearly as unsightly as dead grass. Be sure that weather conditions are right for herbicide applications if they are needed.

Finally, the drought conditions emphasize the importance of monitoring water quality! Water levels are down and this has affected water quality not only for irrigation but also product application. Don’t assume anything. With less rain and greater reliance on wells or even potable water sources, water quality can change. Most public water has pH values in the 7.8 to 8.2 range, which can negatively impact product efficacy. Check the quality of the water to determine if spray tanks need to be buffered to maximize the effectiveness of a treatment strategy. Knowing the water quality will aid in how irrigation is applied, and if deep watering cycles are necessary to flush the profile. Syringing and light watering are being performed frequently. With these applications, salts and other detriments to turf maintenance can accumulate in the upper portion of the soil profile. If these salt levels get too high, turf performance can be affected. Again, know your water quality.

The Mid-Atlantic Region agronomists are part of your agronomic support team. If you have a question or concern, give us a call or send an email. You can reach Stan Zontek (szontek@usga. org) and Darin Bevard (dbevard@usga. org) at 610/ 558-9066 or Keith Happ (khapp@usga. org) at 412/ 341-5922.

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Hot Weather Be Careful!

When it is as hot as it has been, please be careful. This picture is from 10 Seaside. A soft drink or beer was spilled on the approach on a hot day.

THE most challenging part of maintaining cool season turf.

In my opinion THE single most challenging part of our job is weed control in cool season turf.  With warm season, the weed problems exist when the turf is dormant in the winter and not actively growing.  They are simple to control.  Cool season turf however, is much more challenging.  The weed control begins in late March, early April.  You do not see the results of this for months.  Here is an example of pre emerged turf vs un pre emerged...un pre emerged is to the right.

There are instances where there MAY be an issue with a batch of product.  I do not understand all of the goosegrass on #1 and 5 fairway Seaside.  There are no sprayer skips.  Timing was correct, but there is a lot of breakthrough.  Generally I would only expect to see this in divots this time of the year.  I have a Dow Chemical factory rep coming this week to assess the situation.  The problem is how to treat the weed without damaging the desirable grasses around it.  If it is too warm, we can do even more damage than just looking at weeds. 

We have taken to a spot-spraying approach to weed control.  It is more environmentally friendly and we have less chance for damage.  However we do not spray herbicides if the temperature is expected to be above 85F.

Here are a few other difficult weeds that pop up when the cool season grasses are not actively growing and are under heat/summer stress:
GOOSEGRASS

DALLISGRASS

NUTSEDGE

KNOTWEED

Some unusual turf diseases from extreme heat...FAIRY RING

                                                EARWIG MOUNDS

MUSHROOMS FROM FAIRY RING ON GREENS

POSSIBLY A NEW BACTERIAL PROBLEM: ETILIOATION

I know many of you have seen these pop up in the last two weeks.  Some of these things are routine and some are unprecedented in my career.  You knew it was going to be a challenging year when it was 80 degrees in late February. 

I just wanted to show some of the problems we encounter and explain what is being attemted to control them.

Heat Stress Relief...Protein Shake for the Greens

The day before the extreme weather conditions, we made a decision to apply a supplemental application of nutrients to your greens before the Member-Guest Tournament.  Not mowing in the heat was not an option, so through some research, we made the very same application Congressional did before the AT&T Event.  We mixed some super charged calcium with amino acids and potassium and an imitation oxygen product to try to manipulate the plants' environment.  That is how we allow closely mowed turf to survive.  We constantly manipulate its' growing environment.  Remember, the turf cannot take an air conditioning break.  Next post we will show how the heat has an effect on cool season grasses.  Remember, cool season turf is grown at an optimum temperature of 60-75F.