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Poa Annua Seed Head Control at Des Moines Golf & Country Club

March 22, 2012

This article comes to us from Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS, Des Moines Golf & Country Club.

At DMGCC, we are like many other golf courses in Iowa, we have poa annua and we try to control the ugly seed heads that emerge in the spring. Many different types of growth retardants are used and we are no different. We use a combination of Primo and Proxy to control our seed heads. When we spray it on our fairways we use the following rates of PGR: Primo at 5 oz per acre (.11 oz/1000) and Proxy at 220 oz per acre (5 oz/1000). This is commonly referred to as the 5 and 5 program.

One thing we all struggle with is to when we start spraying the turf. In the case of poa annua seed heads, control must be done well ahead of the emergence of the seed head from the sheath area of the plant. We have found that using a Growing Degree Calculator has been our best tool to get the timing correct on when we do our first spray. I use a simple Excel spreadsheet to enter my daily temperatures and it automatically figures the cumulative total of Growing Degree Days.

My good friend Steve Cook, CGCS, MG,Director of Agronomy at Oakland Hills Country Club wrote an explanation on Growing Degree Days for his membership and I have included a little bit of that here. One thing to note is to make sure you know what model (base) of GDD calculator you are using. We use the 32 degree base at DMGCC and some people use the 50 degree base. Just make sure your cumulative days match your model!

Here is Steve’s explanation of GDD and how it affects the plant:
The growth rates of many biological organisms are determined by temperature. As temperatures increase, activity increases. One of the ways we measure the biological activity of plants and insects is Growing Degree Days or GDD. Knowing the GDD allows us to monitor a specific number and apply plant protectants (like insecticides) at the appropriate time in an organism’s life cycle to maximize control. It has applications for plants like crabgrass or poa annua as well. What is GDD and how is it calculated? We assume that an organisms growth rate increases as the temperature rises above a predetermined base temperature. Each organism may be given a specific base temperature. Knowing these activity thresholds is important and we monitor them depending on our target pest and optimal treatments.

This year the timing is much earlier than we normally spray. We do 2 sprays in the spring to control those pesky seed heads. There are some studies out there that advise you when to make the second application as well. This too is based on cumulative GDD’s. Until more work is done though, we will continue our program of spraying 21 days after the 1st spray. We typically apply some ferrous sulfate with the 2nd spray to mask some of the PGR effects. If you would like a copy of our Excel Spreadsheet shoot me an email and I would be happy to share it with you.

Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS
Des Moines Golf & Country Club

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Plant Growth Regulator Effects on Seedhead Control and Early Season Dollar Spot, Tim Sibicky CDGA

May 20, 2010

We are testing a variety of plant growth regulator products and fungicide chemistries for efficacy on early spring seedhead control and possible disease reduction. This study is being conducted on a fairway mixed stand (50/50) of Poa annua and creeping bentgrass and has been initiated to show visual turf quality differentiation of the various products. Last season, test strips on a nursery green at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, IL showed considerably less disease when a plant growth regulator, Embark, was applied once during June. The early season applications as seen in the bar graph below for “Visual Quality” are at 21 and 28 days after treatments (DAT).

The first application was critically timed to coincide with forsythia bloom on April 14th. There are three Embark treatments all at the 40 oz/acre rate; Embark alone, Embark with Primo 0.125 fl oz/M and Embark with Primo 0.125 fl oz/M and also Signature 4 oz/M. This series of Embark treatments was only administered as a one time application due to a high amount of tip burn on the creeping bentgrass and chlorosis on the Poa annua. All treatments were within labeled rates. The result is poor visual quality of turf in this early spring period. However, all of the Embark treatments were excellent at eliminating all Poa annua seedheads (100% control).

Two combinations of Proxy and Primo (5 fl oz/M + 0.125/M) were tested, at a 21 day interval with one including Signature at the 4 oz/M rate. However, neither of the two mixes resulted in greater seedhead suppression than any Embark combination (see graph). The visual quality for the Proxy + Primo + Signature yielded better quality at both the 21DAT and 28DAT (7 days after second application), but interestingly, there was no statistical differences between the treatment that contained only Proxy + Primo and any of the Embark treatments.

So, the question that is brought to my attention from the data is whether there is some sort of synergistic effects in mixing Proxy + Primo + Signature? On the flipside, we don’t see any of these effects in tank mixing with Embark, so this means we can rule out that it may have had something to do with a pigmented spray or not. Secondly, will the sacrifice in early season turf quality using Embark pay off when we get to the heat of the summer? And lastly, is it worth the dollars to apply fungicide this early for dollar spot when we have very low disease pressure? Over the next few weeks, we will likely begin to start seeing dollar spot and I will be excited to see how these early season applications of plant growth regulators and fungicides function in producing good turf quality and resistance to disease.

Tim Sibicky
TSibicky@hotmail.com
Chicago District Golf Association
11855 Archer Avenue
Lemont, IL 60439

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Poa Control with Covers?

June 7, 2010

Last week I stumbled across something I have never seen before. The picture below shows a bentgrass/poa putting green with distinct lines spanning lengthwise across the green. I have observed dark green lines appear beneath the seams of covers shortly after removing the covers in the spring. The line in this picture is the result of a shift in grass species; the dark line is creeping bentgrass. It appears that the microclimate created directly beneath the seam of the cover allowed the bentgrass to outcompete the poa. More of these “lines” were visible on this green but not all greens on the course displayed this same response. I would be interested to know if anyone else has ever observed this before.

Marcus Jones
Graduate Research Assistant

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What’s the Web Saying About Turfgrass, 7-23-10 Edition

July 23, 2010


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer stresses are in full swing right now. The dog days of summer are upon us. Hang on for the ride, September 1 is only 39 days away!

Here is your list of links to articles regarding turf. Have a great weekend!

Do you care for the environment? Golf courses have long been perceived as environmental wastelands that use high amounts of chemicals and way too much water. Maybe golf is such a traditional game that even its managers are afraid of change? If we want golf to thrive in the future we need to change the way we do things so that the game is able to sustain itself. http://www.golfcourseindustry.com/gci-060710-guest-column-environment.aspx

Natural turfgrass keeps giving and giving. We all know that natural turfgrass provides numerous environmental benefits but not many people know that the growing and harvesting of turfgrass sod also plays a role in good stewardship. Although some casual observers might think that turfgrass sod producers are selling their farms an inch at a time, research suggests they are actually “growing” more topsoil as a result of sound farming practices and the natural growth characteristics of turfgrass. http://www.landscapemanagement.net/athletic-turf-core-pages/natural-turfgrass-keeps-giving-and-giving

Feeling the Heat. Course Conditions Suffering in the Midwest. The combined number of 90-degree days over the last two years was much less than the annual average in just one season. With plenty of moisture and the absence of intense heat, Poa annua populations increased on many courses. Unfortunately, Poa annua declines much faster than bentgrass during weather extremes, which is why it fell prey to winterkill damage this winter and why it appears to be fading during this summer's heat. http://www.usga.org/course_care/regional_updates/regional_reports/midcon...

A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned. The name of the game for golf courses in these recessionary times is to keep the current standards and find ways to do so by spending less money. Managing energy costs is a complex subject, but getting started is easy. The remainder of this article will demonstrate why an energy audit is worthwhile and how someone can begin the process. Potential items to evaluate will be reviewed. Most important of all, this article will serve to help you begin the process. http://turf.lib.msu.edu/gsr/2010s/2010/100528.pdf

Turfgrass as a sustainable part of the landscape. Dr. Charles Peacock, professor of crop science at N.C. State University, explains why turf grass plays a role in sustainable landscaping. Peacock offered these remarks during a July 12, 2010, presentation to the John Locke Foundation's Shaftesbury Society. Watch full-length JLF presentations here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpAK8rh3my0

ND golf course goes green with goats. Five weed-gulping goats are being used this summer at a Bismarck golf course to rid hillsides of undesirable vegetation. http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/apArticle/id/D9H1EBK00/

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What's the Web Saying About Turfgrass, 8-6-10 Edition

August 6, 2010


 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy the first part of the weekend before warmer temperatures move in on Sunday and early next week. Here is your list of links to articles regarding turf. Have a great weekend!

MSU Turfgrass Field Day: 8/18/10. The 2010 MSU Turfgrass Field Day is open to all turf professionals regardless of affiliation. Spend a day with the experts and see what cutting edge research can do to make your operation more productive and profitable. We look forward to seeing you there! http://www.michiganturfgrass.org/msu-turfgrass-field-day;-8182010;-golf-course-turfgrass-field-day-140/

Canadian Tour Will Help USGA Test Shorter Golf Balls. Many of the game's experts - most prominently Jack Nicklaus - argue for dialing back golf ball technology as a way to reverse distance gains they believe are bad for the game's future and dismissive of the game's past. Where do you fall in the debate over distance in golf? http://golf.about.com/b/2010/07/24/canadian-tour-will-help-usga-test-shorter-golf-balls.htm

Why We Need More Par-Three Courses. Mike Keiser, who commissions everything at the Bandon Dunes complex in Oregon as a golf purist's fantasy, is building a fifth course to add to his famous four. It's something you don't hear about much anymore—a par-three. Construction on the 12-holer, tentatively called "The Bandon Preserve," starts in February. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703467304575382941326891262.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Golf Course Superintendents Embracing Social Media. Last Thursday, course superintendent Frank Tichenor arrived at work before dawn to discover a potential nightmare: hyperodes weevil. Naturally, Tichenor’s first reaction was to grab his BlackBerry ... and take a picture for his blog. “There’s always something happening on the golf course,” Tichenor said. “So I took a picture of it, put it up on the blog, and tweeted it and said, ‘Look, this is what’s happening and this is how we’re going to handle it.’ ” http://www.golfcourseindustry.com/gci-07261-superintendents-social-media.aspx

Kansas Turfgrass Field Day. Kansas Turfgrass Field Day, Thursday, August 5, 2010, Rocky Ford Research Center, Manhattan, KS, 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Cost: $30.00 (includes lunch), For more information, go to: http://www.hfrr.ksu.edu/DesktopModules/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=2840

Bentgrass and Poa annua greens are hard-hit. Sometimes conditions can become so oppressive on a given site that it overwhelms creeping bentgrass and causes rapid decline, despite the heroic efforts of the superintendent and staff. This information in this article is designed to focus on what can be done amidst this difficult summer. http://www.usga.org/course_care/regional_updates/regional_reports/southeast/Summer-2010---Bad-To-Worse-For-Creeping-Bentgrass---July-2010/

A detailed labor analysis is effective for tracking costs and making decisions. Golfers, owners, and course officials often have a difficult time understanding how it can take so many people to perform a relatively simple task. So, how many people does it really take to maintain a golf course? Here is the definitive answer: It depends. Accurately forecasting such emergencies is difficult, if not impossible. Read on for a step-by-step procedure showing how to perform a labor analysis at your course. http://turf.lib.msu.edu/gsr/2010s/2010/100524.pdf

The career assistant superintendent. It is a tough time to be an assistant superintendent of a golf course in the present job market and economy. It seems to me that if you are fortunate enough to have a job right now, you are holding on to it and riding out this ugly wave. http://www.golfcourseindustry.com/gci-080210-guest-column-jeff-wichman-career-superintendent.aspx

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Field Day Festivities

July 30, 2010

The 2010 All Horticulture Field Day was held yesterday at the Iowa State University Horticulture Research Station. The weather was beautiful and there was plenty to see ranging from cultivar trials, sports turf seeding rate studies, fertility, disease, and herbicide trials. This has been a great year to evaluate products for their effectiveness against crabgrass will all the weed pressure we’ve experienced. Our crabgrass trial featured a new herbicide from Bayer called Specticle.

Specticle is a preemergence herbicide with some post control and offers promise in controlling crabgrass and Poa annua. Specticle just recently received federal registration and will now be available in the turf market. The active ingredient in Specticle is indaziflam.

One of the highlights of the day was watching Gary Twedt, CGCS, receive the 2010 Distinguished Service to Iowa Horticulture Award. Congratulations Gary on this achievement and all that you do for Horticulture in Iowa. Check out some pictures from the event!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a chance to speak about my bentgrass spaced plant trial investigating lateral spread among 24 bentgrass cultivars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Christians speaks to a group about different bentgrass cultivars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Minner demonstrated various methods to control moles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gary Twedt received the 2010 Distinguished Service to Iowa Horticulture Award.

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Dollar Spot Disease 2010, Tim Sibicky, CDGA Turfgrass Research Manager

September 30, 2010

Warmer temperatures this week have provided suitable environmental conditions for dollar spot (Sclerotinia homoeoecarpa) development on fairways. We are now beginning to see a late season surge in damage as we enter the autumn months. Thinking back to the beginning of the 2010 season, we set out to investigate the effectiveness of early season dollar spot programs and if you look (Figure 1) we are able to see the progression of the disease at a variety of different locations surrounding Chicago. So I ask, was it worth it to spray early in April-May? At our locations for this year’s Biorational study, ranging from North Shore Country Club in Glenview, IL Coyote Run Golf Course in Flossmor, IL and Briar Ridge CC in northwest Indiana, it is evident that the disease failed to take off until the middle of summer.
 

As an additional note: each of our locations vary in turfgrass composition with Coyote Run having a blend of Southshore and L93, Briar Ridge CC with Penncross and North Shore CC having a mix of creeping bentgrass and Poa annua. We tested seven treatments, Rhapsody 10 fl oz, Ecoguard 20 fl oz, Dew Cure 4.0 fl oz, Urea 0.15 lbs, Daconil 3.2 oz, Daconil 3.2 oz curative (as needed using 5% damage threshold).

Treatments are being applied at 14 day intervals at label rates and the plots at all locations are scouted weekly. If disease infection centers exceed an average of 5% area affected a curative application of 3.2 oz of Daconil is applied over the biorational treatment. We are able to understand the effectiveness of the different treatments by comparing visual quality, percentage of disease, and number of curative fungicide applications. Our goal is to reduce fungicide use and maintain turfgrass quality at levels required for fairways.

Results (Table 1). At Coyote Run GC, we have been able to maintain the Dew Cure treatment below the 5% threshold without applying a single curative application of Daconil! At this location we were also able to see a recuperative effect within the Urea treatment, only requiring a single application. At North Shore Country Club we were able to reduce the curative applications by two when using DewCure. All other plots required the same amount of curatives, four apps. At Briar Ridge with DewCure, we were able to reduce the number of curative required by one. At Briar Ridge we did observe phytotoxicity by DewCure. On August 10 an application of all products were made at a time when temperatures were 90+ degrees and turf was entering drought stress. This resulted in severe injury by DewCure alone.

These biorational products may play more important roles in disease management programs as we continue to progress into a reduced input future. As we continue to learn and understand the benefits and limitations, superintendents will be able to make better and more informed decisions. We may as well investigate alternatives now before we run out of options.

The final picture shows a plot treated with Dew Cure resisting dollar spot without receiving any curative applications during the summer of 2010 at Coyote Run GC.

Tim Sibicky
TSibicky@cdga.org
Chicago District Golf Association
11855 Archer Avenue
Lemont, IL 60439

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Dare I say it. Can we get a little rain?

October 18, 2010

We are just past the halfway point in October and some parts of the state have yet to receive any considerable rainfall this month. After being bombarded with rain during the summer months, the Des Moines area has received a measly 0.03 inches of rainfall so far in October. Their last considerable rainfall event took place on September 25. Depending on what happens the remaining 14 days of the month, October could go down as one of the driest on record. Irrigation systems that didn’t get much use during the rainy summer months are surely being used during this stretch of dry weather. The picture below from the National Weather Service shows that a good chunk of the Midwest is experiencing below average rainfall for October.
 

There hasn’t been too much activity (as far as stresses go) at the research station. We still have dollar spot working in some areas and rust and powdery mildew are showing up on Kentucky bluegrass. Grub damage at the station seems to be less this year compared to years past.

Other than the droughty conditions, the fall months have been conducive for turfgrass growth and recovery. Soil temperatures are holding steady in the high 50’s low 60’s. Those putting down natural organic fertilizers yet this fall, remember that those products require microbial activity to release the nitrogen contained in the product. Microbial activity usually ceases at 50 degrees. The dry conditions could also affect post-emergent herbicide applications as uptake and translocation are not as effective on drought stressed weeds.

I’ll leave you with some pictures of fall.

Regardless of the weather conditions, poa always seems to find a way to thrive.

This maple provides brilliant fall color on the north side of the ISU campus

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Annual Bluegrass: Friend or Foe?

May 23, 2011

Frenemy – a blend of the words “friend” and “enemy” that refers to an ally who is simultaneously a rival. An example of such would be Dwight Schrute and Jim Halpert in The Office, or two teammates fiercely competing for a starting spot. In a turfgrass sense, Poa annua and I are frenemies.

Here in the Midwest, Poa is an enemy: a weed with poor roots and annoying seedheads. However, it provides an unmatched playing surface in a temperate climate. In fact, you can even be Poa annua’s friend on Facebook.

My golf and turf management background has mainly been in Iowa, so I’ve become familiar with the differences in appearance, playability, and management of an entirely bentgrass green and a heavily Poa infested green in this region. The winter annual tolerates stress just enough to be a problem, but it can't withstand the conditions bentgrass can.  Therefore, it remains a weed.

Turf managers and golfers have a much different experience in a climate that Poa is better suited in. I’ll never forget my first time playing on an entirely Poa green in Northern California. The turf was so finely textured it was difficult to see individual leaf blades. In addition, the greens rolled incredibly fast yet surprisingly true.

That experience led me back to the Pacific Coast for a summer internship where I gained a new perspective of Poa. I was amazed to see the greens mowed at less than 0.09 inches, aggressively verticut biweekly, dried out for weekend play, and yet the turf bounced back quickly. If Poa was improved to tolerate adverse conditions and could be utilized on golf courses everywhere, superintendents would no longer need to fight it as a weed. This may be possible considering the plant's great ability to adapt.

Dr. Don White at the University Minnesota has research reports on Poa annua dating back to 1985 and has a breeding program there. Dr. David Huff at Penn State University has also been breeding annual bluegrass since 1994. Even so, a uniform supply with traits that increase stress tolerance is still not available.

Breeders have a difficult task in commercially producing annual bluegrass. Seeds are difficult to harvest because Poa annua has a plastic phenotype (one that can change). The desirable grass plant at low mowing heights produces an undesirable seed when the plant grows tall enough to be harvested. Propagating the grass from seed may not be realistic for another reason: Poa established from seed often sprouts seedheads at green height, which requires growth regulator to inhibit them from forming. Vegetative propagation of the turf is also difficult.

Imagine for a minute that Poa has successfully been bred to be used commercially for golf course greens. The limited rooting depth issue could possibly be alleviated with a shallower rootzone, allowing the water table to perch with less irrigation. This and other cultural practices can only be researched and implemented if Poa can be commercially produced. Somewhere down the line, genetic resistance to Anthracnose or tolerance to cold and heat may even be developed.

Superintendents will be managing Poa this year, but they will still be treating it as a weed. There is, however, validation in breeding it. Most people consider annual bluegrass an enemy. I, on the other hand, have an optimistic view of the plant.  This leaves Poa annua and I as frenemies.

 

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Diagnostic Update: One of our more serious fungal diseases arrived last week

June 27, 2011

This post comes to us from Dr. Derek Settle from the Chicago District Golf Association

Late last week, I heard word that a green was thought to be showing symptoms of anthracnose basal stem rot.  On Monday, in the rain, I made the visit.  Indeed the green did have the typical signs.  Poa annua was bright yellow whereas creeping bentgrass was fine.  Areas of the green that would tend to show wilt stress were most affected.  With a hand microscope that the Superintendent sues for field diagnosis, we both were able to see hair-like state and black discolored stems.  The stems were easily detached when pulled because they had rotted.

 

The main cause was determined to be two-fold. 1) The weather.  Coincidentally, I had noted that low relative humidity values were striking on Monday and Tuesday (this was already unlike season 2010 which always seemed blanketed in high humidity).  The timing of the outbreak on Wednesday suggested the primary stressor was midday wilt.  2) Some DMI fungicides used for fairy ring prevention have little efficacy against anthracnose basal stem rot.  Our course of action was to reduce plant stress on affected greens.

 

Reduce wilt stress: monitor greens closely for midday wilt.

Reduce fertility stress: increase nitrogen input as is feasible.

Reduce mowing stress: raise height of cut as is feasible.

Select best fungicide: use published fungicide trial information from plant pathology researchers across the United States.

 

For up-to-date fungicide recommendations I suggest the University of Kentucky 2011 Chemical Control of Turfgrass Disease guide

 

Derek Settle, PhD
Director of Turfgrass Program
Chicago District Golf Association
11855 Archer Ave
Lemont, IL 60439

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