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It's Watering (& Budding)
Time
The first watering of the season on the Midwest
Golf House Short Course, and the first budding of some of trees
& flowers (Accolade Elm, daffodils shown).
Weather update:
We continue with our typical, changeable early spring weather
patterns. Warm fronts come through and we have a few days of 75-85
F, followed by cold fronts and more days of 45-55 F days with
some moderate to heavy frosts. Unfortunately, for the most part,
when these cold fronts come through we are not getting significant
rainfall (most locations only got 0.15" on April 19-20).
This leaves us operating on only 40% of the normal rainfall over
the last six months. Many superintendents have already charged
and are using irrigation systems to augment the showers and to
water-in fertilizer and pesticide applications. The lack of rainfall
also has superintendents who are on a limited water supply nervous
about the months to come and how long this current drought situation
will last. As evidence to the drought situation, click
here to see the April 22, 2003 drought map.
Soil temperatures warmed into the mid 50’s range for a while,
but for northern IL have now fallen back into the 40’s with the
passing of this latest cold front. For those of you who follow
plant indicators, forsythia shrubs are finally blooming in northern
IL, daffodils are up and blooming as well. Maple trees have flowered
(tree pollen allergies are bad news) but most oak trees have not
budded or flowered.
A note on spring fertilization: While soil temperatures remain
cool, very little nutrients applied as fertilizer become available.
Many N sources need some heat to solubilize while others require
microbial activity to release the nitrate form. Microbes are not
very active at cool soil temps. A common mistake in spring is
to add extra slow release N fertility to
bentgrass turf to try to improve the color and growth, but nothing
much will happen until soil temps warm. Then all that stored N
releases at once and the growth rate of the grass becomes excessive,
turf can get puffy and scalpy,
etc… (see
ITF Turf Tip on N sources and uses).
Diseases:
Due to the dryer than normal conditions and on again - off again
cold temperatures, spring disease activity has been slow to develop
(but that’s okay!). We have had reports of some cool weather Rhizoctonia
or other cool temp patch and ring fungi, and we have seen some
active early season fairy rings. These fairy rings have all been
the relatively innocuous “Type 2” darker green rings. Again, once
soil and air temperatures increase (and we get some rain), fertility
releases, and the turf color and growth rates improve, cool temp
brown patch and "Type 2" fairy rings will be less visible
and worrisome.
Weeds:
Since many of us consider Poa annua to be a weed and the
flowers to be objectionable, we will discuss Poa control and seedhead
suppression issues here. There has been much discussion and many
questions about timing and treatments to suppress Poa flowering
and seedhead formation, especially since the weather this winter
(colder, dryer) was much different than recent past . We really
don’t know what effect these conditions are having on Poa growth
and flowering, especially since there are so many different biotypes
of Poa across the region. There have been suggestions that
the Poa will flower later and more heavily this year than
in recent spring seasons, but any effect that last winter’s weather
will
have on Poa flowering remains to be seen.
For our part, we have treated test plots with Poa seedhead suppression
treatments over the last two weeks. Growing degree day models
(click
here to view prediction calendars)
indicate that this is appropriate timing for sprays in
northern Illinois, with central and southern Illinois a week or
two earlier. We continue to evaluate Proxy + Primo tank mixes
for seedhead suppression on green and tee/fairway height turf.
See our publication of recent data on
the
IT website or on the
USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Online journal
for a summary of past data and application rates we have tested.
To repeat, the standard recommended rate for Proxy is 5 fl. oz.
per 1000 sq ft and 1/8 fl oz of Primo Maxx per 1000 sq ft (5 fl
oz per Acre). Also, many superintendents are testing a follow-up
application 4-5 weeks after the initial application (mid to late
May timing) to control seedheads on later or continuous flowering
biotypes.
Some superintendents also hit the Poa "hard and early"
with paclobutrazole (Trimmit, TGR Turf Enhancer) and report seeing
some benefit in suppressing seedheads. Randy and I have tested
paclobutrazole at later application dates (alongside Proxy/Primo)
and found that that it doesn't work for this purpose. This year
we applied Trimmit earlier in the season (April 11), and will
see if the earlier application date leads to any increase in paclobutrazole's
efficacy.
With the recent warm up in air and soil temperatures, early spring
broadleaf weeds and some grasses have made an appearance. Dandelions
are starting to spread and flower, even in the northern part of
the state. We have also
noticed some types of clover growing and wild mustards germinating.
Remember that it is much more effective to spray broadleaf herbicides
on warm sunny days with warmer soil temperatures, so the herbicides
will be absorbed and translocated more effectively through the
target weeds root systems
(click here to see additional post emergent control tips).
Also having trouble with identifying some of those broadleaf weeds
(I know I am)? View
some photos and descriptions from this article
in the latest UIUC Pest Management Newsletter.
Insects:
Still on the tip of my tongue is the flight of the adult cutworm
moth. First captures of the moth have been reported now in almost
all areas of the state, including Dekalb, Grundy, Lee, Ogle, Piatt,
Stephenson, Whiteside, Will, and Winnebago counties. Intense captures
(7-8 moths/day) have been reported in several counties as well.
In the agricultural (corn) world, predictions are made on the
first dates of larval cutting activity (4th instars) based on
these intense captures. The table below shows these predicted
dates. I am not sure if anyone uses or has tried to use these
corn predictions as a guide for scouting for cutworm larvae on
turf, but we will see how it goes this year. . . To learn more
about the recent cutworm captures please go to the
article
on the UIUC Pest Management Newsletter.
Also sign up to get the newsletter
in your email, it's free.
Other insect pests that we should be on the look-out
for aren't between our toes but in the trees. I know some of us
would rather some of our trees would go down in the favor of better
growing conditions for our turf, but I would bet there is a tree
or two that has a place in your heart somewhere on the course.
The three major pests I have heard of recently are the gypsy moth,
Asian long-horned beetle, and Emerald Ash borer (at the last MAGCS
meeting). Reported from a recent article in the Chicago Tribune
(Metro West section - Sunday, April 13 edition), the Illinois
Department of Agriculture will be targeting gypsy moths by spraying
3,900 acres with Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (BTK)
and 26,300 acres with pheromone flakes in DuPage, Kane, Cook,
McHenry, and Will counties. Helicopters will be used in this eradicative
effort, with applications of BTK to be made in conjunction with
caterpillar feeding in late May, and pheromone applications made
in conjunction with mating in late June.
From what I have just recently read and heard though,
the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) seems to be a serious threat, with
a potential epidemic that could rival the devastation caused by
Dutch Elm Disease. The EAB has been found in southeastern Michigan,
(prompting a quarantine on Ash from the Detroit area), and one
location in northwest Ohio . Stay tuned for future articles.
I am just learning about these pests so here are
a few websites.
Gypsy Moth : (provided by Donna Danielson
from the Morton Arboretum)
General Information: http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/morgantown/4557/gmoth/
Slow the Spread program: http://www.ento.vt.edu/STS/
Maps where they will spray in 2003 in Illinois: http://www.agr.state.il.us/Environment/Pest/maps.html
Good publication with great photos: http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/gypsymoth/gypsy.htm
Asian Longhorned Beetle :
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/alb/index.htm
Emerald Ash Borer:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/eab/
http://www.msue.msu.edu/reg_se/roberts/ash/#something
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Thanks for your support of this, as well as all of our research
programs,
Randy Kane
CDGA
Director of Turfgrass Programs
Midwest Golf House
11855 Archer Ave
Lemont, IL 60439
630-257-8126
Lee Miller
CDGA
Manager of Turfgrass Research
Midwest Golf House
11855 Archer Ave
Lemont, IL 60439
630-257-2005 x.111
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