Running Ahead
of Schedule!!
Weather:
The weather in the first half of May has been more like
early summer than a normal Spring month. Amazingly, there have
been 7 days above 80 degrees in the first 13 days of the month
in northern Illinois, and depending on what the cool front does
tomorrow, there may be 8. What does this mean? Historically,
there have been only 4 years when highs have reached 80 for
8 days in May, and this year we could tie that mark in the first
half of the month! Another indicator of how warm it has been
is degree days, which are numbering from 40 to over 100 above
the total at this time last year (see table below).
2003-2004 Degree Day (DD) Differences
|
City
|
Date
|
2004 DD Total
|
2003 DD Total
|
DD difference
|
|
St. Louis
|
5/10
|
538
|
547
|
- 9
|
|
Springfield
|
5/13
|
469
|
409
|
+ 60
|
|
Peoria
|
5/10
|
413
|
356
|
+ 57
|
|
Bloomington
|
5/13
|
436
|
393
|
+ 43
|
|
Frankfort
|
5/13
|
336
|
254
|
+ 82
|
|
Aurora
|
5/13
|
340
|
252
|
+ 88
|
|
Elmhurst
|
5/13
|
320
|
238
|
+ 82
|
|
Libertyville
|
5/13
|
231
|
166
|
+ 65
|
|
N. Barrington
|
5/13
|
262
|
171
|
+ 91
|
|
Rockford
|
5/10
|
312
|
181
|
+ 131
|
In Chicagoland, temperatures on average were 10
degrees above normal for the past week, but this heat wave has
hit central & southern Illinois hard as well, with temperatures
12 degrees above normal over the same period. Will this warm
spell end? Long range forecasts seem to be inconclusive as to
what type of summer we can anticipate, but for the next few
May days we are forecasted to get back to normal temperatures
with highs dropping back into a more comfortable spring-like
range (hopefully). Will the rain end? This rainy period (in
Chicago many areas have gotten 2-4 inches in the last 2 days)
is forecasted to stay with us for the next week or so, however,
meaning any warmth at all could lead to more disease outbreaks.
Diseases:
Along with the heat a lot of Gulf moisture rose up from the
South, creating high humidity, heavy dews, and pop-up evening
and overnight thunderstorms, a breeding ground for disease and
a pathologist's dream (I apologize I didn't mean to type that
out loud). About everything has sprung up in the last few days,
keeping us on our toes, and running. Dollar spot has made a
very early season appearance along with a number of other foliar
diseases, including Microdochium pink patch, Bipolaris
leaf spot, Rhizoctonia brown patch, and anthracnose. One problem
is that many of the leaf spots have started with the same pattern,
small dime-sized copper to reddish spots, so care should be
taken in diagnosis. In our fairways at Golf House, we noticed
these spots last week, that turned out to be dollar spot, while
some samples taken from greens and tees at other sites have
turned out to be pink patch. Fortunately, most dollar spot fungicides,
(except for Emerald), also control pink patch and leaf spot,
so if in doubt go with one of these.
In particular, the dollar spot arrived in Chicagoland
without the normal precession of hearing it down state first
and having it "walk" gradually northward to Chicago
(in otherwords it all hit at once). For comparison between this
year and last year, click below to view the differences between
the 2003 & 2004 dollar spot prediction models, and also
at the times at which disease was first reported in various
regions of the state. Note that in the table of first reported
dollar spot dates how in 2003 there was a more substantial lag
time between when dollar spot occurred south of I-80 and when
it occured northward.
Dollar Spot Prediction Models
Saint Louis
Bloomington
Lemont
Libertyville
North Barrington
Date of 1st Dollar Spot Reports
|
Location
|
2003 Date
|
2004 Date
|
|
Saint Louis
|
April 15
|
May 7
|
|
Springfield
|
May 13
|
May 13
|
|
Urbana
|
May 13
|
May 13
|
|
Peoria
|
May 15
|
May 10
|
|
Bloomington
|
May 14
|
May 12
|
|
Frankfort
|
May 13
|
May 10
|
|
Naperville
|
May 26
|
May 10
|
|
Lincolnwood
|
June 2
|
May 13
|
|
North Barrington
|
June 2
|
May 10
|
Poa seedheads and Weeds:
Most are reporting 70-80% success with Proxy/Primo
applications thus far, which is right about on average from
what we have seen in the last few years of testing. Some lower
amounts of suppression reported on fairway / tee height turf.
Annual (heavy seeding) biotypes of Poa are not being reigned
in as well as hoped for.. Also, it will be interesting to see
if the warm weather patterns have caused an early flush to the
(normally) later flowering biotypes, and we might get some relief
from seeding in mid- to late June.
Every troublesome weed that could be growing or
flowering now is, most noticeabe in Lemont has been an invasion
of mouse-ear chickweed into some of our bentgrass fairways.
(any more to add...) The warm, dry wx pattern that has just
ended may have kept the lid on moss/algae problems so far this
spring, but heavy rains and recent high RH may bring on more
of these types of problems on putting greens …
Insects:
The southerly winds also pushed up the cutworm
moths, and subsequently some cutworm activity and bird pecking
in Chicagoland. Late last week the first capture of adult cutworm
moths occurred in our traps here in Lemont, and almost simultaneously
some early and very minor activity (mostly bird pecking) was
noticed on some of our greens here. A few days later in northwest
Chicagoland (Cary, IL), the first cutworm was also spotted.
These early outbreaks are probably cause for not much alarm
in Chicagoland yet, but is a sign that the process has started
early, and in the near future might warrant some attention.
Black Turfgrass Ataenius (BTA) beetles are scrambling
around greens (remember they are the SLOW black beetles, with
grooves or stripes on their backs), but actual BTA grub activity
does not usually occur until a few more weeks from now. However,
if this warm weather persists, and we continue to run way ahead
of schedule on the overall pest calendar, a preventive insecticide
application on greens may be warranted soon if troubles with
early season BTA grubs have occurred in the past. Which leads
to the question, "If I apply Merit now for BTA grubs, will
I also get control later in August and September for the annual
white grubs?" The answer unfortunately is probably not.
Although Merit is one of the insecticides with longer residual
effectiveness, it's not that long, and a lot of it gets tied
up in the thatch, which is why the application should get watered
in. Also, and most importantly, BTA grub activity is normally
not as noticeable on longer rough and fairway heights, so reserve
the larger acreage Merit application for later in the summer
when you can catch both the second generation of BTA grubs and
the annual white grubs too.
Gypsy moth eggs are also starting to hatch in
northern Illinois, which means the "Slow the Spread"
program should get into full swing again. Sprays with Bacillus
thurengensis kurstaki will probably be scheduled for the
3rd or 4rth week for larval control in DuPage, Kane, Will, and
Lake counties, and then a pheromone spray will follow in summer
to disrupt mating. For more information click
here to read Dr. Phil Nixon's Scouting Watch
in the latest edition of the Home Yard and Garden Newsletter.
He also includes a note about the Emerald Ash Borer and how
it is getting dangerously close to Illinois.
Also, as reported in an earlier newsletter, the
Great Brood X of periodical cicadas should not, I repeat not
effect most of Illinois, as their range stops right near the
Indiana-Illinois border. We will have to wait until 2007 in
northern Illinois when our Brood XIII emerges. For more information
on the cicada
click here to go to the recent story in the HYG Newsletter.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
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.106
St. Louis
Bloomington
Lemont
Libertyville
North Barrington
