Global Warming Anyone?!
|
2004 vs. 2005 Degree Day Comparison
- May 3rd
|
Soil Temperatures - May 3rd
|
|
Location
|
2005 DDs
|
2004 DDs
|
Differential
|
| Carbondale |
300
|
389
|
-89
|
| Peoria |
261
|
283
|
-22
|
| Moline |
228
|
222
|
+6
|
| Orland Park |
179
|
184
|
-5
|
| Naperville |
156
|
159
|
-3
|
| Frankfort |
155
|
181
|
-26
|
| Aurora |
154
|
178
|
-24
|
| Glenview |
112
|
135
|
-23
|
|
|
May 3rd soil temperature
map from the Illinois
State Water Survey on the right
- a sharp decrease from 2 weeks ago. 2005 and 2004 degree day
totals from the Interactive Turf program are summarized in the
table on the left.
Weather
Cold, cold, cold has the been the word for the
last two weeks. Yesterday, (May 3rd) the coldest temperature
ever recorded in the month of May was tabulated in Carroll
county - a frigid 20 degrees. Frost has been the norm over these
last few days, with low temperatures in the mid to high 20s
in northern Illinois. The average lost frost date for northern
IL passed on April 28th, so this cold weather should
be our last. Soil temperatures have summarily plummetted during
this period, with average soil temps dropping by 20 degrees
in most areas. In many cases this has really confused bentgrass,
sending it into a myriad of colors - see off color bentgrass
section below. April was also a very dry month with most areas
seeing only 30-40% of normal rainfall for the month. The irrigation
has been flying at most courses throughout the area, but a dry
spring is not necessarily a bad thing (especially when trying
to get some projects done).
According to forecasts, the cool weather will
break with a bang later this week (starting today!) with areas
of northern Illinois possibly reaching the 80s during the weekend.
Degree day accumulations, which are down from last year, should
also spike back up quickly bringing us consistent with or above
last year by next week. It will probably continue to be relatively
dry however, at least until the middle of next week. Then forecasters
say, a potentially strong storm system could push in the area
bringing severe weather. It is tornado season afterall, with
most tornadoes (63%) occurring in this March - May time frame.
Off Color Bentgrass (not leaf spot)
The number one question on everyone's mind has
been what is up with my purple, blotchy bentgrass. It must be
leaf spot or some other pathogen-induced malady; there are even
lesions on the leaves. In reality, Randy and I have taken numerous
samples in the past two weeks and have found no true pathogen
involved. Most of the time this color is just due to genotypic
differences in bentgrass segregates and how they are reacting
to this cold snap. It is true that lesions could be formed by
opportunistic fungi taking advantage of a plant that is under
some serious cold shock, but spraying a fungicide or taking
action on it really won't alleviate the problem faster than
a good shot of warmth. Luke and Randy wrote a great article
about it which is posted in the TurfTips section of the website
- (click
here to read the entire article).
Diseases
Zoysia or large patch (pathogen - Rhizoctonia
solani) has hit with a bang in southern Illinois. The picture
above, shows how big these patches can be - hence the "large"
designation. Luckily, the disease doesn't cause vital damage,
only thinning out the grass by taking advantage when it is slowly
coming out of dormancy. By June or July, these patches will
have totally disappeared, but are pretty unsightly now and will
definitely get a "what the ... ?" from the golfers.
Symptoms will express themselves again in the fall when the
grass is slowly going in to dormancy. Interestingly, (maybe
only to pathologists though), R. solani is the same one
that yields brown patch of cool season grasses in high temperatures.
No reports of zoysia patch have come out of Saint
Louis yet, but if history serves than they should be shortly.
Last year, the disease was first reported in Carbondale on April
21st and then on April 25th in Saint Louis. Note that outbreaks
are about a week behind last year, due to the cooler temperatures
no doubt. Preventive applications of Prostar or a strobilurin
are really the best control this disease. Purdue research has
found that the best timing for spring control is when the zoysia
has greened up by about 50% - (click
here to go to full report). Fungicide applications
should be made again in late August - early September, especially
in areas where infection occurred this spring.
No real damaging activity from snow molds or Microdochium
patch or anything has come in from northern Illinois since this
cold spell (probably since it has been so dry). Randy and I
have been called a few times to peer into the crystal ball and
see what diseases might line up for us here with the warmer
temperatures coming. First of all, dollar spot should hit sometime
this month and if not then very early June. Many have asked
us about the new earlier timing for preventive application of
dollar spot fungicides, and all we can say for certain now is
that we are working on it. I have already made 2 applications
on dollar spot plots this year and will be making the 3rd in
the next few days. If the temperatures do reach the 80s this
weekend, then our dollar spot prediction model should go off.
If the warmth continues and you are looking to go preventive
this year, than this might be a cue to look at spraying sometime
in the next week or two. Speaking of preventive applications,
Take All Patch and Summer Patch preventive applications will
be necessary in trouble spots when soil temperatures rise back
up to 55 and 65 degrees F respectively.
Other diseases which we are normally concerned
with in May are those goofy Rhizoctonia zeae rings (which
look bad, but don't cause any real damage) and Microdochium
patch in northern Illinois, and basal rot anthracnose and fairy
ring activity in central and southern Illinois. Fairy rings
were reported active in Saint Louis on Meyer zoysia earlier
this week.
Weeds
Poa seedheads
Most have already applied PGRs for seedhead suppression
once or twice by now. I have not heard of a big boom of seedheads
yet, except for one green in the southwest suburbs that for
2 years in a row now has not had the kind of seedhead control
that the superintendent was expecting. This could just be a
freak Poa biotype that is resistant to the PGR application,
because I haven't heard any other reports of seedheads on greens.
This warmup could be the trigger though.
Moss
Reports have started to come in over the last
week or so of moss starting to creep in. Here at Golf House
we are starting to see some quarter size spots developing in
our greens which are being mowed pretty high. Since Randy and
I are off of the Poa seedhead kick this year, we are going to
start testing the various moss controls starting in the next
week or two. Quicksilver, baking soda mixtures, or a witches
brew of fungicides? Hopefully we will be able to report on not
only what browns and blackens it, but also what takes it out.
Dandelions, dandelions, dandelions. Sick of seeing
and hearing about them? Me too.
Well, here's a new one. Ever seen this on your
greens? Looks a lot like Poa doesn't it?
This weed is Pearlwort (Sagina procumbens),
and in all honesty I had never seen it before until Randy brought
it to my attention late last week. The secret to picking it
out from Poa is to look for the rosette pattern of its leaves,
and that it sends two leaves out at a time from opposite sides
(as shown in the above pictures). It is a small matted perennial
that creeps from a matted rosette and forms similar rosettes
along its creeping branches. Leaves are very narrow, pointed
and mostly opposite each other. Flowers are tiny and inconspicuous
with four small petals and four longer sepals. Not a lot has
been written on this weed, (at least that I can find in my texts
or by googling it), but it was a rip-roaring problem in the
20's as noted in this
old USGA Green Section Record. Control of this
weed has been called "troublesome" in the things that
I have read. If the areas are too big or numerous to dig out,
Randy says light, careful applications of mecoprop or dicamba
would be the way to go for eradication. By the way, the pearlwort
on the left has been treated with Quiksilver (carfentrazone)
which is not on the label but does seem to yellow it a bit.
Insects
Nothing. A few BTA adults running around, that's
about it. Too cold...
+++++++++++++++++++++++
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
