Summer Begins: Hot & Still Dry as a
Bone!!
Handwatering and watering with roll aways started in mid-May,
especially here at Golf House when an irrigation controller
goes down!! (Mouseover) A dry as a bone #1 green, evidence
to the faulty controller.
Weather
Summer definitely arrived with a bang over the
past 5 days. Temperatures soared into the 90s for most of
the region, leapfrogging 80 degree highs completely, and well
above our normal highs of the mid 70s. Amazingly with only
this short burst, there are already more highs in the 90s
this year than there were for all of 2004! Unfortunately,
much needed precipitation has not come along with these high
temperatures - aside from some locally heavy thunderstorms
which hit Joliet and some other areas south of I-80 on June
8th. Here's a stat you can throw at your green committee -
for the period from March 1- May 31st, rain totals for Chicagoland
were the 7th lowest in the last 135 years (St. Louis was the
3rd lowest!!). For that period, we ran at a 4 inch rainfall
deficit, or at about 40% of our normal total, which puts us
in a "mild" drought category. I would rather call
it the "dust bowl" category. Several superintendents
are very concerned about the water levels in irrigation ponds
already, and any limits of an inadequate or faulty irrigation
system are more than evident (see soil
moisture and LDS section below). Also worrisome is
what these conditions will do to Poa that didn't have a smooth
winter ride either.
With the cool May definitely in the rear view,
degree day accumulations are catching up to 2004 totals rapidly
(see totals below). Forecasts call for a slight cool down
late next week, but the barrage of 90 degree highs away from
the lakefront look to be here to stay for the weekend. An
organized rain system also doesn't look to be on tap for a
while, meaning we will have to rely on afternoon heat &
humidity induced pop-up storms for the next week or so. Even
without the rains, the current heat and humidity have provided
fuel for a bevy of disease activity.
|
2004 vs. 2005 Degree Day Comparison
- June 9th
|
|
Location
|
2005 DDs
|
2004 DDs
|
Differential
|
| Peoria |
884
|
974
|
-90
|
| Naperville |
620
|
666
|
-46
|
| Aurora |
617
|
738
|
-121
|
| N. Barrington |
493
|
557
|
-64
|
|
Diseases
The first sample of basal rot anthracnose on Poa this year.
If infections are severe, a nearly positive diagnosis can
be made by picking out an individual plant, pulling back some
leaves, and looking for jet black infection cushions on the
crown. (Mouseover) Early dollar spot scarring at Golf House
Diseases have been plenty as this heat and humidity
have come in over the last few days. No Pythium or brown patch
outbreaks have been reported but here is a short list of the
past week's reports from Chicagoland (in case you don't want
to read possibly the longest disease section this newsletter
has ever seen):
The big news of the past week is that dollar spot
is starting to rear its ugly head. Most of the activity started
after Saturday, June 4th's rain storm, with a constant influx
of 1st time reports from Moline, Peoria, and Chicago since then.
Damage, although apparent, is still limited in northern Illinois
presumably due to most superintendents' diligence in applying
fungicide early this year, and the pathogen does not grow extremely
well when the temperatures are this high. However, with the
dollar spot cycle obviously started, any decrease in temperature
and/or increase in moisture or humidity will probably cause
most of the smaller lesions to explode.
Three reports of Rhizoctonia zeae rings
on Poa annua came in on June 9th, adding to a slower
trickle of reports that had come in earlier. One superintendent
noted that one of the tees had received an extra 1/2 to 3/4
lb of N, and had substantially more rings on that tee than in
other areas. This makes sense since Rhizoctonia diseases are
normally high N, lush leafers. It may also be worth noting that
this disease is supposed to be a "cool weather" brown
patch, but is occurring now when the temperatures are in the
90's. It could be possible that outbreaks of this disease are
just as much linked to the first big release of nitrogen as
to milder temperatures. Either way, this disease will normally
will grow out in a few weeks and not cause much damage to the
turf. If it becomes just a bit too unaesthetic though, Prostar
or the strobilurins are your best bet for a speedier recovery.
Note that not all of the summer brown patch fungicides are effective
on R. zeae.
If you are going to spray greens for the rings,
you might want to consider a fungicide that covers anthracnose
as well. The first occurrence of basal rot anthracnose on Poa
was observed yesterday on greens near I-80 that had been vigorously
worked the past few weeks. Since Poa is not a fan of these 90
degree temps, topdressing verticutting, aerifying can provide
infection courts for the anthracnose. If you are looking to
double dip on greens for both R. zeae and anthracnose, your
best bet would be a strobilurin. Unless of course your strain
of anthracnose is resistant to the strobilurins...
Microdochium patch is also still lurking
around on greens and tees in Chicagoland as well. This heat
and humidity should be slowing this pathogen down at
some point, but we have had several samples of it in this
week, including one today (6/10). Symptoms can resemble anthracnose
or cool weather Pythium in that it commonly streaks with water
patterns as the spores disperse and cause new infections along
the water trail. Control can be obtained with the same fungicides
used for pink snow mold (Medallion, Banner, iprodione and
chlorothalonil, strobilurins) since they are both caused by
the same pathogen (which is why leftover pink snow mold outbreaks
from the winter should be treated). Of course, don't use PCNB
now.
|
Take All Patch
|
Pink Patch
|
 |
 |
In the last newsletter, I warned of soil temperatures
reaching the critical 55 F level for take all patch preventative
sprays, and now take all is showing up in fairways in the
southern suburbs. Take all is a "goofy" disease.
By that, I mean the book adage is that it is supposed to be
worse in the first 2-5 years of a bentgrass sward, and gradually
decrease in severity. The course in the photo above is 8 years
old, and we have also seen it reappear on courses as much
as 20-30 years old. Go figure. If you have it now, our best
advice is to handwater and baby it now until July or so when
the disease normally decreases in severity. Also, one superintendent
noted that dandelions especially like to grow in the take
all patches...
Two reports of a disease attacking fescue green
banks was also noted today. At first glance, the disease looked
to be red thread but upon further inspection there were fuzzy
gelatinous pink balls of mycelium on the leaf blades (put
mouse over picture on left to see a close up) instead
of the red sclerotial threads that normally extend from cut
leaf tips. This disease is pink patch (Limonomyces roseiipellis)
which also causes disease on creeping bentgrass greens
resulting in a whitish patch-like symptom during cooler weather.
Red thread and pink patch often occur together on longer cut
bluegrasses and fescues, but in this instance it looks like
the pink patch is dining alone and its favored food seems
to be the fine fescue in this rough mix. Increasing nitrogen
levels can help curtail damage by these diseases, but it is
becoming increasingly common that fungicide control is necessary.
For the most part chemistries for controlling these two diseases
is the same, EXCEPT for Prostar which controls red thread
exceptionally well but does nothing for pink patch.
If you look at your IT calendar for this month,
the inset picture is a sward of Kentucky bluegrass exhibiting
symptoms which seem to represent summer patch - the disease
of the month. However, this site is exhibiting these same
symptoms now, which makes us a little suspicious as to whether
or not this actually summer patch because of the early timing.
Fairy rings are also showing up now on greens
around Chicagoland. Most
of the current symptoms are of the Type II variety (photo
2) and pretty benign in nature, with unaesthetic green rings
being the only symptoms. However, the fungi associated with
these rings are linked to LDS and could cause dried out rings
on greens later in the year.
Soil moisture and LDS:
LDS problem at Golf House
The abnormally dry weather we are having is
already bringing soil moisture and irrigation issues to the
forefront. We have heard from several sources that they have
already 'used up' to 30-40% of their irrigation water ‘budget’
for the 2005 season (ouch!). Firm, dry, and 'fast' golf courses
are the norm in northern and central Illinois this spring...!!!
Unfortunately, with the number of dry, windy days we've had,
we are also now seeing a lot of localized dry spot (LDS) problems.
It is pretty rare to see these types of problems in mid-May,
to say the least. Here at the Sunshine Course at Midwest Golf
House, our sand-based greens and thatchy, clay based fairways
are starting to show some significant wilting on the dry knobs.
These areas have also been slower to recover color and growth
rates after that heavy frost of a couple of weeks ago. Wetting
agent programs should be in place or going out now. Hopefully,
some wetter weather will move into the area over the next
few days, and help re-wet some of these bone dry soils.
Insects
Cutworm activity has been noted all over the
region now, with Moline and many courses in northern Illinois
now reporting outbreaks that are warranting treatment. No
other insect outbreaks, other than some June bug sightings
have been reported..
++++++++++++++++++++++
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
