Turf Management Updates and Subscription
I want to thank everyone that filled out the survey during the winter about the turf management updates. One consistent theme was that the messages were irregular. I am going to do my utmost this season to make sure the messages are uploaded on a weekly basis throughout the season and I will try to incorporate some of the other suggestions that will make these messages more useful. The aim is to have the messages posted every Friday.
I want to remind you of the different ways there are to access these messages. They are available in three forms. You can listen to a recorded message by telephoning the local number 519-826-3414 or 1-888-290-4441. The reports are also available online. They are available as a text document and also as a podcast. The easiest way to get these weekly reports is to go to the subscribe/unsubscribe button at the Turf Management Report at the OMAFRA web site and subscribe. That way you will get an email and a link each time a new Turf Management Report is posted. If you are interested in subscribing to the podcast, simply click on the podcast button on the OMAFRA website and follow the instructions.
Winter came early in 2010. I know this because I applied a herbicide treatment in early November and I was hoping to do some post treatment weed counts at the end of November but the snow got there ahead of me. We did have a winter thaw around New Year�s Day. The temperature record was broken that day with the highest temperature ever recorded on Jan. 1st. I know my colleague Dr. Ken Carey also had done a herbicide treatment in the late fall. The difference is that he went out on New Year�s Day and did some week counts. I on the other hand, did not.
The next thaw was in mid-February. In southwestern Ontario we lost all our snow cover again. During the first couple of weeks of March we had a heavy rain event that washed the snow away again. There was a major snow storm in most areas on March 23 which was close to the official beginning of spring. After that there were light dustings of snow right up until the first week in April.
As far as temperatures go, there was really only one super cold period and that was in January 20-24, 2011. Outside of that, most temperatures during the winter were about normal except for March, which was colder than normal.
All you have to do is look outside to know that spring is late this year. As mentioned above, March was colder than normal. The turf in our region is just starting to green up now. Probably, they are mowing greens now in the Windsor area because they are usually about 5-7 days ahead of us.
In sharp contrast to last year at this time, the turf looks as though it has overwintered very well. They are very few, if any reports of winter injury. Snow mould also has been very minimal. I chalk this up to the fact that we lost our snow cover several times over the winter. The actual duration of snow cover was only every about 4-6 weeks in duration at any one time. There is some evidence of grey snow mould, but mainly in areas where the snow accumulated and may have persisted during the winter thaws. Pink snow mould is also minimal. Also, where there is pink snow mould, the scars are very small indicating that they probably didn�t have much time to grow under the snow because the snow kept melting.
The weather forecast for this weekend is for day time highs up to 20�C and some rain. This will go a long way in pushing the turf to green up.
The GTI Turf Diagnostics is up and running again for the season. Dr. Katerina Jordan will be back in the lab on a regular basis once the semester is finished. Information on this service is available at the link below on the GTI web site. You can email them at
diagnostics@guelphturfgrass.ca or telephone at (519) 824-4120 x 58873. The usual spring disease that you can expect to see on golf courses in the next couple of weeks are Fusarium or Microdochium patch.
Grub calls began last week. In spite of the cool temperatures, the grubs are up. The secondary pests such as raccoons, skunks and starlings are doing their usual spring damage to turf that is infested with grubs. As usual, the sandy soils were hit quite hard last fall and the damage is very evident this time of year. As far as control goes, there is very little that can be done this time of year except to rake the dead areas and plan to overseed in a couple of weeks. Whether it is home lawn turf where you are relying on insect parasitic nematodes or golf course turf where you are relying on traditional pesticide chemistry, now is not the time to control grubs. Make a note of the damaged areas and plan to apply grub control in the mid summer on golf course or in August for home lawns.
Leatherjackets are feeding at the moment but so far there is no damage. Conditions in the fall where pretty good for leatherjacket egg hatch so I expect that we could see some damage this spring.
Annual bluegrass weevils will start migrating from their overwintering sites soon. It is a good idea to start monitoring now. There is a great resource put together by Dr. Pat Vittum on various annual bluegrass weevil monitoring methods.
Weed control products and timing
It is too early to apply any pre-emergence herbicides, but not too early to plan. On the lawn care side of things, Fiesta and Sarritor are available. Organo-sol has received its registration from PMRA, but has not yet been classified in Ontario by Ontario Pesticide Advisory Committee.
We are a few weeks away from the application window for corn gluten meal for pre-emergence crabgrass control. The timing is usually around the time that the forsythia are in full bloom and none of the trees or shrubs in the area have started to bloom yet.
Let�s try to make this a two way street and I really would appreciate feedback on any pests that you are encountering, especially if you are seeing something that I have not mentioned or if you disagree with any of my observation or if you can add any details that will make this report more useful. You can reach me by phone or email at (519-824-4120 x 52597) or by email at pamela.charbonneau@ontario.ca.
Golf IPM Accreditation Program
As of March 30, 2011, new IPMAP forms that must be used for the 2011 growing season were posted on the IPM Council of Canada�s website. It is advisable to start the year with the most up to date forms in order to avoid any problems with the desk audit for 2011.
– See more at: https://lawnsavers.com/turf-hotline-2011/turfgrass-management-agriphone-for-april-7-2011.html#sthash.9dGrD0My.dpuf
