New Pesticides Act
As you are probably aware of by now, on Wed. April 22, 2009 the Pesticides Act, which has been amended by the Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act, 2008 and Ontario Regulation 63/09 that will take effect. There have been changes that affect each of the sectors: golf courses; commercial operator; cemetery; park; conservation authority, municipality, homeowner, etc., There are numerous ways to get more information on the legislation. You can go to the Ministry of the Environment’s banning pesticides web site at the related links below. This web site has the Act and the Regulation, the new 11 pesticide classes, the warning signs and the new green notice sign and fact sheets for each of the sectors that are impacted by this legislation. The web site also outlines the products that can be used for cosmetic purposes. For cosmetic uses only Class 4 pesticides that contains a Class 11 pesticide (biopesticide or lower risk pesticide) can be used to manage weeds, insects and plant diseases on lawns, gardens, parks and school yards. Please consult this web site for the most accurate information on pesticide use. You can also telephone the Ministry of the Environment at 1-800-565-4923. This will get you to their Public Information Centre and you can dial 0 to speak to an Information Officer. They will direct you to a Regional Pesticide Information Officer. If you know the telephone number of your Regional MOE Office, you can telephone them directly and ask to speak to the Pesticide Information Officer. A list of all the regional offices and the 1-800 numbers are listed on the MOE web site. As I mentioned above, there are fact sheets under the “What you need to know” for all the sectors that are affected by the ban. In addition, information specific to the Golf Course IPM Accreditation can be obtained by contacting the IPM-PHC Council of Canada at tyamada@ipmphccanada.org.
Diseases
The GTI Turf Diagnostics has diagnosed yellow patch from a golf course sample in Ontario this week. There has been a flare up of Fusarium or Microdochium patch as a result of the rain on Mother’s Day weekend. The cool wet weather that is in the forecast for the Victoria Day long weekend will keep Fusarium patch active for another few days. To see information about submitting a sample follow the link.
According to the 14 day forecast is predicting cool and rainy long weekend with a warming trend all next week. We haven’t really seen the flush on turf growth yet this spring because the temperature has been cooler than normal. This does bode well for root growth though and hopefully this will help the turf survive well if we have a dry summer.
Overseeding
For home lawns, we are in the ideal seeding window now. If areas still have some turf cover, aerating or power raking or regular raking will disturb the soil to ensure good seed to soil contact. A layer of compost can be incorporated into the surface of the turf as well. Seed can be applied with a drop spreader or a slit seeder. Seeding in two directions is best. If using a drop spreader, a light rolling or raking will also help insure good seed to soil contact. The seedbed needs to be kept moist (this may involve watering three to four times daily). If turf areas are totally bare, just add compost and apply seed in two directions with a drop spreader, roll lightly and keep the area moist. With the implementation of the new Pesticides Act, overseeding is one of the key cultural practices to help keep home lawns and sportsfields thick and healthy. If the damage to the lawn is severe or covers a very large area sodding may be the best option.
Insects
Grubs are up at the soil thatch interface now. In general, not a lot of new grub damage occurs in the spring. It is mainly the secondary damage from starlings, crows, skunks and raccoons that causes the problems. The problem is that grub control is not effective in the spring. This is true whether we are talking about control with entomopathogenic nematodes or pesticides for golf courses and sod farms. For golf courses, sod farms and other excepted areas make a note of areas with grub problems and consult OMAFRA Pub. 384, Turfgrass Management Recommendation in the fall for the most up to date list of products available. For home lawns, sports fields and other non-excepted areas, make a note of the areas with grub problems and apply entomopathogenic nematodes in the late summer to early fall.
Leatherjackets are growing rapidly. They like it when it is wet and cool. We have not seen any significant damage from leatherjacket feeding yet this spring. Usually by now, if we haven’t seen any damage, we usually aren’t going to get any. If damage is occurring on golf courses, sod farms and other excepted areas, consult OMAFRA Pub. 384, Turfgrass Management Recommendation. This publication has a list of pesticides registered for use against leatherjackets. The preventative products are best applied in the fall, but there are some curative products that can be used in the spring. For home lawns, sports fields and other non-excepted areas, entomopathogenic nematodes can be applied to control leatherjackets, however research trials utilizing Steinernema feltiae in late spring and late October/early November did not provide control in one research trial conducted at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute. There is a need for more work in this area to find the best nematode species and the proper timing for leatherjacket control.
On a few of the warm days last week, the overwintering annual bluegrass weevil adults were seen migrating in to the turf from their overwintering sites. The phenological indicator for this is when forsythia are in the half green and half gold stage, which is the stage they are at now in Guelph. Monitoring primary roughs and fairways edges, especially those that are tree lined will help you determine if the migration is occurring on your golf course. A disclosure solution of soapy water works for this. Mix 15 mL of dishwashing liquid with 4 litres of water and apply on roughly 0.1m2. Treating a swath of turf with insecticide on the edge of the fairways at this time will hopefully control the adults as they are returning into fairways and before they lay their eggs. We now have chloroantraniliprole (Acelepryn) registered for control of annual bluegrass weevil on golf courses.
We have seen a few adult black turfgrass ataenius this week. I would say that the peak adult migrations are still a week or two off. This should be occurring when bridal wreath spirea and horse chestnut are in bloom. These two species are only just starting to bloom here in the Guelph area.
Weeds
I have had quite a few inquiries about replacement product for three way mix broadleaf herbicides and glyphosate under the new act and regulations. Currently there is one selective broadleaf active ingredient, Sclerotinia minor. There is one pre-emergent herbicide active ingredient, corn gluten meal. For non-selective weed control there are two actives, acetic acid and fatty acid. There are also non-selective weeding tools that rely on super-heated water or propane flames that can kill weeds that are available from various suppliers. There are also hand-weeding tools available.
We are still in the ideal application window for corn gluten meal for pre-emergence crabgrass control. We probably have at least a week left. For best results either apply corn gluten meal when rain is expected or water the product in.
At the moment dandelions are at peak flowering and by next week they should be in the puff ball stage. It is more important than ever to maximize turf health through proper mowing, fertilizing, watering, aerating and overseeding. A five year study at the GTI showed that by fertilizing regularly four times a year, percent weed cover in turfgrass maintained as a home lawn could be reduced to between 5-10%. – See more at: https://lawnsavers.com/turf-hotline-2009/turfgrass-management-agriphone-for-may-15-2009.html#sthash.5ChxJ053.dpuf
