Welcome to the “Turf Agriphone” sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. This message is being recorded for the week of May 18-25, 2001.
We are getting a sprinkling of rain at the moment. Here in the Guelph area, it is keeping the dust down and that is about it. The dry conditions have caused some browning of the shallow rooted grass species such as rough bluegrass and creeping bentgrass on home lawns. This is the time of year when we should be mowing like crazy. There really hasn’t been that surge of spring growth this year because moisture is limiting.
With the dry conditions, diseases have been virtually unheard of. If we do get a few days of rain, expect to see some leaf spot and possibly some red thread. Surprisingly, there is some active Fusarium patch at the moment as a result of heavy dews and the little bit of rain that we had.
Still more calls coming in about leatherjackets. These are 1.5-2.0 cm long larvae that are grey/green in colour. Unlike caterpillars, they do not have any legs. Leatherjackets feed on the turf blades and the crowns and can cause a fair bit of damage http://www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/crops/facts/damage.jpg. I am still interested in the distribution and spread of this pest. If you are encountering leatherjackets in areas outside of Burlington, Ancaster, Niagara, Windsor and Sarnia, please give my office a call at (519) 824-4120 x2597 or send me an e-mail at pcharbon@omafra.gov.on.ca. The new areas seem to be Waterloo and Cambridge.
More black turfgrass ataenius flights this week. They are returning from their overwintering sites now on golf courses. They can be founding flying around on sunny afternoons around golf greens. Make a note of areas with heavy adult flights. Check these areas in about 3 weeks time for signs of ataenius grub feeding. The damage usually shows up first on collars and the edges of fairways. I have also seen the first June beetles this week. We have had a few of them flying around our building here at the GTI at night. June bugs will probably be flying for another 3 weeks or so.
Crabgrass has germinated in the Guelph area in open, sunny areas. There is still a short window in which to apply Dimension. Many people seem to be skipping the pre-emergence crabgrass treatment in favour of an Acclaim treatment later in the season, if necessary. Remember not to apply these crabgrass products to lawns that have been reseeded because the products will prevent weed seeds from germinating, but they will also prevent grass seed from germinating. For Dimension, you must wait 3 months before reseeding.
Dandelions are still flowering in the Guelph area. Even though this is the time when homeowners expect weed control, it is often best to wait a couple of weeks to let the spring annual weeds germinate and then they will be controlled by the herbicide application too. The exception might be areas that have a lot of ground ivy and other hard to control weeds. It is best to apply herbicide when they are flowering.
Annual bluegrass is still producing seedheads. To help maintain a good putting surface on greens, try light vertical mowing to control grain. I would advise, however, to wait until we get some rain to start any cultural practices such as core aeration, verticutting, topdressing, etc..
With all this dry weather, it is best to stay away from cultural practices. They can do more harm than good if turf is under stress. The exception of course is well irrigated turf, which could benefit from aeration at the moment.
A research company is trying to find sites for hairy chinch bug insecticide trials in the Guelph, Cambridge, Kitchener or Hamilton area. They are looking for commercial turf sites with a history of hairy chinch bug damage. They would like to be able to go in in a couple a week or so when the chinch bugs are moving in from their overwintering sites to get some adult counts. If you think you have such a site and are willing to have research conducted there, could you please give me a call at (519) 824-4120 x 2597.
Again, thanks for phoning the Turf Agriphone for this week. The next agriphone message will be recorded on Fri. May 25,2001. – See more at: https://lawnsavers.com/turf-hotline-2001/turf-agrifax-week-6-2001-may-18th-2001.html#sthash.3NEvLOB1.dpuf
