Turf Management Updates and Subscription
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 Synopsis 2010/2011 Updated
I have had some emails from people with remarks about more snow mould damage than I reported. This came from the area near Simcoe and Delhi. Also, upon closer examination of the turf here at GTI there is a fair bit of snow mould on the higher cut turf. It appears to be superficial as it usually is on the high cut turf. Another observation on the high cut turf is that if there is a patch of creeping bentgrass in the Kentucky bluegrass sward it often has gray snow mould on it.
There were also people who email about mole damage. This is something that I forgot to mention. There is some mole damage, but it is not as bad as it has been in some years. Again, this fits in with the length of snow cover. The longer the snow cover, the more mole damage. Raking the damaged area will usually suffice and the turf will regrow.
Turf Conditions this Spring Updated
The short mowed turf greened up with the rain and the mild spell we had last weekend. There is some cooler weather forecast for the next 4 day and there is rain in the forecast for most of the next week. The cooler temperatures will slow everything down. One observation is that the velvet bentgrass is the first to green up in the spring. Golf course fairways that have been mowed are looking greener. Once the dead tips of the leaf blades are removed, the longer turf will appear green as well.
The GTI Turf Diagnostics is up and running again for the season. Information on this service is available on the GTI web site. You can also email them at diagnostics@guelphturfgrass.ca or telephone at (519) 824-4120 x 58873. The usual spring diseases that you can expect to see on golf courses in the next couple of weeks are Fusarium or Microdochium patch, yellow patch and take-all patch. There is already some yellow patch here at GTI on one of the poorly drained creeping bentgrass areas and with the cool weather and rain this will probably get worse.
Spring Insect Activity
Grub calls continue to come in. 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 courses or in August for home lawns. On that note, Dr. Michael Brownbridge and I are looking for estate lots or out of play areas on golf courses that have a heavy grub infestation this spring that we can use as trial sites in August for our European chafer grub control trials. I would really appreciate and email, if you think you have a site that we can use. I can be reached at Pamela.charbonneau@ontario.ca or 519 824-4120 x 52597.
Leatherjackets are pretty tiny at this point. Damage from leatherjackets is usually evident around Mother�s Day. 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 would probably like to go back to their over wintering sites if they have started their migration. The cool weather will probably halt migrations at the moment. It is still a good idea to start monitoring now. There is a great resource put together by Dr. Pat Vittum from University of Massachusetts on various annual bluegrass weevil monitoring methods in the related links below.
Weed control products and timing
For post-emergence weed control, Fiesta is available this season. I am not sure how widely distributed Sarritor is going to be this season. Organo-sol has received its registration from PMRA, but has not yet been classified in Ontario by Ontario Pesticide Advisory Committee. The future of Organo-sol is uncertain. The section of Saputo that developed the product is shutting down. I will keep you informed as I get new information on this situation.
There is still no sign of forsythia blooming yet. We are a few weeks away from the application window for corn gluten meal for pre-emergence crabgrass control. Not sure how advanced forsythia are in the Windsor area, but I expect that there are some shrubs that are starting to bloom down there.
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.
I had quite a few emails after last weeks update and I really appreciate hearing from you. 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.
– See more at: https://lawnsavers.com/turf-hotline-2011/turfgrass-management-agriphone-for-april-15-2010.html#sthash.gITHno1o.dpuf
