This is the 3rd edition of the 2008 OMAFRA Turf Management Update for May 14, 2008. These messages are available in three forms now. 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 at as text files or podcasts at www.ontario.ca/crops. To subscribe on line go to the subscribe button below.under related links.
A special thanks to Erica Gunn for filling in for me while I was away.
Environment Canada is calling for cooler than normal temperatures for the next 14 days and there is also rain in the forecast. Daytime highs are forecast to be in the mid to low teens.
Spring came pretty quickly while I was away. The relatively dry conditions have meant a slow start for the GTI Turf Diagnostics. There have been some take-all patch and yellow patch samples submitted, but that is it so far. The rain that is in the forecast could likely spur on Microdochium (Fusarium) patch. There could also be some anthracnose basal rot either present or developing. Just a reminder to send any unknown turf problems to the GTI Turf Diagnostics. Information on this service is available at the link below. You can email them at
diagnostics@guelphturfgrass.ca or telephone at (519) 824-4120 x 58873.
More and more people seem to have realized now that they have grub infestations and everyone gets frustrated that they can’t really do anything until this coming summer or fall. At this point the grass root growth will far out pace the grub feeding so there definitely won’t be any more damage from grub feeding. It seems like the starlings and other vertebrates have found other food sources so there isn’t as much secondary damage now either. Grubs should be pupating within the next couple of weeks. Make note of the damaged areas and apply Merit in June or July or parasitic nematodes in August or September.
Annual bluegrass weevil migration is well underway. The phenological indicator for this is when forsythia are in the half green and half gold stage. 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 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.
The first few black turfgrass ataenius adults have been spotted. We are still a ways away from peak adult flights however. This should be occurring when bridal wreath spirea and horse chestnut are in bloom. The forecast for cool, wet weather could delay peak adult migration for a few weeks.
Leatherjackets have really grown in the past three weeks. I have been finding them mainly at the top of thatch. No damage to report yet, but if we get some good rain down pours in the next week or so they will likely wash up on the sidewalks and so on. With that, lawn care operators can expect to get calls to control them Leatherjackets have been added to the imidacloprid label, which now includes use on sod farms. The imidacloprid label however specifies treating leatherjackets in August and September during peak adult flights. Control options for this time or year are chlorpyrifos and carbaryl for sod farms and golf courses and carbaryl only for home lawns. For more information on leatherjackets see the related links below.
Also on the leatherjacket front, we are interested to find out how widely distributed the common crane fly (Tipula oleracea) is here in Ontario. It can be distinguished from the European crane fly by its life cycle. Adult common crane flies fly in May and then again in September. If you are seeing some adult crane flies this spring, please let me know and I can arrange to get a sample from you. If you do find some, capture them, a Tupperware container works fine, and put them in the freezer until you can arrange to send them to me or until I can arrange to pick them up. The best way to reach me is by email. My email address is pamela.charbonneau@ontario.ca
The cool, dryish weather has not been ideal for those winter injured golf course turf areas that were overseeded. On home lawns, we are in the ideal spring seeding window now. The ideal seeding window is mid-August to mid-September. If broadleaf weeds have invaded the area, a herbicide treatment may be warranted, but only in areas without a Pesticide By-law. If areas still have some turf cover, aerating or power raking or regular raking will disturb the soil to ensure good 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. 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).
We are coming up to the ideal window for crabgrass treatment. Corn gluten meal based products can go down anytime now. We don’t recommend applying a product like Dimension until the forsythia blooms have just fallen off (roughly a week from now). Because it has the early post emergence activity, even if you have a few germinated crabgrass plants, you will still get good control if applied according to this timing. Hopefully, everyone made note of the areas with serious crabgrass problems last year so that only those areas need to be treated this spring. An alternative approach, especially if the turf has thickened up over the fall and spring, is to wait and apply a post-emergence herbicide like Acclain on the small crabgrass plants, once they have germinated. This might be the best approach for golf courses, especially in areas that may need to be overseeded sometime during the growing season. Post-emergence products are not residual the way the pre- and early post-emergence products are. Both of the above approaches fit nicely into an IPM program.
“What about those dandelions?” you might be thinking. They are really not in full bloom yet and it is good to wait until end of May to mid-June, once all the summer annuals have germinated and the dandelions are in the puff ball stage before treating them. That is also the ideal time for the first application of fertilizer for the season. Our research here at GTI has shown that proper fertility is key to keeping weeds in check. With fertilizer alone applied 4 times a season at 0.5 kg of N per 100m2 weed populations could be kept below 10%.
– See more at: https://lawnsavers.com/turf-hotline-2008/turfgrass-management-agriphone-for-may-14-2008.html#sthash.7OoJTO3g.dpuf
