This is the 22th edition of the “Turf Management Report” sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and it is for the week of Sept. 9th -23, 2011. For the remainder of the season, these messages will be updated every two weeks, instead of weekly.
PLEASE NOTE: The Pesticide Recommendations in this report are meant for excepted uses (e.g. golf courses and sod farms) under the Cosmetic Pesticides Ban. Only the active ingredients listed under Class 11 pesticides in Ontario Regulation 63/09, can be used on home lawns, sports fields and other non-excepted uses.
We are moving into more typical fall weather pattern. Day time highs are going to be in the low to mid-20’s for the week. The true sign of fall for me are the nights. They have been cooling off all last week and this trend will continue for the coming week. There are showers in the next Wed. only.
When we go from hot to cold weather like we have done over the past week, it gets very confusing for disease diagnosis. There was a real flare up of dollar spot over the past week. There was also some brown patch over the Labour Day weekend and those symptoms are lingering even though the disease is no longer active. There is still some active anthracnose basal rot. With these cool nights we could see the start of Microdochium patch very soon.
The home lawn and sod disease scenario has not changed much from last week. There are still lots of necrotic ring spot symptoms around. Dollar spot continues to be very active on irrigated home lawn turf last week. Rust continues to be the big issue at the moment on sod farms, home lawns and sports fields. Rust infections occur during low light intensity when leaf surfaces are moist and temperatures are moderate – in other words an overcast, rainy day in summer. Optimal conditions for the growth and spread of rust is 20-30°C and turf that is growing slowly due to drought stress and low fertility. To help turf grow out of the rust symptoms, raise the mowing height, mow frequently, fertilize and if possible irrigate. Removal of clippings also helps but is not often practical.
If you do encounter a turf problem that you can’t identify, you can always send a sample to GTI Turf Diagnostics. 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.
European chafer and Japanese beetle grubs continue to develop and are now in the 2nd instar. Of course there will be no signs of grub damage for at least a month. We are coming to the end of the application window for applying nematodes for grub control. Make sure that the area to be treated is well watered before the nematodes are applied. Do not store the diluted nematode mixtures for more than 3-4 hours. Apply on an overcast, cool day or apply in the early morning or early evening and water the nematodes in as soon as possible. There is a newly commercialized nematode species that has good host specificity for scarab grubs called Steinernema glaseri that might be worth investigating this season. We are outside of the window where the preventative grub control products will be efficacious. For more information on grubs follow the link below.
Many people have email me about the European crane fly adults. They are very heavy in the Barrie/Orillia area now. Flights should continue for about 3 more and peak in about 1 week.
With the cooler weather and the bit of rain that most areas have received, turf has resumed growing. Lawn care operators are applying their Fiesta treatments. Most of our common lawn weeds require two applications to completely kill them. Just a reminder that only products with PCP numbers can legally be used to control weeds. Some companies are marketing iron based fertilizers that are not registered for use as herbicides. Also, lawns treated with Fiesta could also benefit by having a fertilizer application now to help the turf fill in the void that the killed weed will leave.
Core-aeration is in full swing at the moment. For those of you that are overseeding , the overseeding window in this part of the province (southwestern Ontario) is mid-August to mid-September. Ensure good seed to soil contact by raking bare areas. On larger properties and sports fields, core aeration or slit seeding will help insure seed to soil contact. Seeding rate for overseeding sports fields with perennial ryegrass should be 4 kg/100m2. It is essential to keep the seedbed moist. This may require watering up to 3 times a day until seeds have germinated and seedlings are well established. On non-irrigated sites the alternative is to let mother nature take her course and hope that we get some timely rains in early-mid September. After seedlings have been up for a couple of weeks, an application of fertilizer of 0.5 kg of nitrogen per 100m2 will help the seedlings get established.
For non-overseeded areas, now is a good time to apply fertilizer. This will help the turf fill in from the diseases and insect problems of the season.
The Sports Turf Association is holding their 24th annual fall field day on
Thurs. September 22, 2011 in Oakville at Glen Abbey Community Center, 1415 Third Line, Oakville, Ontario. For registration information visit the STA web site at the links below.
I appreciate the feedback. You can reach me by phone 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-september-13-2011.html#sthash.Zosltbu6.dpuf
