Turfgrass Scouting Report: June 17, 2018
Happy Father’s day to all of the dads reading this, hopefully everyone was able to enjoy the weekend amid the high temperatures which have entered the region. While the calendar says June 17th, the temperatures this weekend feel more like July 17th. This spike in temperatures is another notation in what has been an abnormal growing season so far. Luckily, enough cooler temperatures return to the area by the middle of next week as another cold front moves into the region. Many courses have done a great job preparing the turf for these warm conditions through agronomic practices and preventative applications of fungicides. We have seen a little more disease activity in the area during the past two weeks, but I will address more on that later.
Weather
Many folks along I-39 were treated to a thunderstorm Friday morning. This is not a welcome sight for many golf courses ahead of a very hot weekend. Rainfall totals ranged from 4.70" to 1" in areas around Rockford. The high temperatures following this recent rain could pose some problems to superintendents either from abiotic stress or from pathogens taking advantage of the excess moisture and high temperatures.
High temperatures have entered the region for much of northern Illinois. Many locations from Rockford to the Chicagoland area will be almost 15°F warmer than average. While the northern part of Illinois is feeling the brunt of the heat, folks across the rest of the state will be above average as well. Folks in the central part of the state will be above average by about 10°F while further south may only be warmer by 5°F. Needless to say everyone will be hot and hoping for cooler temperatures to return to the region. This weather forecast is exactly what turfgrass pathologists love. The high temperatures during the day and night time temperatures above 70°F invites a variety of pathogens to the party which can cause problems for turfgrass.
Disease
The previous two weeks have been rather uneventful for disease activity. Dollar spot continues to be active for much of the region, but many courses have been able to combat the disease with proper fungicide applications and timings in order to keep the disease under control. There have been a few reports of Bipolaris leaf spot popping up and causing some issues as well.
Courses in the area have also reported thinning turf which can be caused by numerous abiotic and biotic stresses. For example, a walk off area around a tee or a cart traffic area on a fairway can start to look thin and patterns may begin to appear. When the turf is already exposed to high stress environments, such as traffic, high temperatures and wet soils, secondary pathogens such as Curvularia will attack dead or dying plant tissue. Often times a fungicide application is not required, but rather over time and as environmental conditions improve the turfgrass will recover. Reducing stress in these areas such as raising mowing heights and reducing traffic are a few ways to improve these conditions.
As we move forward to the end of the month and as temperatures continue to increase, be on the lookout for “summer diseases.” There have been some activity in the area already and I would expect to see some of the following diseases to become more apparent.
Fairy ring is starting to appear in some areas across the region. Areas that have been dry and have a history of fairy ring are going to be some of the first courses to see fairy ring. Taking into account how wet this spring has been this has provided and excellent opportunity for the fairy ring pathogens to become active. As drier conditions return to the area the symptoms of fairy ring will become more apparent.
Given the heat and recent rainfalls in some areas many course may start to see suspicious rings that are most likely caused by an opportunistic basidiomycete. I would not be surprised to see brown patch activity over the weekend in some areas. Microclimates on golf courses which stay humid and have little area flow may see brown patch break through this weekend. Moving forward into the end of the month and into July, brown patch should be on many superintendents’ minds.
Insects
Many golf courses are battling ants for control of their turf. Ant mounds can be found almost anywhere on a golf course but can cause particular headaches when they move on to putting greens. These mounds can affect ball roll and putting green quality. There are many insecticides labeled to control ants on turfgrass. Many of these products recommend applications to the mounds themselves and to the areas near the mounds as well. Some products recommend applications in a circumference ranging from 3' to 5' around each individual mound.
Weeds
Moss on putting greens seem to be a bit of a struggle this year which could be due to the large rainfall totals from May. Moss on putting greens can go unnoticed, but if not eliminated or kept under control moss can take over large areas of the green. Physical removal is one of the better options when moss is only in a small area but for larger areas, chemical control is required. Quicksilver is one herbicide that has shown good results for reducing moss on putting greens. However, multiple applications in a 14 day interval may be required to eradicate the moss populations on putting greens.
Twitter: CDGATurfgrassProgram
Email: rtownsend@cdga.org
