Thanks to all the 459 attendees and 32 exhibitors who attended the Midwest Regional Turfgrass Field Day Tuesday, July 17, 2012 at the W.H. Daniel Turfgrass Research Center in W. Lafayette, IN. We had golf and lawn research tours in the morning, two different afternoon tours, and two afternoon workshops and addressed many current topics […]
An updated drought map of Indiana was released on July 26, 2012. Drought is rated as D0=abnormally dry, D1=moderate drought, D2=severe drought, D3=extreme drought, and D4=exceptional drought. Eighty-seven percent of the state is D2 or worse with 18.7% of the state in exception drought, with another 40% rated as extreme drought. Water Restrictions/Bans Because of […]
WHAT: An Indiana Pesticide Clean Sweep Project designed to collect and dispose of suspended, canceled, banned, unusable, opened, unopened or just unwanted pesticides (weed killers, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, miticides, etc.) is being sponsored by the Office of Indiana State Chemist (OISC). This disposal service is free of charge up to 250 pounds per participant. Over […]
A new publication from the Purdue turf program is now available to professional turf managers. The 88 page publication includes content on: Turfgrass Culture Weed Types Weed Life Cycles Developing a Weed Control Program Indicator Weeds Herbicide Information (use, nomenclature, classification, mode of action, movement, resistance, etc.) Control of Tough Weeds Frequently Asked Questions […]
A new website has been created to help homeowners and professionals find useful information concerning how to cope with drought. This page includes resources about crops, turf, landscapes and more. Visit www.purdue.edu/drought for more information.
The first day of summer/longest day of the year for 2012 has come and gone and just this past week a new National Drought Monitor Map was published (see below). The city of West Lafayette in Tippecanoe County has now fallen into the “Severe Drought” category. In fact 36% of Indiana is now in […]
A new publication, Imprelis Update: 2012 Field Notes on Injury and Recovery, was just developed by Purdue Specialists to address some of the many questions being asked about Imprelis in 2012 including: Did trees recover from Imprelis® injury? Are new symptoms being discovered? What Should I Do if I Suspect Imprelis® Injured Trees BUT I […]
If you like your toast burnt and your bacon crisp, then you might be enjoying this weather. Most of Indiana has entered into drought officially as determined by the drought monitor (see map below). Maps are updated weekly and available at: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/monitor.html Indiana specific weather can also be found at http://iclimate.org/index.asp including maps like […]
Here are some thoughts on summer weed control in non-irrigated areas during periods of drought: Herbicides are ineffective on drought-stressed weeds and can be damaging to drought-stressed turf, especially when temperatures are warm. My rule-of-thumb is that if the lawn is >50% green, then herbicides can be applied. Avoid the temptation to apply herbicides […]
With the heat and dry conditions most in Indiana are experiencing, many turf areas are starting to brown. Water is critical to the growth of all plants, not just turfgrass. Turfgrass leaves and shoots are comprised of about 80% water. A lack or water (rainfall or irrigation) will lead to a decrease in growth and […]
Many samples have arrived in the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab the past few weeks with the common question of “What’s this grass in the turf I seeded last fall?”. Although there could be a host of answer to this question with annual bluegrass likely on the top of the list, most of what I […]
Sharply cut leaf blades increase turf health by improving recovery, decreasing water loss, and increasing photosynthesis. Lawns mown with a dull mower blade have poor aesthetics, heal more slowly and have greater water loss. Seedheads are present in many lawns right now and they are typically tougher to cut than the grass blades themselves. As […]
As most gardeners have marveled, we’re having one of the earliest “spring” seasons this year, with woody plants and herbaceous perennials three to six weeks ahead of “normal.” And then, perhaps inevitably, “normal” spring frost and freeze visited. Being so much further along in their development, plants are quite vulnerable to damage. […]
Despite some recent frosts and freezes across certain spots in Indiana, crabgrass remains unaffected and was not killed. Although crabgrass was not injured, other cold sensitive plants were such as volunteer tomato seedlings in my garden and my Japanese maple. Recent cold air temperatures cooled down our soil temperatures. Temperatures will be mild for […]
Not surprisingly, the early spring warm-up has resulted in a frenzy of early season insect activity. We were out in the field earlier this week to get a handle on just how far ahead insect activity may be this year and we were somewhat exasperated by what we found… Billbugs Billbugs are out in […]
The GDD Tracker website (sponsored by the MRTF and Purdue University) is predicting that crabgrass is now germinating at most Indiana Locations (see figure below). The GDD Tracker estimated that crabgrass germinated in Lafayette, IN after Wednesday this week and I was able to confirm this by identifying newly germinated crabgrass (see figure below) both […]
With the rapidly warming weather, several are asking “When will crabgrass germinate?” The reason this is so important is because preemergence herbicides used for the control of crabgrass must be applied prior to emergence (except dithiopyr (Dimension) which can be used postemergence on crabgrass up to 1-tiller). There are several different ways to try and […]
As the “un-winter of 2011-2012” rapidly winds to a close golf course managers are already bringing their playing surfaces into peak form. For those managing putting surfaces containing annual bluegrass (Poa annua) this means addressing concerns that seedheads are affecting surface smoothness. With the lack of snow cover this past winter, the seedhead season is […]
