Goosegrass control is difficult in sports and golf turf – Turfgrass Science at Purdue University

Goosegrass control is difficult in sports and golf turf

Goosegrass is a warm-season annual very similar to crabgrass, but germinates later than crabgrass and is tougher to control with both pre- and postemergence herbicides. It is most common in compacted, heavily used, poorly drained, and/or thinned turf, so cultural practices to help alleviate these conditions are essential. With low populations, cutting goosegrass out with aknife is the most effective method. Best control is with preemergence herbicides and sequential applications are usually required to fully control the later germinating goosegrass. Postemergence control of goosegrass is much more difficult and there are no good and reliable options. Dithiopyr (Dimension, Dithiopyr) doesn’t appear to control goosegrass with the exception of possibly very small plants. In spite of some recommendations I’ve heard, Quinclorac (Drive, QuinStar, Quinclorac) will not control goosegrass. Acclaim is probably the best postemergence control for goosegrass as we stand now, but phytotoxicty can be an issue on Kentucky bluegrass and especially creeping bentgrass. Be sure to follow label instructions for using Acclaim on creeping bentgrass as frequent applications at very low rates are needed. Syngenta’s Tenacity will control goosegrass on Kentucky bluegrass on golf courses, but this is not for use on athletic fields (yet) or creeping bentgrass. Sulfentrazone (FMC’s Dismiss and Solitare {sulfentrazone+quinclorac}) has been shown to control goosegrass, but we are still trying to refine its effectiveness. As I stated earlier, there are no good answers for postemergence goosegrass control. That being said, we are just starting a goosegrass research project at Purdue and will be discussing this topic in the afternoon tours at Field Day on July 21st (http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/events/fieldday/fdregistration.pdf).

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