Turf Tips Archives
Imprelis Update: DuPont Begins Claims Resolution Process
On September 6, DuPont began a process to fairly resolve claims for impact on trees that DuPont™ Imprelis® herbicide may have caused. Below are links to documents useful to turf professionals who applied Imprelis® last fall or this spring. More information is available at http://www.imprelis-facts.com/ and at (866) 796-4783. The deadline for submission of claims […]
Purdue Turf Scientists and Their Work Highlighted in Recent Press Releases
Scientists make turfgrass safer for animals, deadly for insects September 6, 2011 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The right combination of compounds produced by a beneficial fungus could lead to grasses that require fewer pesticides and are safer for wildlife and grazing animals, according to Purdue University scientists. Read More Purdue ‘tool box’ could be […]
Making Adjustments to Your Fertilizer Program
Although the Purdue University Turf Program publishes information about how to fertilize your turf with nitrogen (N)-based fertilizers including standard rates and timings, there are many factors that influence these rates and timings. It is important that each turf area be fertilized according to its needs. For example, some areas require more nitrogen fertilization because […]
Fall Fertilization
Cool-season turfgrass species should be fertilized mainly in the autumn. September and November are the two best times to fertilize a lawn in Indiana. Fall nitrogen promotes good root development, enhances storage of energy reserves, and extends color retention in cool-season lawns. Most of the benefits from late fall nitrogen will be seen next spring […]
Staying Dry
Many in central Indiana are coping again with drought a second year (See drought monitor images for Indiana (current and fall of 2010). While many pockets of Indiana have had sufficient moisture in the second half of summer (including Lafayette) others are facing dry conditions for a second year in a row. September […]
Dr. Cale Bigelow Sabbatical
Just a quick note from across the pond. I will be on study-leave/sabbatical for fall semester from 15 Aug. – 31 December, 2011. I will be collaborating with colleagues interested in urban ecology and studying alternative low input turfgrass systems in Europe (primarily the United Kingdom). Please note that during this time I will have […]
Imprelis® Update: Stop Sale, Use, or Removal Order. Q&A
The following post provides an update on Imprelis® herbicide in a Question and Answer format. Q: What action has the Office of Indiana State Chemist (OISC) recently taken concerning Imprelis®? A: The OISC issued a stop sale, use, or removal order (SSURO) on August 1, 2011 for the herbicide Imprelis®. The OISC has reason to […]
Turf: Dead or Alive?
Many areas in Indiana have received recent rains to their lawns. Some lawns have greened-up and others are still brown leaving many wondering whether their lawns are dead or alive. Below are some images that illustrate the process of determining whether or not your lawn is dead or alive. Step 1. In an area of […]
Certainty Turf Herbicide Label Changes
Monsanto recently updated the Certainty® Turf Herbicide label 2011-1 on packaged goods. These changes are effective on product packaged and shipped after May 2011. All cool season turfgrass uses for Certainty have been removed from the 2011-1 label. The product can still be used on warm-season turf. The label change also adds nursery and landscape […]
DuPont launches www.imprelis-facts.com Website
This week DuPont launched a new website designed to help answer questions from those who have used Imprelis® and are seeing injury to trees. The website, www.imprelis-facts.com, states the following: “As a precaution until we are able to more fully understand the circumstances surrounding reports of tree damage related to Imprelis®, do not apply Imprelis® […]
Water Restrictions and Managing Turf During Drought
For those in the Indianapolis area, customers of the Department of Waterworks – City of Indianapolis are “asking residential and business customers to not water lawns through Friday, July 29 in the wake of continued lack of rain, high heat, and high water consumption”. The request is voluntary – initially requested on Wednesday, July 20 […]
Imprelis UPDATE and INFORMATION
Many Indiana turf professionals who used the herbicide Imprelis® in the fall of 2010 or spring of 2011 and now are reporting off-target damage to trees and ornamentals in the landscape. Additionally, many homeowners have read an article or seen a news story about a Imprelis®. Below are links for homeowners and for turf professionals […]
The Heat is On!
Extreme heat is stressing turf areas quickly! High temperatures cause turf decline There are many causes of turf decline in the summer, but three primary physiological causes are 1) low photosynthesis rates at high temperatures, 2) lack of sufficient moisture, and 3) photorespiration. Photorespiration occurs instead of photosynthesis at temperatures above 87 °F causing cool-season […]
New Website and Blog for Purdue Turfgrass Program
Since last fall, we have been working on revising our turf website and creating a new blog that could be used to deliver our Turf Tips eNewsletter. Among our goals for the development of the website were to 1) answer the most commonly asked questions by clientele and contain commonly needed information, 2) allow easy […]
Hot Topics at a Hot Field Day!
Thanks to all the 530 attendees and 32 exhibitors who attended the Midwest Regional Turfgrass Field Day Tuesday (July 19, 2011) at the W.H. Daniel Turfgrass Research Center in W. Lafayette, IN. We had golf and lawn research tours in the morning, two afternoon tours, and one afternoon workshop and addressed many current topics including […]
Annual bluegrass starting to succumb to summer stress in lawns
Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) is a common weed on golf courses, but is now also becoming a problem on higher mowed turf areas such as lawns and athletic fields. This grass is lighter colored than Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass and can be identified by its boat-shaped leaf tip and membranous ligule (see Turf Tip […]
Warning: High Numbers of Black Cutworms in Traps
June 28/11. We are reporting very high numbers of black cutworm moths in traps right now. These numbers are, in fact, higher than we have seen in many years. What this means to you is that there is a possibility that these moths will lay eggs on your turf and the resulting caterpillars may damage […]
Herbicide damage on Spruce and Pine – Update
A few weeks ago we posted information on herbicide damage to spruce and pine (link here). We are continuing to see some new cases of damage, but many with affected trees are simply waiting to see whether or not their trees will recover. For those of you who might have trees with suspected injury to […]