Tall fescue is a great turf for lawns throughout most of Indiana. It requires about ½ the nitrogen and far less irrigation than Kentucky bluegrass when managed for the same aesthetic appearance. Because of its deeper rooting and access to water in the soil, it stays greener than Kentucky bluegrass much longer into a drought….Read more about Tall fescue for Indiana lawns but not most sports fields[Read More]
We are fielding a number of calls like “Why is my lawn is turning brown while my neighbors isn’t, even though neither of us irrigate?”. On any given turf area or in a neighborhood, we can see a wide variety of responses to the current drought. Following is a list of factors that will affect…Read more about Drought affects all turf areas differently[Read More]
With the renovation season here, questions abound about how much perennial ryegrass to use in a P. rye/K. bluegrass mix. Perennial ryegrass germinates quickly and provides quick cover and soil stabilization when used in a blend. However, too much perennial ryegrass leads to long-term problems from dollar spot, brown patch, red thread, and other diseases….Read more about How much perennial ryegrass/Kentucky bluegrass in a mix?[Read More]
Tired of the way your lawn looks? If it hasn’t looked up to par this summer with the relatively good weather, it never will and reseeding your lawn is an option. Mid-August is the best time to seed a new lawn or overseed an existing lawn. If the lawn is just thin and needs a…Read more about Now is the Time to Start Improving Your Lawn[Read More]
Though this summer has been pretty kind for our cool-season grasses, a number of weeds may be at high enough populations to become problematic. With temperatures forecast in the high 80’s or 90’s for the next week, it is probably best to leave the herbicides locked in storage. Plus most of the problematic weeds (crabgrass,…Read more about For professionals: Avoid late summer weed control[Read More]
Dollar spot is caused by a fungal pathogen, Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, that blights leaf tissues but does not affect turfgrass roots or crowns. The disease is a common concern on golf course turf, especially creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass greens, tees, and fairways, where it can result in poor turf quality and appearance. Dollar spot is one…Read more about Dollar Spot[Read More]
Rust is a disease of taller mown turf. Outbreaks are most common on residential lawns, low budget athletic fields, and, occasionally, on golf course roughs. A variety of related fungi cause rust. Ccommon names include leaf rust, crown rust, and stem rust, and the disease occurs almost exclusively on Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. Rust…Read more about Rust Diseases[Read More]
The diseases rust and dollar spot are thriving in Indiana lawns right now, which is fairly typical for this time of the year. These are both low nitrogen diseases, so are almost inevitable as we try to keep lawns on the lean side during the summer to minimize devastating damage from pythium, brown patch, heat…Read more about Professionals only: Rust/dollar spot thriving in lawns[Read More]
A number of solitary bees and wasps reside in turfgrass and landscapes. Because of their ability to harm humans, these insects often evoke a great deal of anxiety. However, in reality they very rarely sting. Education is the single best strategy to help people deal with cicada killers. Cicada killers are one of the largest…Read more about Cicada killers: A Nuisance or a Danger?[Read More]
The Indiana State Chemists Office’s (ISCO) new pesticide rule went into effect Aug. 1 and includes: Any person applying any pesticide to a golf course must have a commercial pesticide applicator license or be under the direct supervision of a licensed commercial pesticide applicator. A non-certified applicator can apply pesticides if directly supervised by a…Read more about Reminder: New golf course pesticide rule went into effect August 1, 2009[Read More]
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…Read more about Goosegrass control is difficult in sports and golf turf[Read More]
We have just unveiled our new web registration for all MRTF functions, just time for Field Day on July 21. Registration for all events is at http://mrtf.org/php/education.php and registration for Field Day specifically is at http://mrtf.org/php/education.php#FieldDay. Some of the features of this year’s Field Day include A morning workshop in Spanish – Victoria Caceres will be teaching “White…Read more about New web registration now available for the Midwest Regional Turf Field Day on July 21[Read More]
FMC’s Solitare 75WG received its federal and state label for Indiana in June and is should be available from your professional product distributors. Solitare is a combination of sulfentrazone (Dismiss) and quinclorac (Drive and others) and should provide control of yellow nutsedge, crabgrass, clover and a wide variety of other broadleaf weeds that are currently…Read more about For professionals only: Solitare herbicide now labeled for Indiana[Read More]
As lawns start to thin from summer heat, ground ivy and violets begin to overtake the turf especially insahded areas. These two weeds remain tough to control in Indiana. Even though applications now can produce visible damage, long-term control does not compare to fall applications. We have been working on ground ivy for a number…Read more about Controlling ground ivy and/or violets[Read More]
With weather drying out and heating up, the risk of herbicide burn is increasing. In most cases, herbicide burn is similar to fertilizer burn in that the concentration of the herbicide spray residue on the leaf literally sucks the water out of the leaf, desiccating the leaf. This is similar to how urea fertilizer spilled…Read more about The somewhat random world of herbicide burn injury on turf[Read More]
In response to requests from our industry, we will be teaching a workshop in Spanish at Field Day on July 21. “White Grub Biology and Control” will be taught by Victoria Caceres from the Department of Entomology. This is a great opportunity for you or any of your staff who are comfortable learning in Spanish…Read more about White Grub Biology and Control in Espanol[Read More]
Summer patch and necrotic ring spot are root-infecting diseases in Kentucky bluegrass lawns. Their symptoms are some of the most difficult to manage, much less control the disease. Although these diseases differ slightly in when they attack the roots, the pathogens generally are active in the late spring to early summer. Infection-impaired roots have a…Read more about Patch Disease Symptoms Starting to Show in Dry Kentucky Bluegrass Lawns[Read More]
Recently I was contacted by a major newspaper reporter who was writing an article about more sustainable lawn systems, or lawns that would required fewer inputs, and was inquiring about the feasibility of using clover as a lawn turf. After a brief head-scratching and a few questions about his intent we had a nice conversation…Read more about Using clover for lawns?????[Read More]
By the time you read these words the longest day of the year has approached and the official calendar “Summer” season will have begun. Just as the weather changes as we transition between seasons from late-Spring to Summer the turfgrass plant changes too. First, both air and soil temperatures rise beyond what is optimal for…Read more about Summer Mowing and Fertilization[Read More]
I’ve gotten a number of questions about moss lately. Moss is becoming more common in greens as we decrease mowing heights and nitrogen fertility in pursuit of faster green speeds. Moss becomes more competitive as creeping bentgrass becomes less competitive. Though the herbicide QuickSilver has become the industry standard when applied at 6.7 oz/A, a…Read more about Moss in greens[Read More]
