Weather Although the monthly average will be in line with history, April temperatures were a wild swing of early highs and late lows that met in in the middle. In Indianapolis, the historical average for April is 53.6℉ and the 2023 average was 54.2℉. However, 7 days from April 1-15 were 10 degrees above average…Read more about May 2, 2023: Spring Temperature & Plant Growth Rollercoaster[Read More]
First disease report of the 2023 season from the Purdue Turfgrass Pathology program. Highlights include prevention of large patch and soilborne diseases on golf putting greens and mowing tips for spring lawncare. Hello everyone, and welcome to the first installment of the Purdue Turfgrass Pathology Disease Reports. I, and on occasion a guest author, will…Read more about Disease Report #1: Signs of Spring Abound[Read More]
Pink snow mold is a disease caused by the fungal pathogen Microdochium nivale (syn. Monographella nivalis) that is being observed in middle and northern Indiana this late winter. The pathogen is termed psychrophilic, or cold loving, due to its propensity to grow and infect in colder temperatures. The disease can be particularly severe on unfrozen…Read more about A Cold Mold that Craves the Shade[Read More]
Recently, home lawns have been maligned in several media outlets as a waste of time and resources. Mismanagement by using too much water or misplacing fertilizer may compound the issue by straining environmental resources or serving as pollutants. While not going into all the defenses for turfgrass use on home lawns, (remember “right plant, right…Read more about Look Below Before Blaming Above[Read More]
Over the past week I have identified three different fowl bluegrass (Poa palustris) samples sent in to the Purdue Plant & Pest Diagnostic Lab (https://ag.purdue.edu/department/btny/ppdl/). This is not concerning, just unusual. This is not a grass species that I see that often, but I have seen several samples this year, including a sample from my…Read more about Several Clients Submitting Samples of Fowl Bluegrass (Poa palustris) to Diagnostic Lab[Read More]
The entire Midwest just experienced one the worst fall armyworm (Fig. 1) outbreaks in decades, but for turfgrass professionals and enthusiasts, it’s not over yet. These seasonal, but sporadic insects made their appearance at the end of August, decimating lawns and other managed turfgrass. But, now that the damage is done, our focus shifts from…Read more about Fall Armyworms: What next?[Read More]
COVID-19 guarantees that the Summer of 2020 will be like none we have experienced. We will be exploring what that means in Indiana by telling the stories of Purdue Agriculture’s and Purdue Extension’s interactions with communities throughout the state. We invite you to follow our series on this Season of Change. Read the full article…Read more about Virtual field days present challenges and benefits[Read More]
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Green industry professionals from landscape firms, lawn care companies, golf courses, sports turf companies, garden centers and more are invited to the 2020 Turf and Landscape Virtual Field Day hosted by the Purdue University Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation. While online this year, Indiana’s…Read more about Turf and Landscape Field Day to go online[Read More]
By Kyle Daniel, Lindsey Purcell, Cliff Sadof, Aaron Patton, Janna Beckerman, Tom Creswell, John Bonkowski, Rosie Lerner Day-to-day activities have changed every aspect of businesses throughout the country. The Green Industry is no exception, with changes implemented to maintain safe working environments for employees and their clients while being compliant with the state’s Executive Order….Read more about Green Industry Businesses Share Protocols to Maximize the Health and Safety During the Covid-19 Pandemic[Read More]
MRTF Members: Notice: On behalf of the Midwest Regional Turfgrass Foundation (MRTF) and the Allied Green Industry Professional Organizations a letter (attached) was developed and sent to Governor Holcomb’s office earlier today. The intent of this letter was to advocate with a unified voice for The Green Industry broadly defined (lawn-landscape, athletic turf, golf course,…Read more about Letter to Gov. Holcomb Advocating for Green Industry Employment as “Essential/Critical Work”[Read More]
We have launched our new website which should be easier to search and work on mobile devices. All of our past Turf Tip Articles (back to 2004) have also been imported and available.
The 2018 Rounds 4 Research auction is now open. The auction is open April 30-May 6, 2018 with proceeds going to support turf research at Purdue University and in Indiana through the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation. Fundraising supports research and education programs for the benefit of golf course management professionals, golf facilities, and the game….Read more about Rounds 4 Research: Auction is Open until May 6. Support the Purdue Turf Program[Read More]
Fundamentals of Turfgrass Management is the bestselling text with expert coverage of basic turfgrass science and all aspects of practical care. Now in its fifth edition, this industry favorite offers the latest information on growth, nutrition, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, as well as new chapters discussing shade stress and light requirements and the benefits of turf….Read more about Two Purdue Authors Revise Turfgrass Textbook[Read More]
Now available, the revised edition of Turfgrass Weed Control for Professionals. This sixth edition, released in February 2017, includes major modifications including: Eleven states (IA, IL, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, NY, OH, WI) were added as well as their experts as collaborators to transform this to a multi-state publication. The identification of 105 weeds…Read more about 2017 Turf Weed Control for Professionals, Now Available[Read More]
The 2017 Rounds 4 Research auction is now open. The auction is open May 1-7, 2017 with proceeds going to support turf research at Purdue University and in Indiana through the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation. Fundraising supports research and education programs for the benefit of golf course management professionals, golf facilities, and the game. This…Read more about Rounds 4 Research: Auction is Open until May 7. Support the Purdue Turf Program[Read More]
The Purdue Turf Doctor app, a collaborative effort among Drs. Doug Richmond, Aaron Patton and Rick Latin, is the latest modern turfgrass management tool produced by the Purdue Turfgrass Science team. The app is designed to help homeowners and land managers diagnose and address turfgrass problems caused by a variety of factors including weeds, insects,…Read more about Purdue Launches Turf Diagnostic Mobile App[Read More]
Why is crabgrass so bad this year? Several factors contribute to a bad year for crabgrass. Crabgrass is a warm-season grass meaning that it thrives in hot conditions with optimum growth in temperatures ranging from 88 to 95 °F. However, our primary lawn species in Indiana are cool-season grasses and they prefer cooler conditions and…Read more about Crabgrass is out in full force in 2016![Read More]
The summer of 2016 has been quite favorable for the development of an assortment of infectious diseases on residential turf. The primary driver of all of this disease activity is the weather. In the lower Midwest, the combination of elevated temperature and ample precipitation since the beginning August of has spawned outbreaks of brown patch,…Read more about Lawn Diseases 2016[Read More]
On Tuesday, July 12, 2016 the Purdue Turf Program and the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation will host the Turf and Landscape Field Day. The Turf and Landscape Field Day is Indiana’s largest green industry field day. This will be the third year with landscape research tours added. Specialists from four different departments in the College…Read more about Turf and Landscape Field Day on July 12, 2016[Read More]
Field Paspalum Biology: Field paspalum (Paspalum laeve Michx.) is a warm-season perennial weed with short rhizomes similar to dallisgrass (Paspalum dilatatum Poir.). Much of the below Weed of the Month entry comes from research conducted in Indiana on how to control Field Paspalum. That research was published in 2012. Reicher, Z.J., A.J. Patton, and…Read more about Field Paspalum[Read More]
