With the heat and humidity of this summer, our cool-season grasses continue to thin making it one of the better years in recent memory for crabgrass and nutsedge. In Lafayette, we’ve had 50 days of temperatures higher than 85F, 18 of which were over 90F. Maximum photosynthesis and shoot growth of cool-season grasses occur between…Read more about Banner Year for Crabgrass and Nutsedge[Read More]
Reports of turfgrass damage due to white grub feeding are beginning to trickle in. Damage potential seems to be widely variable this year. Some areas that were dry during the beetle egg laying season last year reported very few Japanese beetles during the entire summer. Other areas, especially in the central and southern portion of…Read more about White Grub Damage[Read More]
There have been numerous reports of gray leaf spot outbreaks throughout Indiana and the lower Midwest during the past three weeks. We generally expect that hot humid conditions will favor gray leaf spot development. However, you may recall that outbreaks also occurred during the summer of 2004, a year in which temperatures reached 90 F…Read more about Gray Leaf Spot Update[Read More]
We’ve just entered the optimum seeding window for cool-season grasses throughout the state of Indiana. Though seed will germinate at a wide variety of temperatures, the optimum temperatures for germination are in the table below. The temperatures listed are air temperatures which would be almost identical to that in on the surface of the soil…Read more about Turf 101: Optimum temperatures for seed germination[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]
With the fall fertilization for cool-season turfgrasses just around the corner I wanted to take a moment to make you aware of another interactive tool that is now available. This tool is intended to help you determine your fertilizer needs. The fertilizer calculator and is located at: http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/fertcalc/Fertilization calc.html With this information you can ensure you are…Read more about Fertilizer Calculator Now Available[Read More]
The summary of our turfgrass research in the year 2004 is now available at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/report/2004/index.htm. The overall goal of our research program is to minimize inputs while maintaining turf quality, minimizing costs, and further protecting our environment. Our research summary contains over 40 reports of on-going research at Purdue University. The report is a cooperative effort…Read more about Purdue Turfgrass Research Report Available On-Line[Read More]
Thanks to everyone who attended and helped make the 2005 Midwest Regional Turf Field Day a success on Tuesday, July 26. A hot steamy day with thankfully a brisk breeze greeted the almost 750 attendees. Attendees had the opportunity to view the latest in turfgrass research, visit with Purdue specialists, see the most modern equipment…Read more about Turf Field Day Held July 26[Read More]
Persistent air temperatures of 90F and soil temperatures greater than 80F combine with high humidity and adequate rainfall (in some areas) is doing in the Poa annua (annual bluegrass)and Poa trivialis (rough bluegrass)on golf courses. After a week or two of these conditions, Poa annua greens and fairways will start to thin and die in…Read more about Summer stress of Poa annua, Poa trivialis on Golf Courses[Read More]
Persistent air temperatures of 90F and soil temperatures greater than 80F combine with high humidity and adequate rainfall (in some areas) is also doing in the Poa annua (annual bluegrass)and Poa trivialis (rough bluegrass)on lawns and athletic fields. Patches of these fine-bladed grasses seemingly die overnight with even a minimum of drought stress. Though these…Read more about Summer stress of Poa annua and Poa trivialis in Lawns and Sports Fields[Read More]
Dollar spot, pythium, brown patch, rust, and perhaps other diseases are ravaging perennial ryegrass lawns currently (See the attached (undoctored!) photos). Turf performance in July and August is the main reason I don’t recommend perennial ryegrass for lawns in Indiana. Perennial ryegrass requires more irrigation, more fertilizer, and more fungicide applications than my preferred grasses,…Read more about Perennial Ryegrass Looking Exceptionally Bad Right Now[Read More]
The first Japanese beetles of the year were observed in central Indiana on June 22 and have since come out in full force. They are being reported in large numbers from many places throughout the state feeding on their favorite plants. Plants particularly at risk include those that have been recently transplanted or those that…Read more about Japanese Beetles are in Full Force[Read More]
Don’t forget to register for the Midwest Regional Turf Field Day that will be held on July 26 at the W.H. Daniel Turfgrass Research and Diagnostic Center in West Lafayette. This is a great opportunity for turf professionals to view the latest in turfgrass research, talk to Purdue specialists about turf and ornamental issues, and…Read more about Midwest Regional Turf Field Day on July 26[Read More]
This is the toughest and most expensive time of the year to establish a lawn and waiting just four or five weeks to seed in the first half of August would be ideal. However, in some cases it must be done now and following are some tips to help: Success depends on irrigation and it…Read more about Establishing Turf in July[Read More]
Dry and hot conditions may unfortunately favor early exit of Poa annua from golf turf. However, there is a silver lining to this. Rutgers reported that overseeding creeping bentgrass directly into a Poa stand in summer is effective for gradual conversion when done July 1. Rutgers produced significant (>25% cover) of bentgrass within 12 months…Read more about Overseeding creeping bentgrass into thinning Poa annua[Read More]
Velocity (byspribac) was registered for Poa annua control in creeping bentgrass last November, so this is the first summer of potential widespread use. As with all new pesticides, we’ll learn more of the finer details as we use it. We have a number of studies at Purdue currently and I just stopped at a course…Read more about Velocity for Poa annua control….Potential and Precautions[Read More]
If you are not a member of the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation, you can join now and receive one free registration to the MRTF Field Day on July 26. Other benefits of joining include reduced registration rates at all of the educational events sponsored by MRTF, regular mailings of newsletter and factsheets to help professionals…Read more about Free Registration for New MRTF Members at Field Day[Read More]
There are many questions about turf survival in drought with the on-going drought in most parts of the state. Though we understand many of the mechanisms of turf survival in drought, it’s hard to duplicate all of the potential situations on research plots across the country and it’s difficult to give definite “black and white”…Read more about Facts and Advice on Turf Survival in Drought[Read More]
As promised, Indiana’s 24C label for QuickSilver T&O is available. label.pdf You must have a copy of this label in your possession in order to apply QuickSilver to greens.
FMC’s QuickSilver T&O herbicide has just received special local 24(c) registration for control of silvery thread moss in putting greens in Indiana. Though Quicksilver (carfentrazone) is used widely as a quick knockdown contact broadleaf herbicide, it has good efficacy on silvery thread moss. The recommended rate for moss is 6.7 fluid oz/A (0.154 oz/1000 ft2 followed…Read more about Quicksilver Receives 24C Registration for Moss on Greens in Indiana[Read More]
