The small white flowers of white clover are very visible right now and it may appear that clover is taking over, especially under-fertilized turf areas. Clover is a legume and is very competitive under low N conditions, so increasing annual N is best method to help exclude this weed. However, its spreading stolons make it…Read more about White Clover in Golf Courses, Sports Turf, and Lawns[Read More]
Though fall applications are most effective for controlling broadleaf weeds, spring applications are warranted for new customers or areas that did not get treated last fall. Spring applications will be most effective if you wait until dandelions are at or near flowering, but still not as effective as fall applications. Applications before mid-April will only…Read more about Professionals Only: Spring Dandelion Control[Read More]
The summary of our turfgrass research in the year 2008 is now available at www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/report/2008/index.html. 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 20 reports of on-going research at Purdue University . The report is a cooperative…Read more about Purdue Turfgrass Research Report Available On-Line[Read More]
Poa annua seedheads are just around the corner in most of Indiana and it’s high time to apply Embark or Proxy/Primo for seedhead reduction on golf courses. The seedhead models on our GDD Tracker at http://www.gddtracker.net indicate most of Indiana should be applying now. Embark and Proxy/Primo can effectively reduce seedheads of Poa annua, which tends to allow the Poa to…Read more about For professionals only: Poa annua seedheads[Read More]
Superintendants and lawn care professionals in the southernmost counties of Indiana should be advised that adult billbug activity has already been documented at one of the monitoring sites in the Evansville area. Mr. Jeff Sexton, Assistant Superintendant at Rolling Hills Country Club in Newburgh, Indiana captured his first billbugs adults of the year last week. …Read more about Billbugs on the move in Southern Indiana[Read More]
During spring green-up, lawns may reveal many variations in color, growth rate, and leaf width. This variation can be due to some of the following reasons: Species and cultivars: Perennial ryegrass is always the first of the desired cool-season grasses to green-up, followed by tall fescue and eventually Kentucky bluegrass (Fig. 1). Even within a species,…Read more about Lots of Colors in Spring Lawns[Read More]
I’ve gotten a number of calls on winter damage on lawns and other high mowed turf areas. Thankfully this is fairly rare in most winters throughout Indiana. Winterkill can be fairly complex resulting from desiccation with drying winds, freezing of the plant crown with quickly dropping temperatures after spring green up, and/or from direct cell…Read more about Winter damage in cool-season turf[Read More]
As a follow up to the Feb. 13 Turf Tip on the new restrictions on MSMA, the Indiana Office of the State Chemist indicates this is “stop sale agreement” and not a “stop use”. Therefore, you are free to use according to the label on the actual container, any MSMA that you have in storage…Read more about MSMA is a “stop sale” agreement, not a “stop use”[Read More]
After much delay, Tenacity has finally received its federal label for residential and sports turf. That’s the good news, but the bad news is that state labeling is still ongoing and it won’t be for sale likely until Fall 2009 or early 2010. Experimental product is available on a limited basis from your Syngenta rep…Read more about Professionals Only: Syngenta’s Tenacity receives federal label for residential and sports turf[Read More]
By popular demand, we have joined with Michigan State to include Indiana sites in GDD Tracker (http://www.gddtracker.net/). This site allows you to quickly and easily check your current growing degree day accumulation. It also uses a number of models to help with decisions on timing of growth regulators for Poa annua seedheads, preemergence herbicides for crabgrass, and…Read more about Tracking Growing Degree Days for Applications? Indiana now in expanded GDD Tracker[Read More]
As spring is closing in, we are fielding a number of questions; four major questions right now: Which preemergnce herbide to use? That one is pretty easy. We have only three active ingredients relatively easily available and they are dithiopyr, pendimethalin, and prodiamine. Our research shows that as long as they are applied at reasonable…Read more about Professionals Only: Premergence herbicide strategies[Read More]
Though MSMA is rarely used by professionals anymore in cool-season turf, it is an excellent postemergent crabgrass herbicide for zoysia and bermudagrass grown in the southern half of Indiana. It is especially useful during sprigging or seeding operations because it is safe on seedlings. Following is a brief summary of the current status and the…Read more about MSMA still available but use is limited[Read More]
Six teams traveled last week to the International Golf Industry Show in New Orleans, LA to compete in the 15th annual Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Collegiate Turf Quiz Bowl. This competition consists of a 3.5 hour written examination that consists of the identification of seeds, turfgrasses, diseases, insects and weeds. In addition…Read more about Purdue Team WINS the 2009 GCSAA TURF Quiz Bowl Competition!!![Read More]
This publication describes the role pesticides play in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs and introduces pesticide use strategies that reduce exposure to people, nontarget animals, and the environment.
For decades, discussions among scientists and the public have focused on the real, predicted, and perceived risks that pesticides pose to people and the environment. Each use of a pesticide poses some level of risk, so it is not surprising that scientists, the regulated community, government officials, and the public need a realistic understanding of the risks associated with pesticide use. We must analyze how risk is assessed, identify the risks, and determine an appropriate level of concern.
Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) is a common, persistent and troublesome weed in lawns and landscapes in Nebraska. This is especially true from Kearney east into Iowa. Yellow nutsedge thrives in waterlogged soil and their presence often indicates that drainage is poor, irrigation frequency/quantity are excessive, or sprinklers/valves are damaged and leaking. Once this tenacious weed…Read more about Yellow Nutsedge, The Scourge of Lawns and Landscapes in Nebraska[Read More]
There are literally thousands of fertilizers and fertilizer/pesticide combinations available to homeowners and professionals. Therefore, we can’t recommend how many pounds of a specific fertilizer to apply, but rather we must recommend fertilization rates in pounds of nitrogen per thousand square feet or lbs N/1000 sq ft. You can use our fertilizer calculator at www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/fertcalc/Fertilization%20calc.html…Read more about Calculating the pounds of fertilizer to apply[Read More]
There are many, many formulations and combinations of preemergence herbicides available for the professional. Following are some suggestions for purchasing and using preemergence herbicides. Control from every preemergence herbicide can vary from year to year, or location to location. Therefore, you can’t judge the performance of a product or a specific rate of that product…Read more about Choosing a Preemergence Herbicide[Read More]
On behalf of the Turf Program, Midwest Regional Turf Foundation (MRTF), Indiana Nursery and Landscape Association (INLA), and Indiana Flower Growers Association (IFGA), I’d like to thank everyone who helped with and/or attended the 2009 Indiana Green Expo on January 12-14 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. This marks the third year of cooperation…Read more about Thank You to Everyone who Attended the Indiana Green Expo[Read More]
For those making the trip to New Orleans for the Golf Industry Show, the Purdue Alumni and Friends Reception will be held Thursday, February 5, 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Bayoe Jean Lafitte room of the Embassy Suites, 315 Julia Street. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with your classmates and old friends….Read more about Purdue Alumni and Friends Reception at the GCSAA in New Orleans[Read More]
