(Megan Kennelly, KSU Plant Pathology)
Mark your calendars! The turf field day is coming up on Thursday, August 6th, at Olathe.
Here is a link to the pdf version, so you can print it out:
http://www.kansasturfgrassfoundation.com/uploads/8/9/7/3/8973595/2015turffielddayweba.pdf
(Megan Kennelly, KSU Plant Pathology)
The following photos were kindly shared with me by Peter Orwig, Agronomist with Ryan Lawn and Tree (thanks Peter!). You can click to zoom and see the symptoms close up.
There are several “leaf smut” fungi that occur in turf. The most common is stripe smut, but flag smut also occurs. The disease causes stunting and yellow or gray streaking along the leaves. Eventually those streaks rupture, releasing powdery masses of smutty, sooty black spores. When a plant is infected, it is infected systemically, for life. Infected plants are more susceptible to drought and other stresses.
Flag smut and stripe smut are difficult to tell apart at the plant level, but they are easy to distinguish in the microscope. Smut fungi can look similar, but they are different in various ways, including host range. For example, flag smut occurs in Kentucky bluegrass but not annual bluegrass. And the flag smut that occurs in Kentucky bluegrass is different from the flag smut that occurs in wheat and other grasses. In Kansas, we see leaf smuts most often in older varieties of Kentucky bluegrass. The best way to prevent leaf smuts is to use improved variety blends with resistance to these diseases. Spring and summer applications of nitrogen may increase smut, so focus on fall applications if smut is a problem. In addition, smut-infected turf might need to be babied along during times of drought. If smut is severe, your best bet might be to just start over with newer resistant varieties.
*If you come across smut in turfgrass, send me an email (kennelly@ksu.edu) because I’m interested to collect some this year. *
(Megan Kennelly, KSU Plant Pathology)
We are at the junction/transition of spring to summer. Large patch is still raging in the zoysiagrass. Dollar spot is active in bentgrass and other susceptible turfgrasses, especially in susceptible varieties. In addition, we’ve had some nights with lows in the upper 60’s or low 70’s, and that can mean brown patch activity. It’s a busy time for diseases. As one of my colleagues said, “It’s a fungusy sort of year here in Kansas.”
With all the rain, it’s been hard to keep up with the mowing. We are feeling it at Rocky Ford, with Cliff and the students busy mowing whenever they can sneak it in. And, it’s hard to spray fungicides when it rains every other day. I put out a trial this past Monday since it was the only day that looked clear. Good thing it was not on the agenda for yesterday, when we had 3 thunderstorms in the same day!
Large patch is still rolling in the zoysia:
Dollar spot is active:
Brown patch might not be far behind:
With all the wet, saturated soils there could by Pythium root rot as well:
(Pythium spores stained pink in the microscope).
As a final note, I’ve gotten some questions and photos recently about algae.
Like other weeds, algae likes to take advantage of thinned out turf. Saturated soils and poor root growth can thin out the turf, and algae loves wet conditions. If you didn’t know where your drainage problems were, algal growth can point the way. There are some fungicides labeled for algae, but addressing the underlying site issues is key.
For a list of fungicides for algae, check HERE and go to page 7.
(by Evan Alderman and Jared Hoyle; KSU Turfgrass Research and Extension)
As some of you may know there is currently a lot of research right now at Kansas State University focusing on the use of buffalograss, and how it can be better utilized to lower water usage. We are looking at many different aspects of buffalograss in homelawns, golf courses, roadsides, parks, athletic fields and more. But one question that repeateadly comes across KSU Turfgrass Extension desk is how does buffalograss hold up against golf cart traffic on a golf course. Research is currently being conducted to see how buffalograss handles simulated golf cart traffic during the summer months, but how does it handle golf cart traffic in the winter? And how can we conserve water going into the winter months?
One way is turfgrass colorants! There is a lot of research conducted on the dormant application of turfgrass colorants instead of overseeding the dormant warm-season turf. But how do these colorants stand the time when subjected to normal golf cart traffic?
The objectives of this research were to;
As summer is approaching and a blistery winter has passed us, the first year of this research has come to an end.
Three turfgrass colorants (Endurant, Endurant Premium, and Green Lawnger) and a overseeded treatment (Perennial Ryegrass @ 10lb./1000ft2) were investigated over a period of 24 weeks beginning in late October of 2014. The colorants were applied at 43 gal/ Acre at a 1:6 dilution (colorant to water). Traffic was applied weekly at 0, 2, 4, or 8 passes with a golf cart traffic simulator. Traffic was not applied if day temperatures did not reach 40°F or the turfgrass plots were covered with snow.
The data in Table 1 represents evaluations for percent green cover. As the weeks progressed percent green color decreased for all treatments presented. At 12 weeks after treatment it should be noted that with 0 and 2 passes of traffic weekly, Endurant Premium had more green cover than the overseeded treatment at those traffic levels.
Turfgrass colorants could be a viable option to help with water conservation efforts. Turfgrass colorants performed best when traffic was not applied. If traffic is applied to an area with turfgrass colorants, repeat applications of the colorant may be needed.
At 24 weeks after treatment it can be seen that all treatments are starting to green up after the long winter, with treatments receiving no traffic having the highest percent green cover.
To all the golf course superintendents that allow traffic on your buffalograss in the winter, be aware that in the spring you are going to have to increase your management practice to get that buffalograss to recover before the summer. The buffalograss eventually will recover but…why do you want to start from behind in the spring?
***Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for identification purposes and does not imply recommendation or endorsement, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned by Kansas State University.***
Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @KSUTurf.
Also, visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/KSUTurf
(By Jared Hoyle; KSU Turfgrass Research and Extension)
Goosegrass (Eleusine indica) is a summer annual weed that typically germinates after crabgrass in the spring. That is about when the soil temperatures consistently reach approximately 60° F. Like crabgrass, goosegrass is best controlled with a preemergence herbicide. Herbicides that contain the active ingredient oxadiazon work very well. Other preemergence herbicide efficacy can vary.
But as it seems like everyone has already put down preemergence herbicide so, you have nothing to worry about. Well what if you didn’t? There are some post application control options.
To determine what herbicide you want to use this summer to control goosegrass, that might have escaped your PRE treatment or maybe you have the ‘itch’ to go kill some goosegrass, it all depends on the turfgrass you have. If you have cool-season turfgrass then you can use fenoxaprop (Acclaim Extra), fluazifop (Fusilade II), tropramizone (Pylex), or MSMA (golf courses and sod farms only!). You will probably have to do more than one application if the goosegrass is tillered out. Sulfentrazone (Dismiss) is also effective on goosegrass if it has not tillered out yet.
Now if you have bermudagrass or zoysiagrass then you can use Tribute TOTAL (thiencarbazone + foramsulfuron + halosulfuron). Fusilade II and Acclaim Extra that works in cool-season grass can also be used on zoysiagrass. If you mix these products with triclopyr (Turflon Ester Ultra or Triclopyr 4) then you will get better results.
Always remember to READ THE LABEL for the correct rate, turfgrass tolerance, and specific instructions before application!!!
I hope the poem wasn’t boring but added a little fun to this turfgrass weed science blog post.
Hope everyone has a great rest of the week and weekend!
***Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for identification purposes and does not imply recommendation or endorsement, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned by Kansas State University.***
Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @KSUTurf.
Also, visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/KSUTurf
This was a post from last May on the old blog that I thought I would repost so everyone had the information for this year!
(By Ward Upham and Jared Hoyle, KSU Extension)
Yellow nutsedge is a relatively common problem in lawns, especially in wet years or in lawns with irrigation. Although it looks much like a grass, it is a sedge. Unlike grasses, sedges have triangular stems, and the leaves are three-ranked instead of two-ranked, which means the leaves come off the stems in three different directions. Yellow nutsedge is pale green to yellow and grows rapidly in the spring and early summer. Because of this rapid shoot growth, it sticks up above the rest of the lawn only a few days after mowing. This weed is a good indicator of poor drainage, but it can be introduced into well-drained sites through contaminated topsoil or nursery stock. As with many weeds, nutsedge is less competitive in a dense, healthy lawn than in an open, poor lawn.
Nutsedge is difficult to control culturally because it produces numerous tubers that give rise to new plants. Pulling nutsedge will increase the number of plants because dormant tubers are activated. However, it is possible to control nutsedge by pulling, but you must be persistent. If you are, eventually the nutsedge will die out.
If you were going to treat with an herbicide, it would be better to leave the nutsedge plants undisturbed so the herbicide can be maximally translocated to the roots, rhizomes, and tubers. Several herbicides are available for nutsedge control. Sedge Hammer, which used to be called Manage, is the most effective and safe for most turfgrasses. It is also the most expensive, but if an infestation is not too severe, one application should take care of the problem. The Sedge Hammer label says to apply it after nutsedge has reached the three- to eight-leaf stage. Waiting until this growth stage apparently results in improved translocation of the active ingredient to the underground tubers and rhizomes. However, research has shown that the application should go down by June 21. If the initial spray is after June 21, mature daughter tubers may be stimulated to grow.
Small packages of Sedge Hammer are available to homeowners. Using a non-ionic surfactant with the Sedge Hammer will give better control.
****Always remember to READ THE LABEL for the correct rate, turfgrass tolerance, and specific instructions before application.****
***Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for identification purposes and does not imply recommendation or endorsement, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned by Kansas State University.***
Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @KSUTurf.
Also, visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/KSUTurf
(By Jared Hoyle, KSU Turfgrass Research and Extension)
What a crazy Spring… It has been nice and mild with plenty of rainfall here in Manhattan. But as soon as we start to complain about the rainfall we need to make sure that we are sticking to the basics when it comes to taking care of our home lawn. In the recent Horticulture Newsletter, Ward Upham, talks about some of the issues that homeowners are facing with the cool and mild Spring including; how often to water the lawn, too wet to mow, Thatch control in warm season turfgrass, fertilizing warm season turfgrass, and more…
Check it out!
http://www.hfrr.ksu.edu/doc4307.ashx
(By Jake Reeves; KSU Turfgrass Research and Extension)
This spring, when the rains began to come, I started to notice a slight discoloration in my front yard next to my fence. The area was very shaded and has always struggled, so I thought nothing of it. However, as the weeks passed, the area became more defined with wilt and it was clearly showing itself as a “man-made” phenomenon.
Thinking back through my maintenance, there was only one thing that could have caused that shape and slow death: the herbicide I had sprayed uphill of the site to maintain bare ground weed control in my mulch.
The history… I developed a bad habit of maintaining empty large bed areas with bare ground herbicides when I lived on an extremely flat property at my last house. I hate weeding and the fewer applications I have to go out and make each year, the better.
I had used bare ground herbicides frequently at my job to maintain fence lines and other areas to cut down on weed eating due to a limited labor force. Over those few years I had little to no herbicide movement from the sites that I sprayed. That created a false sense of invincibility in my herbicide applications, which is never a good thing.
Fast forward to today… Unfortunately for my lawn, my property has a pretty hefty back to front slope and a lot of water moves over it when it rains. That means that my property is a prime area for herbicide movement and this spring has proved that.
So pay attention to your site and THE LABEL! Trying to cut corners will eventually come back to haunt you. Chemical companies put large amounts of money into researching for those labels to give you instructions so you don’t encounter these issues.
My lawn and my pride have paid the price for my undeserved hubris. Thankfully, given a little bit of time for the herbicide to break down in the soil and some grass seed later this fall, things should be repaired.
-Jake
Always remember to READ THE LABEL for the correct rate, turfgrass tolerance, and specific instructions before application!!!
***Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for identification purposes and does not imply recommendation or endorsement, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned by Kansas State University.***
(Megan Kennelly, KSU Plant Pathology)
With all the recent rain, large patch in zoysiagrass is definitely active. I’ve already posted some info, here are just some more photos to show symptoms at Rocky Ford. The top two are at fairway height, and the bottom shows the disease at two mowing heights.
(Megan Kennelly, KSU Plant Pathology)
I have a quick story to share that is kind of funny, and it is disease-related in an indirect way.
At my house, we had a Scot’s pine that we figured would eventually get pine wilt. Last year, it got the disease, and like good citizens we took it down and destroyed the wood. (That is the disease part of the story).
This left a bare spot in the lawn, so we planted some seed. A day or two after that, Manhattan got some drenching rains and flooding. Our seeds (and the soil) moved around in all the water. Some of it moved down the slope all the way into the flower bed. The rest ended up pooled/clumped. If you click on the photos below to zoom you will see it better.
So, we decided to try an experiment and transplant some of the clumps from the flower bed back up into the bare patches.
Oops – here’s the 3-year-old trying to “help”:
We’ll see how our transplants survive…
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