CDGA Turfgrass ProgramWelcome to the new CDGA Turfgrass website.
Currently we have a solid base to what will become our new website. In the coming months we will add more to the archive of research reports, pest calander, photographs, and scouting reports. Please feel free to contact Keith Rincker, krincker@cdga.org, for any website questions, comments, or suggestions.
Current Pest Threats
Frequent Rain = diseases!
The month of April ended with frequent rainfall. See our last Turfgrass Scouting Report for rainfall totals in Lemont and Peoria the last two months. We saw plenty of off-color bentgrass on Sunshine Course and we were not sure if it was disease or abiotic stress. Diagnostics proved essential and after several days of incubation we could see the mycelium of Rhizoctonia cerealis, or Yellow Patch. Currently the symptoms are only minor and just cosmetic. Even our photos do not show the symptoms very well since the lesions are still small and the leaves appear water soaked. As the water soaked leaves wilt and turn brown the symptoms become more visable as in this photo from March 19th.
Poa annua
Poa seedheads are here. The first big flush of seedheads came in the last week of April. The month of May will be filled with these unwanted seedheads. Many programs to suppress the seedheads use applications of Proxy/Primo and may be timed for a second application soon in Chicago.
Knotweed has already emerged
One of our earliest summer annuals has already begun to germinate. Knotweed began to emerge on Sunshine Course three weeks ago in an empty fairway waiting to be seeded to a new variety trial. At first glance I thought it was the turf coming back, but closer examination showed a broadleaf with the tell tale sign of a paper sheath, ocrea, surrounding the base of the leaf and stem.
Snow Mold Heaven!!
University of Wisconsin researchers Dr. Jim Kerns and Paul Koch had some great snow mold research at Stevens Point, WI. Disease development in untreated areas were up to 76%. Both gray snow mold and Microdochium patch was present. They held their research field day on April 22. For research results check the UW Turfgrass Diagnostics Lab website for their field day booklet.