Page | 1 March 30, 2012 Scouting Report

March 30, 2012 Scouting Report – Back to Normal? 30s at Night, Dollar spot, Dandelions,
Henbit, Chickweed, Ground Ivy, Creeping Speedwell and Tim’s Poa annua encroachment data
Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle - e DSettle@cdga.org web www.cdgaturf.org
Another week for us to reflect on this season. Here goes. We’ve returned to more normal
temperatures and we caught some needed rainfall. The redbuds continue to flower nicely along
with the Korean Spice viburnum. Crabapples have just begun and today I saw my first lilac begin
its bloom as well. Another first report of dollar spot, this time a far north suburb. Our March was
unlike that of any other spring. – such a rapid warmup so early. So, I have been fielding calls
from golf course superintendents as to when to begin applications for you name it – seedhead
suppression, prevention of fungal diseases and preemergent applications to prevent annual weeds
March surprised us!!! A bentgrass collar has distinct patches by a Rhizoctonia sp. Settle 3-25-12
like crabgrass. The next question is what to do. Same usual interval, or should we try to stretch it
and hope normal/cooler weather to smooth out the rest? I usually respond, “Ummm”. It turns out,
we are all dumbfounded by 2012. How do I know? Most often I have these conversations with
the best and brightest who, by their very nature, are most experienced. That says something of
superintendents – that a gifted and experienced plantsmen would have no memory of a spring
like this ever happening. And that’s 147 years worth – weather chroniclers and our landscape
continues to see new data (green up and flowering dates). Our pencils need sharpening – already.
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Weather – When Cool Feels Good, and an update from the Illinois State Climatologist
This week’s weather was more like spring, less like summer. Highs were no longer reaching 80+.
Cold Temps Return to the Windy City in Spring
90
80
High T fluctuates
Temperature (F)
70
60
53.1
50
51.8
40
Nights remain cold
30
35.0
20
High
Low
Soil (avg. 2 inches)
10
29-Mar
27-Mar
25-Mar
23-Mar
21-Mar
19-Mar
17-Mar
15-Mar
13-Mar
11-Mar
9-Mar
7-Mar
5-Mar
3-Mar
1-Mar
Sunshine Golf Course (Lemont - a southwest Chicago suburb)
What Follows a Warm March? by Jim Angel http://climateillinois.wordpress.com/
Posted on March 29, 2012
What follows a warm March in Illinois? Out of curiosity I looked at the other nine years in the
list of 10 warmest months of March on record in Illinois (earlier post). First, I looked at the
temperature and precipitation patterns for April. Then I looked at the May-August period as the
heart of the growing season. Here are the results.
April
Historically, a warm March has been followed by a colder-than-normal April on average. That’s
true not just in Illinois but across the U.S. On the other hand, precipitation for those same April
periods was a mixed bag in Illinois. Most of the state was near-normal while west-central Illinois
was slightly wetter-than-normal. It is interesting that dryness shows up in Minnesota, Iowa,
Nebraska, and South Dakota – an area having trouble with drought this year.
May – August
The period from May through August is the core of the growing season in Illinois. Rather than
produce temperature and precipitation maps of each month, I considered the entire May-August
period in one set of maps. One popular question I get is “Does this warm weather now mean that
we will get a hot summer?” At least historically, the growing season following a warm March
does not show a pattern of above-normal temperatures. On average, they have been remarkably
mild in temperature. There is a tendency towards below-normal precipitation across much of
Illinois and the Midwest. It’s nothing catastrophic, on average just an inch below normal in parts
of eastern and northern Illinois. Meanwhile, southern Illinois is in an area of slightly abovenormal precipitation.
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Current Issues – Broadleaf weeds became more prominent (their flowers helped). Still, the
number 1 slot continues to belong to our most chronic foliar disease of turf called dollar spot.
1. Dollar spot, Sclerotinia homoeocarpa A chronic fungal disease of most turfgrass (May-Nov).
North suburbs reported 1st occurance of dollar spot. This outbreak was on a Princeville creeping
bentgrass fairway. It’s very unusual for S. homoeocarpa activity in March. T. Christians 3-30-12
In Lemont (south) we saw dollar spot continue its rapid blight of the highly susceptible ‘Century’
creeping bentgrass on a green. First outbreaks can have reddish infection centers. Settle 3-29-12
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2. Dandilion, Taraxacum officinale, is our most familiar broadleaf weed of the landscape.
Dandelion is a tap-rooted perennial identfied by its bright yellow flower (peak bloom in April)
and its puff-ball seedhead which has fascinated many a wishful kid. Me for sure! Settle 3-29-12
3. Henbit, Lamium amplexicaule, is a winter annual weed of thin turf areas or new turf seedlings.
Henbit became more obvious this week. Its purple bloom made a statement on our ‘Zenith’
zoysiagrass tee establishment study. When cool, this broadleaf has the advantage. Settle 3-29-12
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4. White clover, Trifolium repens, is a common weed of turf and can establish in golf fairways.
White clover, a legume, has a unique ability to grow in low fertile soils given it has a symbiotic
relationship with Rhizobium bacteria – clover’s roots can fix nitrogen from air. Settle 3-29-12
5. Violet, Viola papilionacea, has aggressive growth, waxy leaves, and resists many herbicides.
Violets are visually striking, ranging in color from white to deep blue-violet. Settle 3-25-12
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Tim Sibicky, MS - TSibicky@cdga.org CDGA Turfgrass Research Manager
Putting Green Variety Trial – Poa annua Encroachment
Anyone who has ever taken a weed science class knows that the first definition discussed within
the course is always that which defines a weed itself. A weed is simply a plant that is out of
place. Weeds have great potential to cause aesthetic nuisance, but the economic and
environmental impacts are most concerning. Poa annua or annual bluegrass in the golf turf
system is unique because whether or not an individual defines it as a weed is determined by
one’s own definition and preferences. More often, it is thought of as a managed weed because it
was originally not intentionally seeded, although the species can be dominant on putting greens,
fairways, and roughs on golf courses in cool-season climates. For newly constructed or newly
renovated courses, the presence of Poa annua is not desired. Renovation to creeping bentgrass is
often completed with the goal of uniform playing surfaces and to gain environmental benefits
and economic savings in pesticide use and irrigation water consumption. In 2009, a putting green
variety trial was established by the CDGA on the north shore of Chicago at Shoreacres in Lake
Bluff. Collaborating with superintendent Tim Davis, our goal was to investigate newer creeping
bentgrass variety performance and to discover how spring green up may be impacted by cooler
than normal temperatures (given the golf course’s close proximity to Lake Michigan).
In 2009 at Shoreacres, a bentgrass nursery was established as a putting green variety trial to
investigate varietal differences for spring green up. Natural encroachment of Poa annua is easily
visible, with more in certain creeping bentgrass varieties. Sibicky 3-26-12
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2010
0‐12 Visual Q
Quality, Sprring Rating Dates (Marr‐Apr)
Shoreaccres Puttingg Green Variiety Trial
g
fg
fg
efg
efg
f
efg
efg
efg
16
ef
def
c‐f
b‐e
b‐e
b‐e
b‐e
b‐e
b
a‐d
abc
ab
ab
21
ab
Data: 5
5 dates (24‐Maar‐10, 14‐Apr‐1
10, 5‐Apr‐11, 2 8‐Apr‐11, 26‐M
Mar‐12)
26
a
Area Under Progress Curve (AUPC)
Spring visual
v
quality
y remains an
a importantt measuremeent for undeerstanding hhow the diffferent
creeping bentgrass cultivars
c
reaact to a cooll spring clim
mate near L
Lake Michiggan. Our cuurrent
findings are that variieties IS-AP-18, Benchm
mark, OO7, Shark, CY-22 and PinUpp can perform
m the
best in th
he months off March and April collecctively acrosss 2010-20122. Notably, varieties PeennG2, Alphaa, Crystal Blluelinks, Pen
nnA-1 and PennA-4
P
quaality appearrs lower beccause of a sllower
early spriing green up
p. Over the past
p three yeears, we havve also been able to moniitor levels off Poa
annua ass it naturally occurs. We are finding different levvels of encrooachment whhich suggestts that
some varrieties are ab
ble to naturaally resist Poa
P annua bbetter. Thesee varieties innclude IS-AP
P 18,
Independ
dence, PinUp
p, Shark, OO
O7, Alpha, Benchmark,
B
P
PennA-4, M
Memorial, Kinngpin and T--1.
11
6
1
*Means followedd by the same letter ddo not significantly d
differ (P < 0.05, FLSD))
Data: 3 d
dates, 3 years (5‐28‐10, 4‐28‐‐11, 3‐26‐12)
hi
ghi
fgh
h
e‐h
d‐h
d‐h
d‐h
c‐h
b‐gg
b‐g
b‐g
a‐e
abc
b‐f
bf
c‐g
i
10
ghi
15
c‐h
20
abcd
25
abc
30
ab
35
a
Average Poa annua per plot (%)
2010‐12 Poa ann
nua Encroaachment
oss, 3 datees, 3 years
Mean rratings acro
5
0
*Means followedd by the same letter ddo not significantly d
differ (P < 0.05, FLSD))
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Final Images – Flowers continue to blow us away and IPM (Integrated Pest Management)
Redbud, Cercis canadensis, blooming on a spring day, St. Charles Country Club. Settle 3-25-12
Viburnum carlesii ‘Korean Spice’ is floriferous! “Perfect, pink to reddish in bud, opening white,
each individual flower ½” across in dense hemispherical cymes 2-3” across.” Settle 3-29-12
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Dr. Jennifer Grant of Cornell Univ. As Co-Director of NY State’s Integrated Pest Management
Program she presented at the 7th International IPM Symposium, Memphis, TN. Settle 3-28-12
Posters reflected university research across all crops. Projects are able to highlight the advances
of integrated pest management. 7th International IPM Symposium, Memphis, TN. Settle 3-28-12
Our journey together slows – it now feels like spring instead of summer. Yay!
Derek, Tim, and Chris – The CDGA Turfgrass Program
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