June beetles right on time

June beetle adult

Well maybe they are few days early. We (Michael Brownbridge and his gang and my summer student Emily Hartwig) finished off a grub trial yesterday and found some June beetle adults wandering around aimlessly in the turf. I also have received a few phone calls reporting lots of adult June beetle in flight in the Greater Toronto Area on golf courses. They are providing a good food source for the birds on the golf courses. Follow the link to the OMAF “Grubs in Lawns” factsheet to review their 3 year life cycle http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/08-023w.htm

Peak damage from June beetles flying around now and laying eggs will be evident in June and July 2015, so be on the watch. Unfortunately, there are no insecticides registered for use on June beetle grubs in Ontario.

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A sea of yellow

Dandelions in full bloom

Dandelions have been in full bloom in the Guelph area since the Victoria Day holiday weekend and all that is about to end. This time of year you can get a really good idea of how high dandelion populations are in turf areas. Guelph is a sea of yellow soon to become a sea of white puff balls. Our dandelion populations are very high to say the least. The good thing is that once those bright yellow flowers are gone, a turf stand that is heavily infested with dandelions doesn’t look nearly as bad.

That being said, now is a good time to apply Fiesta applications. Our research has shown that the 200 mL rate applied four times a year as per the label controls many common species of broadleaf weeds in turf. It may take a couple of seasons of Fiesta use to reduce the weed populations down to levels below 5-10% weed cover. Remember that Fiesta alone will not keep a lawn weed free. Proper fertilization, frequent mowing at the correct mowing height and irrigation during dry periods are all important cultural practices that help keep weed populations at bay. Research conducted here at GTI in the early 2000’s showed that we could control weeds in passive turf areas simply by providing adequate nitrogen for optimum turf growth throughout the season.

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New herbicide registered for annual bluegrass control on sod farms in Canada

User Requested Minor Use Label Expansion for the use of Etho SC Herbicide (ethofumesate) for the control of annual bluegrass (Poa annua) on sod farms in Canada has been granted.  The label allows for two applications, with the first application made prior to seeding and the second made 6 weeks after seeding.  For more information on rates and directions for use consult the product label.  A copy of the Canadian label can be requested by emailing jim.chaput@ontario.ca or pamela.charbonneau@ontario.ca

 

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Weevil control window

Full bloom of Eastern redbud

Magnolia in full bloom

Annual bluegrass weevil migration on golg courses has been behind this year along with everything else.  According to our soap flushes, the first migration peak was on May 14, 2014 which is roughly 8 days later than last year.  Based on last year’s ABW adult migration and plant phenology, the best time to start to treat with chlorantraniliprole is when the peony, magnolia and Eastern red bud are in full bloom.  Treatment can be made until late bloom of lilac and full bloom of iris.  In the Guelph area we are seeing magnolia and Eastern red bud in full bloom, so it is definitely time to start to think about an insecticide application if you have a history of annual bluegrass weevil damage.  Consider the IPM approach of treating only one sprayer width of turf on the edges of fairways. 

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Mr. Golden Sun – please shine down on …………

Soil temperature probe showing 8 degrees C at 3 cm

The resumption of turf growth after the winter has been slow. Neither sunlight nor warm temperatures have been anywhere to be found. The repercussions are widespread in the turf world. Golf courses that have winter injury have overseeded or sodded the damaged areas but cool, wet weather is delaying seed germination and sod establishment. Soil temperatures at the 3 cm depth are only at 8-9 degrees C. The optimum temperature for creeping bentgrass seed germination is closer to 16-18 degrees C. You can see we have a long way to go before we get to those soil temperatures. It will be a real exercise in patience this spring waiting to see new seedlings establish if we don’t see some sunshine and warmer temperatures soon.

Sports Turf Canada (the new Canada wide sportsturf association) is having a meeting here at the GTI and they are reporting that many municipalities have had to delay the opening of their sports fields because of wet conditions. There isn’t much relief in the long range forecast as far as warm temperatures and sunshine are concerned. We are supposed to reach a high of 18 degrees C on May 8th but then it is cooler, cloudy and wet after that.

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Forsythia gives hope

Early bloom of forsythia

That first tinge of yellow visible in the landscape now is a result of forsythia flowers just in the very early bloom stage. For many they are truly the harbinger of spring. When we see forsythia we should think of two things – adult annual bluegrass weevil migration from overwintering sites and pre-emergence crabgrass control.

As the forsythia are only just showing the tinge of colour, there is no hurry to target the migrating overwintering adult annual bluegrass weevil, but it might be a good idea to have your monitoring plan in place. We are going to begin monitoring here at GTI on Mon. using a soap flush on the treed edge of the pathology green. We will report our numbers through this blog and Twitter over the next 6-8 weeks. Knowing what the ABW’s are doing and when and where they are is the best recipe for success. Check out this youtube video that Dr. Brenda Nailor shared with me earlier in the spring for a good description of annual bluegrass weevil monitoring techniques. http://www.greencastonline.com/weeviltrak/display.aspx?TMName=Scouting_Videos

The other plant phenological relationship for forsythia is the timing of pre-emergence crabgrass control. The best timing for this is late bloom of forsythia, so lots of time before you need to think about this.

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