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August 3, 2012 Scouting Report – Goodbye July: Weakened Greens, Shallow Roots, 1st Summer Patch, Brown Patch and Dollar Spot Return, Peter says Badgers, Tim’s New Fairy Ring Project Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle - e DSettle@cdga.org web www.cdgaturf.org As we entered August, 2012 a choral breath of relief was heard. July had ended having broken records (super hot and super dry). Some things we already knew but others we would learn and relearn. It is actually three summer seasons in a row that went beyond the norm for golf courses. In itself that is an unprecedented fact. Both 2010 and 2011 were hot and humid with unusally ripe conditions for the varied fungal diseases of turf. In 2012 the heat has just plain leveled plant physiology and we have yet to see recovery from golf greens, our most intensively managed turf system. A most telling quote of the week for me “They’re on the edge like most of us this week.”

Lacking roots, Poa annua wilts quickly. A plant preserves a central tiller to survive. Settle 8-3-12 Initially 2012 reminded us of 2005, then it was 1988 or 1995 and finally for some, 75+ years ago. Unusally warm early, then especialy dry and hot, if you happen to live in central or southern Illinois the magnitude of the current heat and drought resembles 1936, something Dr. Bruce Branham researched with turf in mind. In return lessons were hard-earned. On greens we saw our weak and rootless Poa wilt every midday (sometimes twice). We saw physiological decline of creeping bentgrass, especially given limited air movement. We spoke a cautionary note if greens were “vented”, needletine aeration was surprisingly and suddenly too aggressive. A green’s fact of life spoke volumes. Fewer and fewer roots held surfaces down for routine/beneficial plant health practices. Please be aware roots in Illinois have yet to recover in 2012. We are waiting…

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Weather – An Incredibly Difficult Period for Cool-Season Turf Ends (July, 2012)

Northern Illinois Super Scout “Summer patch showing up in Kentucky bluegrass sod installed a few years ago. Brown patch, dollar spot and Pythium blight active in rough. Poa trivialis is starting to go dormant in the rough. Also saw a bit of anthracnose on a green today. Back into another stressful few days, rough taking the brunt of the damage.” Table 1. Weather: 3 consecutive difficult summers, July events injure. Sunshine GC, Lemont, IL. July, 2012

Low (°F) average

High (°F) average

Soil 2” (°F) average

RH (%) average

Rain (in.) total

Day 1-7 70.5* 97.7* decline 81.6* 66.5 0.3* Day 8-14 61.8 89.1 77.3 59.9 0.2* Day 15-21 66.4 91.7* 79.3 69.4 2.5 Day 22-31 66.0 89.2 78.9 70.4* 1.2 notes *not cooling *peak heat *peak soil T *humid *very dry July, 2011

Low (°F) average

High (°F) average

Soil 2” (°F) average

RH (%) average

Rain (in.) total

Day 1-7 63.9 88.4 77.5 67.4 0.2 Day 8-14 62.3 88.0 77.8 71.2* 0.4 Day 15-21 71.0* 94.1* 81.3* 72.2* 0.0 Day 22-31 67.8 89.5 80.5* 77.8* 5.1* decline notes *not cooling *peak heat *peak soil T *very humid *23 Jul flood July, 2010

Low (°F) average

High (°F) average

Soil 2” (°F) average

RH (%) average

Rain (in.) total

Day 1-7 59.4 89.0 76.2 68.5 1.1 Day 8-14 65.5 88.9 78.8 76.3* 1.0 Day 15-21 65.2 91.3* 80.5* 75.0* 0.0 Day 22-31 64.6 86.1 79.5 78.6* 6.5* decline notes *peak heat *peak soil T *very humid *23 Jul flood

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This week to a good superintendent I said “Nearly impossible now with shallow roots!!!” 1. Fairway LDS injury. Localized dry spot on golf surfaces becomes lethal given shallow roots.

Most fairways in Chicago are now with a blemish or two, as a harsh July ends. Settle 7-30-12

In this case it is a peat soil vein that is drying out quicker than the other soil types. Settle 7-30-12

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This week I said to an inquisitive superintendent “Dollar spot took off like a rocket!” 2. Dollar Spot. Periods of rain, higher humidity and morning dew and our foliar diseases return.

In fairway research plots, dollar spot reaches 40-50% injury wherever untreated. Settle 7-30-12

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This week I said to Peter and Tim “We should see some good brown patch today!” 3. Brown Patch. Periods of rain, higher humidity and morning dew and our foliar diseases return.

On a PennG2/L93 bentgrass green brown patch development begins, Lemont, IL. Settle 8-1-12

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This week I said to a superintendent, “Yes, we have patches too. Began within this week!” 4. Summer patch. Rotted roots means Kentucky bluegrass wilt and death, usually at midday wilt.

On Kentucky bluegrass, patches often appear in the same compacted site each year. Settle 8-1-12

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This week I said to a superintendent, “PennA1/A4 is still off-color given soil T near 80F!” 5. Physiological decline. Our summer weather still hasn’t cooled. Creeping bentgrass greens lacking air movement remain off-color (patches likely heat intolerant variants of seeded variety).

Soil temp reads 85.6° at a 2 inch depth at 11am! A 92 °F high air temp on this day. Settle 8-2-12

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This week I said to a superintendent, “This green had its roots get cooked. Why the wilt!” 6. Wet Wilt. Rainfall 0.6” on a 98° day then another 0.5” and this golf green becomes a crockpot.

Needing drainage: Wet wilt of a green follows a pattern of a central surface swale. Settle 8-1-12

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Tim Sibicky, MS - TSibicky@cdga.org CDGA Turfgrass Research Manager Fairy Ring Disease – Curative Approach Fairy ring can be difficult to control for turf managers due to its complexity in the soil as well as differences in expression of symptoms. Symptoms exhibited by fairy ring can include rings of concentric of mushrooms (type 3), darkened green rings (type 2), or rings of dead turf (type 1). This season, we are now working on fairy ring at three locations. Study 1: At Kemper Lakes Golf Club in Kildeer, IL, we began a preventative fungicide study the end of May on a putting green that has chronic type 1 fairy rings each year. Oddly, we have yet to see symptoms in 2012. Study 2: At Black Sheep Golf Club in Sugar Grove, IL, we are investigating a curative program approach on large type II rings. The study is a collaborative effort with Dr. Mike Fidanza and Dr. Henry Wetzel on a USGA funded study which began in 2011 (year 1 = Biltmore Country Club). Using a fairway site where large type II rings historically exist, we were able to orient 4’ by 6’ plots around each of the large rings to ensure each plot. We can now effectively evaluate several alternatives that includes aeration, Revolution wetting agent, and ProStar fungicide. We are also investigating a zeolite soil amendment product called Ecolite. Study 3: At Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Lemont, IL, we just began a curative fungicide study to try and suppress type 2 fairy ring. Using a PennA1 plus A4 bentgrass nursery green, plots were oriented as pie slices.

A new study at Cog Hill tests fungicide treatments curatively applied to type 2 fairy rings on a nursery green. Plastic frames help keep overspray from effecting adjacent plots. Sibicky 8-3-12

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How to spray a triangle? At Cog Hill plastic barriers used during applications allowed fungicide treatments to be applied in a triangle format instead of the usual rectangle shape. Sibicky 8-3-12

Treatments at Black Sheep Golf Club are handwatered with 0.25” after application, Sugar Grove, IL. Revolution is most easily visible followed by Ecolite, a dry white material. Sibicky 7-30-12

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Peter Westfall - pwestfal@purdue.edu CDGA Turf Research Intern, Purdue University On University of Wisconsin Field Day This week Dr. Derek Settle, Tim Sibicky, and I went north to the University of Wisconsin’s Turfgrass Field Day at the O.J. Noer Turfgrass Research & Education Facility. We began the morning tour at a reduced risk herbicide trial with a newer product called Fiesta that worked very well. Fiesta had two downsides of cost and length of efficacy, but lookout because it does work. Later in the morning we saw a drought tolerance evaluation by graduate student Brad DeBels. Brad uses a moveable rainout shelter to prevent rain events from wetting the plots. The goal of his research is to determine evapotranspiration and water usage levels and how they affect NTEP cultivars (tall fescue) during a dry down period. By doing this, superintendents and landscapers can use a more water-efficient grass to battle drought. We finished the morning with an interesting activity presented by Dr. Jim Kerns which allowed participants to interact so they could evaluate disease percentages and establish a disease threshold. He had plots with simulated (spray painted) dollar spot and a patch disease (i.e. brown patch or snow mold). Dr. Kerns asked us to give each a percentage based upon infection levels. During our session I found it was very easy to overestimate the percentage of disease as well as mistake what is actually acceptable. Visually, the minimum acceptable threshold for damage by disease was closer to 2% or 3% as opposed to 5% which is the generally accepted standard. Dr. Kerns hopes to gather more rating data from golfers, researchers, and superintendents to publish a report which could add more uniformity of research estimates and improve turfgrass disease education.

Dr. Jim Kerns talks about quantifying diseases, whether they are spots or patches. Settle 7-31-12

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After lunch we began by listening to research by graduate student Glen Obear about the buildup of an impermeable iron layer between the pea gravel and USGA rootzone mix and the importance of sampling your entire rootzone. He has been collecting golf green samples from all over the country and some from overseas. He says about 20% of all samples collected have this iron layer which can pose big problems to drainage and removal. The key, according to Glen, was to sample your entire rootzone with a 12” PVC pipe every 1 or 2 years especially in problem areas of a green. In the afternoon we heard a presentation on the controversy of bacterial diseases, specifically Acidovorax of creeping bentgrass, by Dr. Richard Latin from Purdue University. The take home message is that right now there is nothing to definitively say that Acidovorax or other bacteria are the cause of a new bacterial disease that blights turf. Dr. Latin suggested using cultural practices known to reduce plant stress as much as possible. Within the next year ongoing molecular research and field surveys should provide golf course superintendents with better information. Finally, to end the day, Dr. Derek Settle gave a presentation on alternative pest management strategies for dollar spot on bentgrass, such as DewCure, or more importantly selecting the correct cultivar with improved resistance (see 2012 CDGA scouting reports or research summaries at www.cdgaturf.org for current cultivar information on Sunshine Course in Lemont).

Peter likes Mustang 4 tall fescue best as it appears to have best quality at drought. Settle 7-31-12

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Final Images – we end with the Western Open, Exmoor Country Club, Highland Park, IL

110th Western Amateur. Cleome shines in morning dew at Exmoor Country Club. Settle 8-3-12

Exmoor Country Club hosts 110th Western Amateur Tournament on Jul 30-Aug 4. Settle 8-3-12

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A spectacular sunrise during the 110th Western Amateur, Exmoor Country Club. Sibicky 8-3-12

Exmoor Country Club hosts 110th Western Amateur Tournament on Jul 30-Aug 4. Settle 8-3-12 It’s August! A good forecast and signs of fall means turf recovery can begin. Derek, Tim, Chris, Peter, Anthony and Niki – The CDGA Turfgrass Program