Green & Grounds

From Doug Hall

As June arrives so does the heat and humidity in the Maryland region. For the Green and Grounds staff this means heightened alertness for Turfgrass diseases and careful monitoring of water management. Diseases such as Brown patch, Dollar spot and, Pythium Blight are extremely devastating to Turfgrass and are bacteria spawned from water be it natural or irrigated water. Routine preventative applications of fungicides, good drainage, a sound fertility program (healthy grass is less likely to be diseased), proper water practices, and a little luck from Mother Nature will for the most part keep these diseases from being a large problem.

I heard some comments about the different color grasses in the fairways and what can be done to become a uniformed stand of bentgrass. The lighter patches of lime green grass is Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua). Poa is a shallow rooted winter annual that prefers wet, shaded areas and will very aggressively fill any void left in the soil i.e. a divot or a ball mark. The staff at Green and Grounds will be using a growth regulator known as Trimmit. This chemical is a growth regulator NOT a herbicide it works by retarding the growth of the Poa and coupled with proper fertility will encourage the bentgrass to grow over the stressed Poa plant. The darker patches of grasses are Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) it is a perennial type grass that grows in a bunch pattern. These seeds are probably still present in the soil from the re-grassing renovation done at TGCC some years ago and like the Poa has overtime filled in voids in the soil making the fairways seem patchy. These problems will be a process that will not be alleviated immediately. The staff at Green and Grounds will be managing towards the bentgrass and overtime we’ll begin to see a more uniformed stand of grass.

As always feel free to contact me with any comments, questions, or concerns. I can be reached at 410-252-8484 ext. 140 or at dhall@tgcc.net

Sincerely,

Douglas Hall