Bermudagrass recovery and weed control

The Bermuda grass in the fairways can be beautiful or unsightly depending on the time of year. But the worst is when it is transitioning out of winter and it is BOTH beautiful and unsightly at the same time.

We are in the middle of this transition period right now. In fact, in the last few days, with temperatures in the mid-80’s, we have actually gained a lot of green tissue in the fairways. All the green tissue in the world does not hide the brown spots that are still prevalent though. Spring dead spot is the lesser of the two problems in the fairways right now. Winter kill has actually caused more damage and set the Bermuda grass back more than the diseased areas. This coming week is going to be a warm week and there are several cultural practices that will be taking place in the fairways to get them to improve quickly.

First, a chemical application will be made to kill the weeds. If you have been on the course at all this spring then I do not need to tell you about the weed problem. Several weather related issues have caused what seems like an extreme infestation. When the course is as consistently wet as it has been there is no opportunity to get a sprayer out without causing more damage than it is worth. Think of it like this: If a 500 pound golf cart can’t be let off the paths because it is too wet, then imagine the harm a 2,500 pound sprayer filled with another 2,500 pounds of water would cause! Now it seems the time is right to get out there and spray the weeds. This will make an immediate difference in the appearance of the Bermuda grass in the fairways. When there is a mono-stand of turf grass to see, it will make the Bermuda grass look better. Plus, removing all competition from other plants allows only the Bermuda grass to thrive. Secondly, as part of this application, fertilizer will be applied as well. This fertilizer is targeted at the youngest plants that are trying to fill in the brown patches. By giving those plants some added energy, along with the forecasted temperatures, the recovery should be swift.

Most of the fairways have been allowed to come out of dormancy with very little competition from other grasses. However, the portion of #15 fairway that was over seeded last fall is another story. This Bermuda grass has been in a battle with the annual ryegrass that was planted for the winter. Because of the cool, wet spring the Bermuda grass is very far behind in its growth and development. This is going to become very apparent once the aforementioned chemical application is made. The chemical will kill the annual ryegrass and allow the only the Bermuda grass to remain. The half of #15 fairway that was over seeded is going to look the worst of any portion of fairway on the course during this transition. The annual ryegrass is going to turn brown and die and the Bermuda grass is going to be slow to grow and fill in.

Once the weeds are removed, the fairways will be verticut. Verticutting is a practice in which the blades of the machine slice down into the canopy of the turf grass and cut the stems. For Bermuda grass, this slicing will cut stolons and actually create new plants at each cut. Again, this is going to aid in the recovery of the winter kill areas by forcing the healthy plants on the edges to form new plants and move into the brown areas.

By encouraging the encroachment of grass along edges and giving energy to the young plants within, the brown areas should rapidly shrink. The appearance of the fairways is going to improve greatly in the next week. Although it has been painful to wait this long for the fairways to be green and lush, in the near future, improvement will be seen.


See you on the course!
Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org