Bermuda grass weed control

As we continue to hone our weed control program for the fairways, there are times when some weeds may be evident. Right now, there are visible weeds in the fairways that stand out in great contrast to the mostly dormant Bermuda grass. We will be eliminating these weeds very soon and we will continue to tighten the defense against any weeds as we move forward.

Our pre-emergent weed control is in place on the Bermuda grass. This ensures that no new weeds will be appearing in the fairways. Now we will turn our focus to removing the existing weeds. The next available dry, calm day we will begin the chemical application. This application is difficult because the product must dry before golfers can walk through it or carts can drive through it, otherwise it will track and kill the grass on the greens or in the rough. This makes the timing difficult because we have to restrict where golfers are while we are applying. When the next acceptable day arrives, we will be closing the front or back 9 for a couple of hours. For example, we will ask all golfers to tee off #1 tee only while we spray the back 9. As the groups make the turn they will be able to play the back 9. Then, another day, we will ask all players to tee off #10 tee only while we spray the front 9. Again, as the groups make the turn they will be allowed to play the front 9. This ensures that at each time we have at least 2 hours without golfers on the 9 holes we are working on and gives the chemical time to dry so we do not have any collateral damage.

The upcoming spray is the final step in our program, but not the only step. How are we defending against weeds in the first place? How does this upcoming application fit into our overall program? While we may never attain a 100% weed free Bermuda grass stand year round, we continue to reach as close to weed-free as possible. We were not able to make our round-up application this winter. Between wet or snowy conditions, the timing was never right. Making the round-up application eliminates any visible weeds that infest the fairways over the winter and is our first shot at heading into spring with fewer weeds. You can read more about the benefit of this round-up application here. Once we clear those plants out, we apply our pre-emergent weed control in the spring, which stops any new weeds from growing. Finally, our last tactic is to make a post-emergence weed control application. This application removes any weeds that germinated after the round-up, but before the pre-emergent control. Once we are finished with this process, the Bermuda grass is free to grow without competition.

Any fairway grass is susceptible to weeds and a weed control program must be in place. However, with the Bermuda grass being brown and dormant, our weeds stick out much more obtrusively. We do have a plan in place and we continue to tweak it each year to eliminate as many weeds as possible. We despise looking at the weeds as much as the golfers and we are determined to continue fighting for perfection.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Carts are to remain on cart paths only until the Bermuda grass resumes normal growth.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Annual bluegrass weevil and plant indicators

There are many different pests that attack turf grass and insects can be some of the most damaging pests we face. Because of the predominance of annual bluegrass on our course, the annual bluegrass weevil can be the most damaging of all. This insect attacks annual bluegrass from early April to the end of September and can cause irreparable damage in a short period of time.

Larva and pupa in the soil

The annual bluegrass weevil is a small insect that can be very difficult to find. The adult is only 1/8” of an inch long and moves mostly at night. The female lays eggs inside the stem of the annual bluegrass plant in the spring; the eggs hatch and spend several days inside the stem, and then eat their way out. Once outside the plant, the larvae, about the size of a small grain of rice, begin to feed on the crown and roots of the plant. This is the most damaging time in the life cycle. Any insect eating the roots and crown of a plant will very quickly kill that plant. Within about 14 days the larvae mature through adolescent stages and become adults. The females lay eggs and the whole cycle starts again.

Larva in the soil

The battle against this pest has become more and more difficult each year. The volume of annual bluegrass weevils has increased, their appetite has adjusted to include bent grass instead of solely annual bluegrass, and the amount of generations per year has slowly changed as well. The generational increase has become the most difficult aspect of managing the weevil. Early on in the management of the annual bluegrass weevil, there were only 2-3 generations per year. The adults that appeared first in spring would lay their eggs and the cycle would repeat 2 more times. We could time our control with these generations and attain good control. However, lately, the first eggs laid in spring mature at different rates. The next wave of adults lay eggs at different times and quickly the generations are no longer in sync. We may see 5-7 generations per year and at any point there may be adults, eggs, larvae and pupae. This is especially troublesome because the insecticides that we use to target this pest specifically, only work against larvae. So at any point, if only ¼ of the total population is in this stage, we are never achieving more than 25% control. Once the population is in this state of imbalance, control is difficult and we are simply trying to manage as best as possible.

The yellow-orange areas are damaged plants

More damage

Half green half gold forsythia

We do have one very important weapon that we use to help us against the weevil. We observe forsythia bushes as plant phenological indicators. This process relies on monitoring forsythia and timing our chemical applications based on where the plant is in its flowering cycle. Since the annual bluegrass weevil and the forsythia rely on warming spring weather to start emerging and blooming, we watch the forsythia because it is much easier to see. When the forsythias are half green and half gold, we make our application. Research has repeatedly shown this is when the most adults are concentrated on the turf grass we want to protect. By striking this initial blow to the population of weevils, we set ourselves up for a much more manageable season. The beauty of using forsythia blooms to our advantage is that it is reliable and site specific. Forsythias are a very hardy plant and we can count on them to perform year after year no matter how strong the winter was. It is also useful to know what is happening here at Bretton Woods. As you travel around the area you may see forsythias in several stages of blooming all at the same time. By watching the forsythias on the property we are in tune with what our temperatures have been doing and how our site is reacting to the spring, which relates very well to how the weevils are reacting to the weather as well.

We have several other tools we use against the annual bluegrass weevil, including soap flushes, pit-traps, and vacuums, but nothing has proven as reliable or as easy as monitoring our plant indicators. Nature has a way of keeping everything in order, we just have to learn the cycle and us it to our advantage.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Carts are to remain on cart paths only until the Bermuda grass resumes normal growth.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Spring projects

March 4th!

Spring hasn’t officially started yet but it would be hard to know that based on the weather. The warm temperatures have sent the Grounds department into a flurry of projects. Here is a quick update on all of the things that are currently going on and those that will be starting shortly.

We completed aeration of greens the first week of March and the greens are healing well. We were able to get 1 week of pure healing time ahead of our first seed head suppression chemical application. Here you can read more about how that 1 week can mean a lot to the condition of the greens as spring progresses.

If you have been to the club this week you have seen the excavation of one of the grass areas out behind the clubhouse. This is the site of a new patio that we are having built. While the masonry work is being done by professionals, the Grounds department has been handling all of the excavation work and site preparation. The patio floor will be pavers that are similar to the bench pads on the course and at the DR tee. Also, a stone wall that matches several locations around the club will be built around 2/3 of the patio perimeter. Not only will the new patio be functional and provide an amazing venue, but the design and materials will also match other aspects of the property.

Cutting the cement pad at the DR tee

Another project that will be starting soon is the renovation of the DR tee mat hitting surface. Instead of individual hitting mats, a new, continuous mat will be laid across the entire cement pad. We are again hiring professionals to do the detailed work; however, the Grounds department will be actively involved with this project as well. The cement has already been cut to fit the new mat exactly. Once the excess cement has been removed, we will help in back-filling with soil, and re-sodding a large portion of the back side of the DR tee pad. When finished, the hitting area as well as the surrounding sod will be new.

We are also trying to balance these projects with our duties on the course. We are still working to complete our cleanup from the tree trimming over the winter. Any available labor and time is being directed to stick cleanup. We anticipate this being finished by the end of the week or the start of the next. The weather has also necessitated the start of our pre-emergent weed control program. This consists of protecting the tees, fairways, rough, green surrounds, soccer, and several other select areas around the property from common weeds such as crabgrass. Timing is critical to this process and missing the window can lead to weed-related issues all year.

Bermuda grass emerging on #12 fairway

Bermuda grass emerging on #10 fairway

One final note, in relation to the warm weather, has to do with the fairways. We have seen the first emergence of Bermuda grass already this year. Currently we are about 20 days ahead of last year in terms of accumulated growing degree days as well as visible green-up. This is a great start. We cannot make any rash judgments regarding when full dormancy will break, but starting this early does bode well for spring and beyond.

As a side note, we have purchased new trash/recycling combination units for the golf course this year. They are currently in production and we will put them out as soon as possible. Until then, please bear with us and use the trash cans at the water cooler stations. Thank you

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Carts are to remain on cart paths only until the Bermuda grass resumes normal growth.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Poa annua winter kill

As we head for spring, the Grounds crew is working hard to clean up from winter. We are clearing debris that we created from tree trimming, as well as debris caused by winter weather and wind. We are also working to fix some damage that was caused to the Poa annua, or annual bluegrass, in the green surrounds. Over the next couple of weeks as the soil warms and dries out, we will do some spot seeding of these areas.

This is the view from behind #9 green where golfers walk towards #10 tee

Damaged areas are straw colored

Annual bluegrass is not an inherently strong grass, especially when it comes to extreme temperatures. Everything it lacks in tolerance, though, it makes up for in adaptability. No turf grass can change itself faster or become more suitable to a changing environment than Poa. A great example of the adaptability is by how easily poa can be spread in the rough. Looking at the pictures, it is clear which plants are damaged and which are not. But what is also clear is where the greatest amount of damage is located: the exact area where everyone walks off the green towards the next tee. This is not a coincidence. Tiny poa plants as well as seeds, stick to the spikes of golf shoes, are carried on our mowers, or blown and end up moving from the green to the rough. The taller rough grass captures these plants and seeds from whatever carrier they are on, they fall into the rough, and some of them survive and begin to grow. In the case of the poa in the rough, it didn’t adapt fast enough and the lack of snow cover coupled with cold temperatures exacerbated by wind, has damaged the plant. It is not completely dead, and many of the spots have already begun to recover, but it won’t fully recover. This is a good thing, however, because it allows us to reseed these areas with the species of turf grass that we want instead.

This picture was taken 1 month later. You can see the healing that has already taken place.

With our over-seeder, we will check every green surround and seed into the areas that are most affected. We will use tall fescue seed, which is a species with much more tolerance for warm and cold temperatures. The temperature tolerance helps the tall fescue survive the warm summers and more importantly in this case, survive the cold winters as well. Tall fescue is also the same grass as the sod we lay in the rough for all of the Master Plan construction work, which means that continuing to seed the same grass into the rough will help us keep consistency throughout all of the green surrounds.

We will not be able to eliminate Poa annua from the rough around the greens. First, it is a very opportunistic plant and will insert itself in almost any area. Second, because our greens are almost entirely composed of the same plant, we will forever have an excellent source for seed. The seed from the greens will continue to find its way out into the rough and begin to grow no matter how strong our defense is. However, by taking advantage of damage caused over the winter to the poa plants, and staying on top of the situation before the entire green surround is overtaken by poa, we save ourselves from having to make major renovations to the green surrounds.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Carts are to remain on cart paths only until the Bermuda grass resumes normal growth.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org