Turf Scouting Report, May 6th

May 6, 2011 Scouting Report
Let there be sun! It's May, Illinois dries, Missouri reports dollar spot, and Tim's Shoreacre bentgrass trial versusPoa annua 

Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle - DSettle@cdga.org 
We turned a page. On the calendar it's May. In the sky we see sunlight. On the gound, the sound (equipment mowing) means turf has quickly regained both growth and color (not purple). Even Poa annua responded and produced seedheads on greens this week. Soggy, cold conditions are generally not good for plant growth and definitely slowed this spring and interfered with golf. Still, let's keep perspective. This is not spring 2010 when some of the most extensive winter injury existed on golf surfaces in recent memory (decades said some). It's spring 2011! If you listen (eyes required), landscape plants are telling us life is good. Hard to believe, since summer 2010 felt like Hades and, as you recall, we paid for it (lots of turf loss). But August ended and a dry fall with cooler temperatures helped right the wrong (summer 2010). It gave us back control (water) we hadn't seen all season. Fairways and greens healed nicely by early October. But the turf stepchild (rough) didn't look so good - recovering from a rootless summer and then a disease called rust, Puccinia spp., finished the thinning. This spring be kind and understand roughs might be 'rough'. It pains me to say, but weeds will likely be our biggest trouble of early summer (things like clover, crabgrass, knotweed, and Poa annua). Be kind. 

Click here to view the May 6, 2011 Scouting Report. 

Have a great weekend and maybe think of some flowers for Mother?

Derek Settle, PhD 
Director of Turfgrass Program 
630-685-2307
dsettle@cdga.org 

Timothy A. Sibicky, MS 
Manager of Turfgrass Research 
630-685-2310 
tsibicky@cdga.org