February 26, 2017 Jim Murphy
Winter Damage
While the warm weather has allowed many of us to get out and enjoy the outdoors, you may have noticed the winter damage in many landscapes. Winter traffic problems can be dramatic. Sod displacement is very common in turf grown along sidewalks, parking lots and streets where snow removal is […]
February 20, 2017 Matthew Elmore
Annual Bluegrass Seedhead Suppression
In weed management on golf courses, annual bluegrass (Poa annua) seedhead (inflorescence) suppression often kicks off the growing season. Plant growth regulators can be used to suppress seedhead production if applications are properly timed. Much like pre-emergence herbicides that are not effective if applied after weed emergence, PGRs are less effective if applied too late. […]
August 4, 2016 Jim Murphy
Licensing for Mosquito Control – Category 8B
I have been getting questions from landscape/turf professionals about licensing for mosquito control. I asked Dr. George Hamilton about where to direct professionals with these questions.
Information on licensing of professionals for mosquito control can be found on the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Pest Management website: http://pestmanagement.rutgers.edu/PAT/
You can get a core manual and category 8B manual at your county extension office.
January 14, 2016 Jim Murphy
Killing Freezes… Finally
Many people are pleased that typical winter temperatures have taken so long to show up. Below are some interesting observations from early- to mid-winter in New Brunswick. Relatively warm soil temperatures (as high as mid-60s °F) stimulated growth late into December.
Dandelion bloom on 15 December 2015 in New Brunswick.
May 8, 2015 Richard Buckley
Take(-all) it to the Limit
A sample diagnosed with take-all patch of creeping bentgrass was the highlight of the turfgrass submissions to the Plant Diagnostic Laboratory this week. This sample marks the first in the seasonal transition on golf courses from diseases common to late-winter and early-spring (snow molds/yellow patch) to the late-spring and early-summer problems (take-all/brown ring patch). Yes, it was an exciting day for the turfgrass pathologist!
Take-all patch on a plug of ‘L-93’ creeping bentgrass. Photo: Sabrina Tirpak, Rutgers PDL
May 5, 2015 Jim Murphy
Kyllinga Awakens as Soil Temps Increase
Daily high soil temperatures at the 2-inch depth are consistently getting into the 60s°F. Yesterday, temperatures in sunny locations reached into the upper 60s. This means that the warm-season species are, or will be soon waking from winter slumber.
Leaf tips emerging from rhizomes of kyllinga on 15 April 2015 in central New Jersey.
Emerging shoots of kyllinga beginning the process of re-forming a “turf” canopy on 2 May 2015 in East Brunswick.
