Rutgers Cooperative Extension
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. […]
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.
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
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.
Other than today and yesterday, soil temperatures in New Brunswick have been reaching into the lower 50s°F during the last week or so. And you see the effects, some plants are finally awakening from winter slumber. Cool-season turfgrasses are slowly greening up. Tree buds are swelling, some are flowering. Forsythia is just starting to bloom. And prostrate knotweed, one of the earliest germinating summer annual weeds, is emerging.
Some confuse the slender plants emerging along sidewalk edges at this time of year with grass but it is actually prostrate knotweed.
