Articles

Mites love dry conditions and sites with significant irrigation limitations (especially no overhead watering) are increasingly vulnerable. Successful mite management requires adoption of a range of management options.

The turf management fraternity has well and truly embraced prevention as the ‘norm’. Not just for Pythium but for pests and disease more generally – atleast to the extent budgets allow. For Pythium however preventative management is the most sensible approach without doubt.

Broad Leaf Weeds (BLW) become an area of focus for turf managers mid winter as many have growth and development phase at this time that then results in a late winter / early spring flowering. There are many different types of broad leaf weeds – they are an impressively diverse group.

Argentine Stem Weevil (ASW) management in golf is a recurring challenge for superintendents. The extent to which they are a focus differs greatly between sites and geography. The differences can actually be quite extreme, but for those sites that ASW is a problem execution of a strong management plan that has a rock solid start point is absolutely critical.

On sand-based profiles (e.g. USGA spec greens) the onset of summer can bring with it the return of Localised Dry Spot (LDS). This patchwork of inconsistent drying / wetting behavior can cause significant damage to a stable quality surface.

Whilst there are differing views on how to test, interpret, modify and support good soil chemistry there is a consensus in the turf management fraternity that the root systems we so heavily depend on need a healthy soil environment.

Knowing the physical and chemical properties of a soil is critical to the development and success of nutrient, irrigation and renovation programs.

Annual soil testing allows us to monitor for both significant and subtle changes in our soil chemistry. It is the monitoring, data archiving and review over time that allows us to amend our soils steadily, ensuring the changes we initiate are based in evidence and as much as possible occur at speeds and in ways nature cooperates with.

Perennial rye grass has become the seeded grass of choice due to its rapid establishment abilities, high presentation quality, wear management assistance, and an impressive durability from late summer establishment, through winter and an ability to go well into spring with the right care.

Spring Dead Spot (SDS) of couch grass is a member of the Ectotrophic Root Infecting group of fungi. The ERI group covers a number of additional diseases commonly seen on intensively managed turf such as couch grass decline and take all patch but symptom expression and host specificity allow separation to discrete diseases.

The art of oversowing turf seed is being mastered by more technicians every year however the potential issues from oversowing need to be understood to ensure the challenges can be catered for and overcome.

A downloadable chart of some of the most common diseases found in turf. A handy guide for any Australian turf manager.