Despite our best efforts this season, we ended up with goosegrass again in our fairways. And it showed up much earlier this year then in the past. I'm guessing the warmer then average May and June had something to do with that? May the average lows were 8.1 degrees above normal and the average highs were 9.3 degrees above normal. In June the average low was 5.4 degrees above average and the average high was 5.5 degrees above average. We really didn't have any excessive rain fall that could have affected our pre-emergent applications. April was 5 degrees below normal for both average highs and lows, but it obviously did not reset the window for goosegrass germination. March temperatures were average.
We did make our pre-emergent applications on dates that I thought were appropriate. Our first application of Prodiamine 65 WG (Resolute) on March 9th and 10th. I did make one application at 1 lb. product per acre and another at 1.5 lbs. of product per acre. We also made another application on April 10th mixed in with our fairway fertilizer application. It was also Prodiamine (Barricade), applied at 150 lbs. per acre, the Prodiamine was a .5% product and if my math was correct it provided .75 lb. ai/Acre. I did not notice a difference of control between the 1 lb. product per acre and the 1.5 lb. product per acre. The goosegrass still came up heavy in areas. I have already decided for next season, that I will be making the change to Oxadiazon for our pre-emergent. It is much more expensive, but compared to the cost of post emergent herbicide applications, time it takes to apply and playability issues, it hopefully will be money well spent.
So how did we attempt to get rid of the goosegrass? We first started doing some spot spraying with Foramsulfuron (Revolver) at 2 oz. per gallon and MSMA at 1 oz. per gallon mixed together. We eventually went to straight MSMA at 1 oz. per gallon. Both of these applications worked fairly well, but we were getting large areas of goosegrass on some holes, and Foramsulfuron was not cost effective at the 17.4 oz. per acre rate, and MSMA can not be broadcast over large areas. Pictures below are goosegrass that had been treated with either the Foramsulfuron/MSMA mix or with MSMA alone.
In the past we have also tried a mixture of Foramsulfuron (16 oz. per acre) and Cargentrazone-ethyl/Sulfentrazone (Dismiss) (6 oz. per acre). I had seen it suggested a few years back, we had mixed results, I blame most of it on the goosegrass becoming too mature and being late in the season before applying. We did see good burndown of the weed, but we weren't sure of actual kill. I have heard of people using one product and then coming back and using the other 10 days later and seeing better results. We did not research it anytime after that, the cost of approximately $180 per acre was just too much for us to treat.
Then last year I heard of people using Topramezone (Pylex) on bermuda turf, I thought that was crazy, since my first introduction to it was at the University of Missouri Field Days, where it was being used to remove bermuda from bentgrass fairways. So I pulled up a label and found that it was indeed good to use on goosegrass, and one application would take care of the goosegrass, where three applications (or two if mixed with other products) would be needed to kill bermuda. So I mixed up enough for 2 acres, and treated our cool season range tee, our cool season approaches, (we have 4 original greens which still have cool season approaches and collars). I tried the .5 oz. per acre rate and low and behold we seemed to kill some goosegrass. Below on the left is the collar of our chipping green, in the middle is where I sprayed a bunker edge, real interesting to me was the bermuda that was out in the bunker itself, and on the right some of the goose killed in one of our fairways.
So this year when we had the issue again, I applied the Topramezone at the .5 oz. per acre rate with a methylated seed oil. We had good results again. The only issue was I would get asked constantly "what did you spray on the fairways" and "when will they look normal again". I didn't really have an answer myself, I just knew that the bermuda would come back, so this year I documented it in pictures.
The picture on the left is on the day of application July 3rd. The middle picture and the picture on the right shows the effects of the Topramezone 3 days after treatment on July 6th. As can be seen, we are already starting to look at some ugly bermuda after only 3 days.
Now in the picture on the left was our 5th fairway which was taken on July 9th, six days after treatment, not pretty at all, in the middle picture we see the 5th fairway on July 16th, 13 days after treatment, (I should have got a little closer to take that picture), and on the right was the 4th fairway on July 19th, 16 days after treatment where it is only the goosegrass that is off color. Best of all cost is fairly inexpensive, in the $30 per acre range. I do need to search for options that might not off color the bermuda as much, I hear there are some strategies to do that.
Next on my radar is to treat my control patches of goosegrass in fairways, (otherwise know as misses), I am going to try applying Topramezone at the .25 oz. per acre rate, to see if the ghosting of the bermuda is less, and will that amount kill the goosegrass. I am also looking to spray some of that tank on a practice green and the edge of another green on the golf course. I have taken the .5 oz. rate across our chipping green with no ill effects. Of course the issue of goosegrass on greens will be for another post in hopefully the near future.
As always, thanks for reading!
Mel
So how did we attempt to get rid of the goosegrass? We first started doing some spot spraying with Foramsulfuron (Revolver) at 2 oz. per gallon and MSMA at 1 oz. per gallon mixed together. We eventually went to straight MSMA at 1 oz. per gallon. Both of these applications worked fairly well, but we were getting large areas of goosegrass on some holes, and Foramsulfuron was not cost effective at the 17.4 oz. per acre rate, and MSMA can not be broadcast over large areas. Pictures below are goosegrass that had been treated with either the Foramsulfuron/MSMA mix or with MSMA alone.
In the past we have also tried a mixture of Foramsulfuron (16 oz. per acre) and Cargentrazone-ethyl/Sulfentrazone (Dismiss) (6 oz. per acre). I had seen it suggested a few years back, we had mixed results, I blame most of it on the goosegrass becoming too mature and being late in the season before applying. We did see good burndown of the weed, but we weren't sure of actual kill. I have heard of people using one product and then coming back and using the other 10 days later and seeing better results. We did not research it anytime after that, the cost of approximately $180 per acre was just too much for us to treat.
Then last year I heard of people using Topramezone (Pylex) on bermuda turf, I thought that was crazy, since my first introduction to it was at the University of Missouri Field Days, where it was being used to remove bermuda from bentgrass fairways. So I pulled up a label and found that it was indeed good to use on goosegrass, and one application would take care of the goosegrass, where three applications (or two if mixed with other products) would be needed to kill bermuda. So I mixed up enough for 2 acres, and treated our cool season range tee, our cool season approaches, (we have 4 original greens which still have cool season approaches and collars). I tried the .5 oz. per acre rate and low and behold we seemed to kill some goosegrass. Below on the left is the collar of our chipping green, in the middle is where I sprayed a bunker edge, real interesting to me was the bermuda that was out in the bunker itself, and on the right some of the goose killed in one of our fairways.
So this year when we had the issue again, I applied the Topramezone at the .5 oz. per acre rate with a methylated seed oil. We had good results again. The only issue was I would get asked constantly "what did you spray on the fairways" and "when will they look normal again". I didn't really have an answer myself, I just knew that the bermuda would come back, so this year I documented it in pictures.
The picture on the left is on the day of application July 3rd. The middle picture and the picture on the right shows the effects of the Topramezone 3 days after treatment on July 6th. As can be seen, we are already starting to look at some ugly bermuda after only 3 days.
Now in the picture on the left was our 5th fairway which was taken on July 9th, six days after treatment, not pretty at all, in the middle picture we see the 5th fairway on July 16th, 13 days after treatment, (I should have got a little closer to take that picture), and on the right was the 4th fairway on July 19th, 16 days after treatment where it is only the goosegrass that is off color. Best of all cost is fairly inexpensive, in the $30 per acre range. I do need to search for options that might not off color the bermuda as much, I hear there are some strategies to do that.
Next on my radar is to treat my control patches of goosegrass in fairways, (otherwise know as misses), I am going to try applying Topramezone at the .25 oz. per acre rate, to see if the ghosting of the bermuda is less, and will that amount kill the goosegrass. I am also looking to spray some of that tank on a practice green and the edge of another green on the golf course. I have taken the .5 oz. rate across our chipping green with no ill effects. Of course the issue of goosegrass on greens will be for another post in hopefully the near future.
As always, thanks for reading!
Mel
 |
Goosegrass sprayed, 6 DAT
|
No comments:
Post a Comment