UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION GREEN SECTION EASTERN REGION 814 RARITAN AVENUE + HIGHLAND PARK, NEW JERSEY Telephone CHarter 9-0225 EASTERN DIRECTOR A L E X A N D ER M. R A D KO EASTERN TURFLETTER A G R O N O M I S TS C H A R L ES E. C R O L EY R A Y M O ND E. H A R M AN L EE R E C O RD No- 3 June 1962 TOWER - OPEN AND WINDY SPRING - VERY DRY AND WINDY SUMMER - ??? Overheard at a recent Superintendents Meeting — One Super to another: "The drought sure has kept the grass short and stubbly this year." "Short? Say, if we don't get a rain soon I 1 11 have to lather nine to mow it I" * * UNSEASONABLE WEATHER is the main topic of everyone interested in golf turf at this writing. The winter season was open with little or no snow cover, and the weather was most favorable for ice formation on greens, fairways, and tees. Thick ice formations resulted on sloped, protected, or low areas where it seemed that layer upon-- laye« formed to make it a solid and continuous ice cover ... closely adhering to the turf because the soil too was cold ... in fact the soil was frozen to a depth of three to four feet in areas of the North. This perhaps was the reason for its becoming "glued" to the turf ... and Superintendents tried unsuccessfully to chop it out. Because of the frozen conditions it was not possible for awhile to remove the ice without injury to the turf. When it finally became possible to remove the ice. high w i n ds swept over the East and seemed to blow incessantly ... this Spring season was one of the windiest, driest, and least humid of all time ... the pro- longed drought and wind made for a poor start for many courses. While it is impossible to predict what lies ahead, it looks like a more difficult summer season at this writing for all "but tees and greens. We say this be- cause "where you can control the water applied, normally fewer problems arise. This of course is assuming that you have an adequate system and can apply enough water ... what the turf requires. Irrigated fairways for the most part are doing well ... while unirrigated turf seems to be holding on except where soils are poor,rocky or severely sloped. Yet there is a noticeable thinness of fairway and rough turf and this may mean more weed encroachment during this stunner. Crabgrass, silver crabgrass, and Knotweed in particular will be the ones to watch for... these are the warm-season "demons" of the golf-turf-weed-world in this region. Those who are using phenyl mercuric acetate sprays on fairways should not be troubled with regular crabgrass . .. DSMA and AMA sprays are also effective crabgrass herbicides, but silver crabgrass ana Knotweed are more difficult to try to control in hot, dry seasons. These two could be severe this year. ; The population of dandelion and other broad leaf weeds has also been rather high - the open winter and spring season apparently has been quite favorable for the germination of these weeds. Because of the high winds and otherwise unfavorable climate few dared to spray with the 2 A -D formulations this Spring. Now, in June, it is too late, and as a result more broad leaved weeds will be present this summer ... more than usually seen on golf courses. Spray control treatments will best be deferred until early this Fall _or in early Spring of next year. Another possible source of fairway trouble could be from INSECTS ... surface feeders in particular such as the sod webworm, the chinch bug. the cutworm, and possibly the frit fly. Dry years are always increased insect activity years. All but the chinch bug could be controlled with any of the popular insecticides commonly used at approximately one-third the normal rate for grub control. Chinch bugs on the other hand are best controlled by any of the following materials: (1) Diazinon (2) Ethion (3) Trithion- 8 lbs. per acre 10 lbs. per acre —* 7-5 lbs. per acre Since several broods may develop in one season it may be necessary to spray every four to six we£ks through September. Spray only when ob- served. •X- -X- -vf -X- -X- -X This is also the year of heavy cicada invasion -- brood II of the 17 year locust. Entomologists tell us that brood II wall be evident from the northern Connecticut line through to North Carolina ... you may recall experiences with brood X which emerged in 1953 • • • this was also a large brood in parts of the Northeast. Separate broods of these locusts emerge every IT years ... the last emergence of brood II was in 19^5 and now 17 years later another brood is due to emerge in 1962. Brood X will again be quite evident in 1970. There should be no damage to turf areas from brood II, except for possible nuisance of unbelievable numbers emerging from the soil and crawling all over the turf. On the credit side of the ledger is the fact that turf will receive its deepest aeration in 17 years ... millions of cicada nymphs will emerge from a depth of 18 to July. inches in June and Some injurious effects may be noticed on trees and shrubs and ornamentals where the female punctures the bark of twigs and branches to lay her eggs ... these eggs will hatch in six or seven weeks and drop to T burrow into the ground and resume the long cycle again. Wouldn grand if we could put some of our turfgrass problems to sleep for 17 years I t it be -x- * * * * -ss- If the dryness and low humidity persist, diseases should be far less a problem generally throughout the area .. . and although it is un- likely that we will be bothered by pythium this season ... there is at long last a specific control for it. D r. Homer Wells, USDA Pathologist for the Coastal Agricultural Experiment Station, announced at this years Tifton Conference that Dexon used at the rate of 2 ounces per 1000 sq. ft. will control pythium. More than one treatment may be necessary. * * * * ** Ode To Optimistic Poa Annua Grower The optimist fell 10 stories At each window bar He shouted to his friends ,T A11 right so far" * * * -X- -x- * Rutgers Field Day August 8 * -x- -x- -x- -x- * "'The difference between failure and success is doing a thing nearly right and doing it exactly right. !t E d w. C. Simmons BULK RATE U. S. POSTAGE P A ID PERMIT No. 366 NEW BRUNSWICK, N. J. Eastern Turfletter USGA GREEN SECTION IIH. WILLIAM BEW3EYFIELD U. S. GOLF ASS 11. GKZZli SEC I . 132b 7 VERAtiO S T. GARLEN GROVE, CALIF.