Annual Bluegrass and Summer Patch

The constant rain and saturated soils of May presented the ideal condtions for the Annual Bluegrass in the rough to be infected with the Summer Patch pathogen. This pathogen colonizes the root system, impacting the uptake of water and nutrients. The symptoms typically observed at HP include a yellowing, sunken appearance with a steady decline in turf quality. This year we made a fungicide application to about 70 percent of the rough, however this may not stop be enough to stop the decline of the Annual Bluegrass. Long-term, our goal is to reduce the amount of Annual Bluegrass in the rough, improving drainage and the addition of turfgrass types that are resistant to these fungi.

Symptoms of Summer Patch in the rough

If there are any questions please email us at grounds@hydeparkcc.com

Thanks,

 

Pat O'Brien

Grounds Superintendent

 

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Tournament Prep, Zoo Trip, Weed Control

It's been a busy few weeks here in the horticulture world. Annuals arrived at the end of May, made a visit to Muirfeld Village up in Dublin, OH for the Memorial Tournament and took the bosses and interns to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens to see the wonderful work they do there in the horticulture world.

June 2-3 I volunteered to help with annual watering at The Memorial Tournament. Each morning and evening all the plants around the course and in the vip areas were watered to keep things looking great for the tournament. A lot of begonias, petunias, and grasses.

Even got a peek at the grounds dept prepping for tournament play.

The following week the grounds dept visited the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden and met with the Director of Horticulture, Steve Foltz. He showed us around and gave some insight into how daily operations are carried out. They do a lot of plant trials, both annuals and perennials. Growers rely on the feedback to see how well plants perform.

We are fighting a weed problem in one of our beds here at the course. Equisetum arvense, field horsetail. It is a very old plant, dating back hundreds of millions of years. It takes over an area very quickly, with roots 10-20 feet deep. It creeps into other plants as well. It is a difficult weed to manage and efforts are being made to eliminate the problem. For now, we are trying different herbicides to try and suppress the plant, which means no annuals will be planted in this bed this year.

Enjoy the summer, and I will keep you updated with Operation Horsetail as info becomes available.

 

Bryan Miller

Horticulturist, Hyde Park CC

 

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