Golfdom, April 2010

Plant Health Report PART TWO Continued from page 33 nozzle type for droplet size in which to apply it For fairy ring for example the fungicide needs to be placed in the upper inch or so of the soil profile Corwin says Corwin notes the importance of proper application overall Make sure you have the right spray volumes and nozzles so the fungicide is applied correctly she says Superintendents should never make assumptions about disease or what fungicide should be sprayed to 34 Golfdom A p r i l 2 0 1 0 control it They need to practice certainty in these cases There are diseases that can take superintendents by surprise Corwin says Corwin also doesnt believe a turf disease will hit 18 greens simultaneously or within a few days what with the difference in air movement shade and other factors on greens Hence she has never subscribed to the thinking that all 18 greens be treated for dollar spot even if only one of the greens gets the disease But Corwin admits she has met opposition from superintendents on this matter and she understands where theyre coming from Superintendents sleep better if they go out and put fungicide on all 18 greens she says They dont want to take the risk Spin control Theres also the matter of rotation in a fungicide program which Gurke says is elementary to a solid fungicide program Superintendents must rotate fungicides so certain turf diseases wont become resistant to them Theres a method to the madness when it comes to the practice Experienced superintendents realize there are vital components to consider in fungicide rotation Gurke says his turf disease challenges have more to do with anthracnose and brown patch So his challenge there is to find a reliable rotation of products to thwart off those diseases Gurke says his rotation program differs from greens to tees to fairways The fungicides most prone to resistance are the ones he uses the least I might use them once or twice a season Gurke says I rotate around the chemis DOWN WITH DISEASE Superintendents take various approaches to managing disease on cool season turf By John Walsh Contributing Editor W hether its dollar spot anthracnose snow mold brown patch or pythium golf course superintendents have their own ways of combating these diseases Budgets and the uniqueness of each course are significant factors Dollar spot is one disease Jeff Corcoran along with many other superintendents managing cool season turf deals with annually Once it takes hold youre always chasing it weekly says the manager of golf courses and grounds at the private 36 hole Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester N Y A good preventive plan is better because you end up using less product We take a preventive approach However we can take a curative approach in the fall because the weather doesnt favor dollar spot as much then and the disease doesnt cause any significant damage Scott Brickley has attacked dollar spot in the spring with boscalid with great success The golf course superintendent at the public 18 hole Bunker Hill Golf Course in Medina Ohio applies it only once in the spring and that typically gets him through the year We might get a small outbreak in the fall but we can accept that he says Ted Cox combats dollar spot on bentgrass Poa annua greens with a preventive program The superintendent at Scott Brickley discovered a successful program to combat dollar spot at his Ohio course