How to Treat Turf for Dollar Spot and Bluegrass Weevil
A Guide for Golf Course Superintendents and Turf Managers
Maintaining a healthy, beautiful golf course requires proper turf management, including regular monitoring and treatment for common pests and diseases. Two of the most common turf problems are dollar spot and bluegrass weevil. These pests can cause significant damage to turf if left untreated, leading to costly repairs and lost revenue. To help golf course superintendents and turf managers combat these issues, we have outlined the best practices for preventing and treating dollar spot and bluegrass weevil.
Prevention Should Be Priority Number One
Prevention is the key to avoiding turf problems, and a good prevention program should start with regular monitoring of the course. Available technology provides the ability to monitor soil conditions such as moisture and nutrient levels. Superintendents can easily identify and combat conditions that may lead to pests and disease taking hold.
Preventing Dollar Spot From Becoming a Turf Problem
Dollar spot thrives in specific conditions, most notably when turf is moist for too long when on set timing schedules. As a result, moisture gauges and monitoring equipment are critical for being able to prevent dollar spot. Alongside monitoring equipment, turf managers should consider changing their schedule to only irrigate during the early morning hours based on moisture levels.
Preventing Annual Bluegrass Weevils From Damaging Turf
In order to prevent Annual Bluegrass Weevils from causing turf damage, superintendents should apply insecticide around the time of peak adult emergence from over-wintering sites. In order to do this, it’s necessary to get the timing correct on when that emergence would actually peak.
Peak emergence can vary greatly depending upon a golf course’s location and springtime temperature variations. Because of this, we suggest making use of onsite weather stations such as those from Spectrum® Technologies, Inc. Alert packages can be added and thresholds set that would indicate and alert when peak emergence is near.
Treating Existing Dollar Spot and Bluegrass Weevil Problems
If prevention efforts fail, treating the problem quickly and effectively is critical to minimizing damage. For dollar spot, fungicides are the primary treatment method. For bluegrass weevil, insecticides are typically the best option. While insecticides will likely be used annually to prevent peak emergence, it may become necessary to apply second or third rounds of insecticides if the peak emergence period is missed.
Contact a Turf Specialist to Learn How To Improve Your Turf
Consult with a turf specialist for specific product and application recommendations and on how to implement a comprehensive prevention program to keep your course healthy and beautiful for years to come. If you’re interested in improving the resilience and play of your greens, contact Spectrum® Technologies, Inc. today to learn how our measurement tools can help improve your turf.
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