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Jessica Schwartz
What Are The Top Turfgrass Challenges Anticipated For 2022?
Weather is inconsistent; crabgrass, nutsedge, and brown patch can be counted on. With last year’s employment and supply chain issues, the usual technical challenges, like hard-to-control weeds and diseases, did not go away. Looking back on 2021 from Weed Man’s national perspective of franchises across North America, there were plenty of challenging turfgrass issues. Remembering these challenges can help us be on the lookout and prepared for what 2022 may have in store. Weathering Challenges A big part of the challenge when it comes to weeds and disease is related to weather—and unfortunately, we have no control over this major factor. 2021 was a year of weather extremes from record-shattering heat to frigid cold waves, torrential downpours to relentless drought. Weather plays a major role in the amount of weeds as well as the types and severity of diseases. But it also has major implications on efficacy of treatment applications. For example, in mid-February 2021, a historic cold wave crippled the Central U.S. It was especially disruptive to the weed applications already started, from Texas all along the Gulf States. Cold weather can make weed control difficult and slow down weed death; not to mention concerns for equipment freezing. In early summer, the Central U.S. again saw several severe weather systems, producing significant thunderstorms and some hail. These storms were particularly hard on pre-emergent controls as heavy rain can reduce effectiveness. These storms also brought adult army worms which created major issues later in the season. The East and ...
Turf Care: Summer Disease Solutions
Summer is in full swing, and once again professional lawn care operators are faced with a familiar foe—turf disease. From June through August, cool-season grasses are more commonly affected by disease than warm-season grasses—which tend to experience more disease pressure in the spring and fall. Though it’s difficult to predict exactly which diseases will be more widespread in any given year, if you are growing perennial ryegrass and tall fescue, you’ll likely see your share of Pythium blight, brown patch, and gray leaf spot this summer. If your landscape business is located where turfgrasses like bermudagrass are prevalent, spring dead spot will be a common malady come next spring. Maintaining sound cultural practices such as fertilization, pruning trees and shrubs, aeration, and proper mowing techniques are only part of the equation in creating and maintaining healthy turf. Fending off disease and keeping customers happy requires an understanding of the link between how ever-changing environmental conditions promote specific diseases in your region. Turfgrass diseases appear when specific environmental conditions occur in conjunction with a continual attack by a pathogen on a susceptible host plant. In plant pathology, these three requirements—host, pathogen, and environment—make up what is termed the “disease triangle.” The longer the amount of time the three legs of the triangle are present, the greater potential for the pathogen to perpetuate and spread disease. The best way to prevent and control turfgrass disease is to interrupt this disease triangle. In order to appropriately disrupt this interaction, it is important ...
