Poa Annua “Reptans”

GC Superintendent – posted 16 November 2004 00:37

Just for hypothetical fun let’s try this series of questions. I recently “inherited” a golf course that supposedly features the “Poa Reptans” turfgrass developed in MN for golf courses. Poa reptans is SUPPOSED to be what the greens and tees consist of at my course but that is not the case. There are no records to indicate what type of bentgrass(es) may have been introduced other than numerous pails of Penncross, Putter, Penn A-2 and maybe a couple of others that slip my mind at the moment.(putter-cross?) I see there are some turf minded folks in here that do know their stuff so I’m wondering how you can tell which breed of bentgrass is which? I can tell what Penncross is and I don’t see it on the greens.(which were mowed at 110/1000ths for some reason) Despite the low mowing height, the greens are in really good shape. The greens are USGA spec. Could it be the Penn A-2 that tolerates this low cut or the Putter?(the A-2 is the latest of the bentgrass seed I have. It would have been handy if the Origin ID/date tags were left on the pails wouldn’t it?) I was wondering if any of you had any experience with the Poa reptans which I do still see on the tees. Is it worth managing? It’s Poa so my initial feeling is TURF ENHANCER but I don’t have a huge budget. I have a supply of Turf Enhancer on hand that I could possibly manage about ten teeing areas with(for the year) along with a bentgrass overseeding program. Basically, I have tees that look like garbage because of KBG, bentgrass and this Poa reptans. I can mow out the bluegrass. I have all the bentgrass seed and varieties I could ever want to choose from that are not getting newer and fresher in the opened pails. The answer seems obvious until you factor in the chemical apps and my ultra lean budget. What is the leanest rate/K of Chlorothalonil anyone has ever achieved for an acceptable level of preventitive control regarding a fungus like dollar spot? I’m just curious if can do this at my current budget. Thank you to those who have read so far into this post. I appreciate any opinions on the matter. At least it is more challenging than the obligatory “Dog Pee” question.

Thanks

Ross Page – posted 17 November 2004 11:37

GC Superintendent, you seem to be getting yourself confused with the different varieties because you are looking into them in too much detail. Most bentgrass cultivars fall into one of 4 categories:1: Creeping bent! Pencroos is the most widely used variety but has shallow rooting and lacks resistance to Pythium and Rhizoctonia. It also tends to form into patches during fall, becomes grainy and reduces in green colour. Blends such as Cato and Crenshaw have a higher heat, disease resistance as well as finer leaf and higher density. They also have deeper rooting than the Pencross varieties. If you look at the crown hieght of the plant against turfgrass charts then you might be able to tell what cultivar youve got. The newer varieties such as:Penn A or G sereis, Crenshaw, and L-93 have a high tolerance to disease and all can be mowed lower than older varieties:typically 5/32 to 1/8. They also have a very aggressive growth habit which results in thatch build up, scalping and puffiness, therefore needs more aggressive management. Compare your management practices to that of a similar course in your area and this might give you results.

The recommendations I would make about avoiding disease are::Avoid extreme nitrogen deficiency, low micronutrient levels, excessive thatch accumulation, heavy dews, dry soil.Applying low levels of chlorothalonil will only encourage the plant to reduce its resistance against the disease.Try some biological innoculants if this is cheaper like Trichoderma. Ross From Scotland