Maintaining Plant Health in Bermudagrass Greens in Winter

Maintaining healthy ultradwarf bermudagrass greens during the shoulder season is difficult due to a combination of both biotic and abiotic stresses.

• Wear/mechanical stress
  • Heavy play during the slow growth period is always problematic
  • Low heights of cut as well as natural growth patterns contribute to shallow roots on golf course putting greens
• Root pests/pathogens
  • Weakened roots are more susceptible to nematode damage, which creates more potential openings for root pathogens such as those that cause Pythium root rot and take-all root rot
  • Research from the University of Florida shows sting nematodes amplify Pythium root rot infection versus roots inoculated with Pythium alone
• Cultural solutions
  • Raise mowing height incrementally or alternate mowing and rolling
  • Sand topdress regularly to help raise “effective” height of cut
  • Vent with narrow solid tines to improve drainage and increase soil oxygen
• Envu solutions – consider tank mixes or rotations of the following:
  • Resilia™ - improves plant health by controlling all major root diseases that are active throughout winter including Pythium root rot, take-all root rot, and pathogenic nematodes
  • Signature^® XTRA Stressgard^® – Cornerstone of a greens program, backed by years of research, offering proven Pythium blight and Pythium root rot control and Stressgard’s ability to:
    • Increase chlorophyll
    • Increase photosynthesis
    • Increase root growth
    • Increase cellular membrane stability of stressed turf
  • Banol^® - Provides highly effective Pythium blight control, especially when combined with Signature XTRA, and no documented history of resistance
  • Indemnify^® – Highly effective nematicide providing excellent sting and root-knot control
  • Castlon™ - Envu’s latest QoI fungicide that is the ideal rotational partner with Resilia for proven root disease control
  • For leaf spot and cream leaf blight, consider Interface^® Stressgard which also features the benefits of Stressgard listed above
  • Though applications for take-all root rot should have been started in mid-summer, DMI fungicides like Mirage^® Stressgard, Tartan^® Stressgard, or Densicor^® should be continued into the fall for take-all
• Need more info? – Always follow label instructions and contact your Envu area sales manager if you need assistance