Moss on Upper Putting Green
(double click for enlarged image)
One problem we have at KGC that is becoming more common on golf courses is the growth of moss on putting greens. Moss is a primitive plant that is able to photosynthesize similar to regular, everyday plants but has some significant differences from plants it that it lacks roots and a vascular system. Moss, especially the species that is well adapted to putting greens, is very tolerant of drying out and is capable of remaining viable after 2 years of dessication (i.e. it will survive without water for that length of time).
Maintenance practices used on a modern golf course such as low height of cut, low fertility and sand top dressing all contribute to moss invading a putting green. Include environmental factors such as poor surface drainage and low light conditions and moss will find it easy to spread. Few chemical strategies are available for effective moss control. Most selective pesticides usually are required to be transported within a host to be effective. The lack of a vascular system in moss make this impossible. A non-selective herbicide is just that non-selective...it kills all plants which is not very useful when controlling moss on putting greens. Most moss control treatments act to stress the moss more than the surrounding turf. If moss has a weak spot it is its susceptibility to certain metals such as mercury, copper, silver, iron, and lead. In Canada (I think) iron sulphate and copper hydroxide are the only "metal" products sold for moss control.
We are fortunate since we only have moss on one area on one practice putting green and it hasn't reached epidemic proportions. We are trying to control moss by applying diluted baking soda directly to the moss. The unfortunate side effect is the phytotoxicity displayed by the turf.
Brown areas are the phytoxic spots
Close up of spots with moss in the middle
Maintenance practices used on a modern golf course such as low height of cut, low fertility and sand top dressing all contribute to moss invading a putting green. Include environmental factors such as poor surface drainage and low light conditions and moss will find it easy to spread. Few chemical strategies are available for effective moss control. Most selective pesticides usually are required to be transported within a host to be effective. The lack of a vascular system in moss make this impossible. A non-selective herbicide is just that non-selective...it kills all plants which is not very useful when controlling moss on putting greens. Most moss control treatments act to stress the moss more than the surrounding turf. If moss has a weak spot it is its susceptibility to certain metals such as mercury, copper, silver, iron, and lead. In Canada (I think) iron sulphate and copper hydroxide are the only "metal" products sold for moss control.
We are fortunate since we only have moss on one area on one practice putting green and it hasn't reached epidemic proportions. We are trying to control moss by applying diluted baking soda directly to the moss. The unfortunate side effect is the phytotoxicity displayed by the turf.
Brown areas are the phytoxic spots
Close up of spots with moss in the middle
These spots are the reason for this post. They appear within one day of spraying baking soda and make the green look a lot worse off than it is.
As an interesting aside: I am, technically, "breaking the law". Any product applied to pests as a form of control is classified as a pesticide. Since baking soda is not registered as a moss control product by the PMRA (see 7/21/2010 post) in Canada I cannot legal apply it to control moss, hence the "breaking the law" statement. Any product sold to control pest has to be registered with the PMRA as a pesticide and has to have a registration number. That includes products labelled as "environmentally friendly".
I can go on and on about pesticides and perception which, I guess, is the other reason I bring this up now. We are entering that part of the season when we are applying pesticides in preparation for winter disease prevention. When applying such products we follow label recommendation with respect to PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) which usually means spray suits, gloves, face mask, and sometimes a respirator. Those items are more a precaution for the applicator since the applicator is handling the undiluted product directly when mixing in the spray tank. The somewhat hypersensitive environment that exist today around the use of pesticides makes everyone nervous when they see an applicator wearing appropriate PPE. Everyday, common place precautions like washing your hands before you eat, drink, or smoke(!?!) are a good practice to get into whenever you come in from the outside. Somehow a discussion of moss has resulted in me getting on my pesticide soap box. I'll quit now.
As an interesting aside: I am, technically, "breaking the law". Any product applied to pests as a form of control is classified as a pesticide. Since baking soda is not registered as a moss control product by the PMRA (see 7/21/2010 post) in Canada I cannot legal apply it to control moss, hence the "breaking the law" statement. Any product sold to control pest has to be registered with the PMRA as a pesticide and has to have a registration number. That includes products labelled as "environmentally friendly".
I can go on and on about pesticides and perception which, I guess, is the other reason I bring this up now. We are entering that part of the season when we are applying pesticides in preparation for winter disease prevention. When applying such products we follow label recommendation with respect to PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) which usually means spray suits, gloves, face mask, and sometimes a respirator. Those items are more a precaution for the applicator since the applicator is handling the undiluted product directly when mixing in the spray tank. The somewhat hypersensitive environment that exist today around the use of pesticides makes everyone nervous when they see an applicator wearing appropriate PPE. Everyday, common place precautions like washing your hands before you eat, drink, or smoke(!?!) are a good practice to get into whenever you come in from the outside. Somehow a discussion of moss has resulted in me getting on my pesticide soap box. I'll quit now.
River Watch
September 24th
Wow! Was that a non-issue. I kinda feel like Chicken Little but if I'm going be wrong about anything let it always be this. Obviously, the rain has been a bonus as the water level at the river is as high as it was in early August. The rain and slower growth will most likely mean there is very little water use for the rest of the year so it looks like we dodged the no water bullet for 2010
