Poa annua

Most of you probably know what poa is, its the lighter yellowish grass that is very noticeable in the spring and fall. This annual bluegrass is a very big problem due to its aggressiveness. It is able to outcompete the bentgrass and there is no current option to remove the poa without killing the bentgrass. There are a few products that are currently being tested that look promising for removing the grass, and I will continue to follow these.

The way I manage the poa is to keep a growth regulator on the greens which keeps the poa from seeding out and keeps the growth in check. One of the only problems with poa (besides the aesthetics) is that it grows faster than the bentgrass and can make the putts bumpy late in the day. Growth regulators keep the growth in check and can help keep the poa from spreading.

Poa is spread by aerification among other things, especially when the aeification is pushed early in the spring or late in the fall and cant heal quickly. It also encroaches rapidly when turf is unhealthy after thinning due to summer stress. Poa cannot take the summer heat very well and can succumb to disease (anthracnose) in the summer as well. This can cause problems if there is a high percentage of poa in the greens.

The best defense against poa is to keep it out in the first place, because once it gets in you can just manage and minimize its effects and try and keep it in check. Hopefully in the near future we will have a remedy to assist us in its eradication.

Spring

The golf season is in full swing and our staff is working hard to keep the course in good shape while trying to work on a few projects also. We have recently put out ropes in front of the greens to direct carts back to the paths and keep our green approaches and surrounds free of excess traffic. We also have just put yardage tags on the new sprinkler heads to help those of you like me that dont carry a fancy SkyCaddie.

The weather has cooled back to seasonal temperatures following our very warm early spring. This has slowed the growth of the bermuda considerably as it likes much warmer temps. With the warmer temperatures we have experienced and above average precip in the late winter/early spring, we are seeing some breakthrough with weeds on the course. Another factor helping this weed pressure is the bermuda being thin due to the heat and drought from last summer/fall.

We are mowing our fairways and tees at 5/8 of an inch and will keep this height through the middle of the summer when we may start to bump it up some. The greens are mowed at .120 inch currently and we try and keep the speed in the 9.5 to 10 range on the stimpmeter. We will likely raise the height some as summer stress sets in.