Turf Pest Identification Biologi

Most of the plants we consider weeds are very hardy many can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions they are also good competitors in fact some plants including certain weeds produce chemicals that inhibit the growth of other plants this chemical warfare is called allelopathy many weeds produce a large number of seeds the seeds of some species may remain viable for long periods many weeds have very effective ways to spread their seeds some weeds invade new areas by vegetative means for example some plants send out runners stolons or rhizomes above or below ground in addition many turf weeds grow low and close to the ground so they can tolerate mowing.

They compete with desirable grasses for water nutrients light and space weeds in turf reduce the uniformity or color and texture in a stand this in turn can reduce both the aesthetic and the functional value of the turf stand in some situations weeds detract from the appearance of a landscape more importantly a weed invasion in some sites would make them less serviceable (ex. Golf green) or pose a safety hazard (ex, professional sports turf) some weed species harbor insects and diseases that can move to and infest ornamental turf certain weeds produce chemicals that people find irrigation or allergenic.

Broadleaf plants have a network of leaf vines; flower parts in twos, fours of fives a taproot; and two seed leaves. Grasses have parallel leaf veins flower parts in threes a fibrous root system and one seed leaf.

Grasses have round or flattened stems sedges generally have triangular stems when looking down a stem grass leaves come off in two directions sedge leaves emerge in three directions.

Summer annuals germinate in spring or summer. Winter annuals germinate in late summer, fall, or winter.

Two years.

Perennial.

Bud- look for a new shoot cut though the stem to see if the leaf is rolled or folded in the bud. Collar- The collar is the area on the outer side of the leaf where the blade and sheath join to examine it, lay the leaf flat underside up use a hand lens to check the size shape and top and bottom edges of the collar. Ligule- The ligule is a structure that clasps the stem at the junction of the blade and the sheath Remove a leaf from it’s stem and look at the upper surface where the blade and sheath join If there is a ligule examine it with a hand lens to see it’s size shape and texture.

Auricles are appendages that project from either side of the collar some grasses have absences of auricles- and their shape if present-can help to identify grasses and grassy weeds Auricles may be slender or claw like long or short.

Common chickweed, stellaria media

This broadleaf weed is in the mint family and has a square stem It’s sturdy smooth stem is green to purple in color In spring henbit produces small trumpets-shaped pink to purple flower grouped in clusters of 6 to 10 In whorls in the axils of upper leaves.

Knotweed polygonum aciculares.

Speedwells Verónica spp.

They grow low and close to the ground and can tolerate close mowing.

They have a basal rosette of leaves and can tolerate mowing

Dandelion leaves grow in a prostrate basal rosette They produces numerous seeds which are spread by wind They have a strong taproot If you attempt pull or dig them up but leaves a bit or the taproot the plant will regenerate.

The shape of the leaves the form of the rosette and the seed head are different Also one prefers sun and the other shade Broadleaf plantain has a large basal rosette of broad oval wavy- edged leaves 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15.0cm) long A long erect leafless flowering stalk 5 to 10 inches (13 to 26 cm) long arises from the center of the rosette This stalk produces tiny inconspicuous flowers along most of its length Broadleaf plantain prefers damp nutrient-rich soil in shady areas Buckhorn plantain has a basal rosette of narrow parallel-veined leaves 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm in length The rosette is somewhat upright A long erect leafless stem arises from the center of the rosette it produces small inconspicuous flowers with 0.25 inch (0.6cm) white stamens in a 1 to 2 inch (2.5 to 5.0 cm) terminal cluster Buckhorn plantain prefers nutrient-rich soil and full sun.

Dandelion leaves grow in a prostrate basal rosette They are simple long and narrow and deeply notched Leaf length and notch size varies Dandelion do not have a stem They do have a thick fleshy central taproot which may be up to 2 feet (0.6m) long Flower stalks arise from the center of the rosette Flowers are bright yellow The numerous flower petals form a round cluster Each flower cluster grows on the end of a long hollow seed balls Each individual seed is attached to a turf of fluffy white hairs that enables this small seed to be carro by wind like a parachute Flower stalks leaves and taproot exude a milky sap when cut.

Ground ivy is usually found in rich damp shady areas where drainage is poor Ground ivy and some of the speedwells have creeping stems but speedwells do not have a square stem henbit and ground ivy are both in the min family and both have square stem however henbit does not have creeping stems that root at the nodes When mowed ground ivy gives off a mint like odor it is a perennial and the other two plants are annuals.

Both plants have small leaves and the same growth habit:prostrate creeping stems that root at the nodes To recognize mouse-ear chickweed look for leaves that look and feel like mouse ears The leaves are dull and hairy not shiny and smooth.

Red sorrel leaves grow in a rosette and are arrow-shaped This plant has tiny yellow-green or red-brown flowers on long red or maroon-tinged flowering stems.

Violets have heart-shaped leaves with rounded teeth on their margins They usually grow in shady locations The flowers are pansy-like Flowers may be purple blue or blue and white.

Both plants have three leaflets per leaf One way to tell them apart is to look closely at the leaflets White clover leaflets are rounded at the tip and taper at the base There are white crescent markings on each leaflet that give the white clover leaf a corona effect yellow woodsorrel leaflets are pale green and uniform in color They are distinctly heart-shaped white clover flowers are white spherical clusters Yellow wood sorrel flowers are yellow and have five petals White clover is often found in full sun it can tolerate close mowing and low nitrogen (N) and is often prevalent in droughty areas yellow wood sorrel tends to invade disturbed sites and move in from woodland edges it is very shade-tolerant and can withstand a wide range of soil types and environmental conditions it has a more upright growth form than white clover.

Bluegrass.

Annuals bluegrass and roughatalk bluegrass are considered to be weeds in turf The main reason is that they are summer-dormant Annuals bluegrass grows vigorously in spring but dies in early summer leaving unsightly bare spots Roughstalk bluegrass is a perennial but it will turn brown in summer.

Look for a large-bladed grass with leaves rolled in the bud and shiny on the underside a broad collar and a short ligule Also look for claw like auricles and stems with a red tinge at the base of the sheath.

Annual ryegrass and quackgrass in addition both grasses have leaves that are rolled in the bud short ligules and broad collars.

Annual ryegrass is green while quackgrass is bluish green annual ryegrass has sheaths that are reddish at the base Quackgrass is a perennial that produces an extensive system of sharp long strong rhizomes.

Green kyllinga purple nutsedge yellow nutsedge and annual sedge.

Green kyllinga resembles a nutsedge only when it is young in early stages you can tell these plants apart by examining underground parts green kyllinga has red to purple rhizomes and does not form tubers As green kyllinga mature the difference in the plan leaves are obvious it forms a clump of narrow dark green smooth very shiny leaves nutsedge leaves form in groups of thee to tell purple from yellow nutsedge examine the seedhead or the tubers purple nutsedge seed heads are more open than those of yellow nutsedge purple nutsedge seeds are reddish purple yellow nutsedge seeds are yellow the tubers of purple nutsedge are often connected in chains and bitter to the taste The tubers of yellow nutsedge are solitary and sweet.

Crabgrass leaves are blue-green Large crabgrass leaves are hairy The sheath is greenish red with long stiff hairs smooth crabgrass has smooth sheaths and leaves with hairs only in the collar region A clump of goose grasses has a distinctive white or silver center The leaves of crabgrasses are rolled in the bud while those of goosegrass are folded in the bud.

Dallisgrass is a tall coarse yellow- green perennial warm-season grass it grow rhizomes its leaves are rolled in the bud The membranous ligule is tall and there are hairs on the upper leaf surface and on leaf edges near the broad smooth collar Small plants most closely resemble crabgrass However dallisgrass differs in that its leaves are often twice as wide and have short rhizomes.

Japanese stiltgrass is a leggy spindly grass with relatively wide short pale green leaves it is usually found growing In shady areas Leaves are folded in the bud the collar is wide and the ligule is short and hairy it has an off-center midvein that does not divide a leaf into two equal halves.

Foxtail form bright green mounds leaves Their leaves are rolled in the bud and the ligule is hairy Their seedheads are erect or nodding spikes resembling bushy tails.

Wild garlic has 2 to 3 hollow round dark green leaves These leaves arise near the base of the plant from a small bulb covered with a thin whitish papery coat if you rub the leaves or the bulb you will smell a distinct onion-garlic odor.

Both are perennial grasses They are similar in overall appearance and growth habit However nimblewill is usually smaller and grayish green in color On frequently-mowed sites nimblewill looks stemmy in the fall and it turns brown to off—white in winter Nimblewill has a membranous ligule while the ligule of common bermudagrass has a fringe of hairs common bermudagrass produces thick stolons while nimblewill has thin stems that root at the nodes.

Annual sedge has 3-sided stems and waxy shiny leaves like other sedges Annual sedge differs from perennial sedges in that it does not produce rhizomes or tubers and its leaves are narrower.

You should start by confirming that the environment is right for the type of grass you are trying to grow Most turfgrass species and varieties have climate site and soil type requirements A mismatch will lead to stress in addition certain pest ara specific to a species variety or environmental conditions.

First be sure that an arthropod is actually the cause of the problem Look for the pest itself or diagnostic clues like silken tunnels made by sod webworms if you are sure the turf is infested by a pest insect or mite here is a list of important things to know what sort of damage is the pest causing? What is the identity of the pest? What is it’s life cycle and what stage is the pest in now? How large is the pest population? Is it increasing or decreasing? How is it distributed?

Clover mites are active in cool weather They lay their eggs on the walls of buildings or the bark of trees and shrubs for this reason mite-caused turfgrass injury is often concentrated in areas near sun-exposed sides of buildings and large landscape features.

Mites are very small and usually feed on the under surface of leaves for that reason they are hard to see without a very close inspection knowing clover mite damage symptoms can help to alert you to a problem The leaves of heavily infected plants are discolored (silvery) or disfigured mites cause a general decline in condition A large infestation may result in death Look for clover mites if you see turf injury during cool weather in areas near sun-exposed sides of buildings trees at shrubs.

There white grubs are soil dwelling root-feeding pest: black turf atarnos. Japanese beetle and may and June beetle.

Mounds caused by grub tunneling can cause significant damage to gol course fairway and greens.

Black cutworms chinch bugs fall armyworm and sod webworms feed on above-ground plant tissues.

Larvae (caterpillars) are found above ground in turf or in tunnels close to the surface these pests are most vulnerable larval stage damage turf As a rule eggs and pupae are hard to locate and to turf moreover by the time these pests reach the pupal stage their damage has been done All of these pests are moths in the adult stage the winged adult do not feed or do not feed on turf some are active at night for these reasons they are not easy to control adults are prolific and mobile thus reducing the size of a pupal or adult population is not an effective way to reduce larval numbers.

Nymphs and adults have piercing-sucking mouthparts They feed by sucking sap from stems and crowns Extensive feeding causes turf to turn yellow then reddish brown chinch bugs damage turf in two ways by removing plant fluids and by injecting a toxin as they feed.

These insects thrive in hot dry weather Usually chinch bug damage first appears in sunny drought- stressed or heat-stressed areas.

Clover mites and chinch bugs suck plant juices.

Black cutworms and sod webworms larvae clip off and consume grass blades fall armyworm larvae usually skeletonize leaves eating soft tender tissue.

Cutworms larvae clip off grass blades and shorts This feeding damage usually shows up on golf green cutworms feeding produces a depression that looks like a ball mark when scouting for cutworms look for a pencil-sized hole in the middle of dead spots cutworms caterpillars are active at night when scouting during the day look for caterpillars resting in tunnels in areas where you see what may be cutworms feeding damage.

Typically early instars of fall armyworm larvae skeletonize leaves However older larvae (late instars) May eat most or all of a leaf Armyworm feeding produces areas of close-cropped grass larvae move in groups from areas where they have consumed most of the grass blades to ny lush areas Armyworm infestation usually occurs in dense turf stands Damage is most obvious in the late summer and fall scout for larvae feeding in groups during the morning or early afternoon Look for adults at night around lights look for egg clusters on light-colored objects near turf such as landscape plants goalposts fences buildings and metal gutters.

Larvae construct silken tubes and rest in them when not feeding larvae feed at night and on overcast days They eat tender leaves and stems of turf The first sign of a sod webworm infestation may be small brown patches of close-cropped grass Eventually damage will appear as dead spots 3 to 10 inches in diameter sod webworm prefer new sod fields and newly established lawns webworm prefer a higher cut turf than cutworms in irrigated stands sod webworm damage does not usually appear until late summer sod webworm damage is often mistaken for diseases Be sure to inspect damage areas closely and look for caterpillars resting in silken tunnels Adults may be seen resting on turfgrass stems facing downward when disturbed moths will fly a short distance in zig pattern.