Great Spring Weather for Poa

Have had several questions and comments about the amount of Poa annua (annual bluegrass) seen on the greens this Spring. The cool Spring that we are having has given the Poa ample time to seed thus making the plants much more noticable for a longer time period then normal. Also, the desirable turf species on our greens, creeping bentgrass, thrives under slightly higher temperatures then does the Poa. Therefore the plant growth regulator we use for Poa control is not quite as effective because it works by stunting the growth of the Poa so the bentgrass may outcompete it. With the bentgrass not growing as much the competition is not there.

There is some good news. We are one of about 200 golf courses throughout the United States (there are approximately 16,000 total golf courses in the United States)  testing a new product from Korea called PoaCure. We have two plots each measuring 1,000 sq. ft. One is located on the putting green and the other in #17 fairway.

There have been many products that claim to be the silver bullet for Poa annua eradication but each has it's pluses and minuses. So far, this particular product seems to come closest to being "the one" that will get rid of Poa. It works by slowly killing the Poa giving the bentgrass enough time to fill-in where the Poa plant was. This product is also very safe for the bentgrass.

This picture shows an untreated Poa plant.

This next photo shows a Pos plant treated with PoaCure and the bentgrass filling in to take it's place.

Of course in areas with too much Poa this is not an effective control because the bentgrass would be unable to fill-in fast enough leaving many bare areas.

More testing needs to be done before this product becomes registered for use in this country. But it has been on the market for several years in Korea with great success.

Fortunately, since we are a test site we will have full access to this product about 2 years before it reaches market.

Am looking forward to seeing how this product does over the Spring and Summer here at Fieldstone.