Weed of the week: Yellow hawkweed (Hieracium pratense Tausch)

While driving through Berks County in southeastern Pennsylvania last week, I noticed patches of yellow flowers blooming in many lawns, cemeteries, and other low maintenance turf areas. At first glance these flowers looked like dandelions, but upon closer inspection, I noticed they had all the characteristics of yellow hawkweed.

Yellow hawkweed is common in lawns that are under-fertilized, acidic, and/or droughty. This species is a member of the aster family (Compositae) and has a perennial life cycle, spreading by seeds, rhizomes, and stolons. Bright yellow flowers are produced in clusters of 2 or more on long (6 - 18 inches), hairy, leafless flower stalks during late May and early June (a few weeks after the peak dandelion bloom). Leaves grow in a rosette at the base of flower stalks, and individual leaves are oblanceolate, elliptical, with smooth margins. Leaves and stems are covered with long, coarse, stiff hairs which serve as a good identifying feature of yellow hawkweed.

Yellow hawkweed is easily controlled with commercial broadleaf herbicides containing 2,4-D, MCPP, and dicamba. Control is best achieved when applied to foliage when plants are young and actively growing.

E.H. Griffith Endowed Scholarship Awarded to Penn State Turfgrass Science Student

The Penn State Turfgrass Program is pleased to announce the first annual E.H. Griffith Endowed Scholarship award. This scholarship will be awarded annually to a deserving Penn State Turfgrass Science student nominated by the faculty at Penn State. E.H. Griffith, Inc. recently created an endowment at Penn State, the proceeds from which will be used to fund this annual scholarship. E.H. Griffith, Inc. began in 1931, when Elliot Howard Griffith went to Pittsburgh with Toro Commercial Equipment and Milorganite and started a distributorship in Eastern Pittsburgh. Today, E.H. Griffith, Inc., using Toro and Milorganite as its backbone, has developed into a distributorship of many products and services devoted to the commercial turf market including golf courses, landscapers, lawn care operators, municipalities, schools, athletic fields, and estates.

This year's E.H. Griffith scholarship winner is Mr. James Cross (shown in photo with Mr. Randy Zidik, representing E.H. Griffith, Inc). Mr. Cross graduated near the top of his class and has been involved in plant breeding research as an undergraduate student at Penn State. Mr. Cross will be continuing his education, pursuing a M.S. in turfgrass breeding from Rutgers University.

Everyone in the Penn State Turf Program congratulates Mr. Cross and expresses sincere appreciation to E.H. Griffith for their support of Penn State Turfgrass Science Students.

PTC Awards Scholarships

On Thursday, May 6, 2010 the Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council (PTC) Awarded scholarships to three outstanding graduating seniors in Penn State's undergraduate turfgrass science major.

The $2,000 scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement and leadership potential. This year's recipients included Devin Rickabaugh (pictured above), Nick Gialloreto, and Brandon Anderson.  The students were honored at a recent luncheon meeting at the Nittany Lion Inn.

Read the full story here. (Originally posted by Andrew McNitt)

Weed of the week: Daisy or annual fleabane

Daisy fleabane (Erigeron annuus) is a common, and fast-growing broadleaf weed found in Pennsylvania lawns and other low maintenance turf areas. This species is a member of the aster family, and has an annual life cycle - germinating from seed in early spring, flowering in early to mid May, and dying at the end of the growing season. Its common name comes from the belief that dried plant material will repel fleas.

If not mowed, daisy fleabane plants can grow over three feet tall, but typically reach only a few inches in height before being mowed in lawns. When flower buds begin to form, the top of the plant bends over to form a Sheppard’s crook. Lower leaves are elongated, lance-shaped with serrated margins, and tend to grow in a rosette. Upper leaves on stems are smaller, narrow, and alternately arranged on stems.

Daisy fleabane is easily recognized by the small clusters of daisy-like flowers produced at the top of each plant. Flowers are about ½–¾" in diameter, the central disk florets are yellow, and are surrounded by many (50-120) fringe-like white rays.

Daisy fleabane is easily controlled with a number of commercial broadleaf herbicides containing 2,4-D and other compounds. Control is best achieved when plants are young and actively growing.

Turfgrass Disease Update

Although the Northeastern United States has not had the considerable amount of rain that the people in Nashville have experienced, the late evening thunderstorms followed by temperatures continuing to climb towards 80F are prime for diseases.

Now that The Masters is over and The Players Championship is about to begin, golf is in full swing. With the high maintenance requirements for golf courses comes a higher incidence of potential disease problems. In the field we have been seeing increased cases of brown ring patch (waitea patch), leaf spot in some of the roughs, and continuing problems with anthracnose.  Although I would have thought that it was too early for dollar spot, I have heard of reports of the disease starting to appear in Northern New Jersey.  As unbelievable as it seems, we have also heard from a superintendent in Maryland who is reporting brown patch (Rhizoctonia solani) on his ryegrass fairways. This is extremely early for the disease to be starting, so we could be kicking off a very strange season regarding diseases!

Reports from the Turf Diseases Facebook page indicate that many of you are seeing excellent growing conditions and that the recent rains may even have you scrambling to get your roughs mowed to a playable height.  These conditions, however, have been excellent for those of you who timed your aerification right and recovery is now happening at a fast pace.

Other than that, not much chatter is happening around the region as everyone is probably in full swing with their season.  I suspect that it will be at least a month before the calls really start to roll in regarding problems in the field. In the meantime, enjoy the nice growing conditions and relatively healthy turf.