2024 Prestige Catalogue

Collier Turf Care Educational Centre

Wall Charts

Collier Turf Wallchart 17/5/18 10:32 Page 1

TURF WEEDS

TURF DISEASES

Parsley piert Aphanes australis

Daisy Bellis Perennis

Chickweed Stellaria media

Microdochium patch (Fusarium) Microdochium nivale

Red thread Laetisaria fuciformis

Fairy rings (Type 1) Basidiomycetes

A low growing annual with pale dusky green, hairy leaves. It has deep cut wedge shaped leaves, three cleft with deep lobes. Likes dry conditions and sandy loams.

A common perennial turf weed with white flowers with a yellow centre. Thrives on close mown turf and in alkaline conditions. Mainly flowers in late spring through to summer but can flower all year round.

A soft stemmed annual plant with small hairs along the stem. It has oval leaves that form opposite each other. It has very small white flowers that are fol lowed by seed pods. Control before flowering to help prevent reoccurrence the following year.

Symptoms start as a darkened water-soaked patch of about 5-10mm. The patches enlarge and may develop salmon-pink to orange-brown rings of conidia around the outside of the patches. It can then develop white, pink or grey mycelia that grow over the patch surface; this can often be seen early in the morning. All turf can suffer with Microdochium patch, however grass swards dominant in Poa annua , are the most susceptible.

Red thread develops on the plant surface and does not generally cause severe damage but aesthetically is undesirable, symptoms start as small mostly circular patches of dead leaves interspersed with live plants. The patches have a pink tinge. Closer inspection will reveal pale pink to red needle or horn-like outgrowths. In later stages the Read thread troughs out pink flocks of mycelium resembling candyfloss.

Fairy rings are classified in 4 types: Type 1, Type 2, Type 3 and superficial fairy rings (or Thatch fungi). Within each of these four groups there may be many individual fungi that cause fairy ring development, but within each group the symptoms that these fungi cause will be very similar. Type 1 fairy rings typically have a ring of dead grass which is bordered on both sides by a band of stimulated grass growth. Fungal fruiting bodies may be found.

Buttercup Ranunculus repens

Yarrow Achillea millefolium The fine feathery leaves and deep fleshy rhizomes of yarrow make it particularly drought resistant. It produces an abundance of small white flowers between May and July. Difficult to control with some selective herbicides.

Pearlwort Sargina procumbens

Anthracnose Colletotrichum cereale

Take all patch Gaeumannomyces graminis

Fairy rings (Type 2) Basidiomycetes

A creeping perennial which sends out runners that then root and produce a new plant. Bright yellow flowers throughout the summer. Prefers damp conditions on heavy ground.

Pearlwort is a low growing mat forming plant with glossy leaves and small white flowers, April to September. It grows in moist environments. It has very thin waxy leaves and is difficult to control with many selective herbicides. Although a perennial it does yellow and suffer through the winter weather.

Anthracnose is most common on Poa annua but has been noted on other grasses. The disease pathogen can cause two types of disease depending on weather con ditions. Foliar blight is often mistaken for drought. The grass turns yellow with irregular patches. Basal rot begins as yellowing of older leaves on individual plants. The youngest leaf may become brick red in the later stages of development. The plant easily pulls from the turf and a black rot is visible at the base of the stem. Pale regular spots roughly the size of an American dollar. Spots are bleached white. The spots may coalesce to form large areas of affected turf. White mycelium may be present on affected areas on dewy mornings, which disappear as the leaves dry. Applying cold water to a hot green can cause the Dollar spot to spread vigorously. Water early mornings rather than in the evening to avoid this. Dollar spot Sclerotinia homoeocarpa

Take-all patch symptoms begin as a slight reddening or bronzing of bentgrass usually in a ring during summer months. As the bentgrass dies resistant grass species or broad-leaved weeds invade the centre of the patch. Patches can measure from a few centimetres in diameter to over a metre and become irregular in shape. Symptoms may fade in late autumn and winter. It is most common on fairly newly constructed USGA greens but can also occur following repeated heavy sand dressings. Yellow tuft is a fungus that lives on the grass plant tissue but does not kill the plant. It is most commonly found on annual meadow grass and bent grasses. Yellow tuft produces small yellowing tufts of grass with thick bases and very little root; it can therefore be easily plucked out of the sward. Once it infects a grass plant it can remain dormant for a long time before sporulation and the effects show. Yellow tuft spreads in surface water and is often found in damp poorly-drained areas. Yellow tuft Sclerophthora macrospora

Type 2 fairy rings are typically a ring of stimulated grass growth with or without the fungal fruiting bodies. They do not cause any direct damage to the turf but aesthetically they can spoil the appearance of lawns and the lush growth can severely affect the playing surface of sports turf.

Dandelion Taraxacum officinale

Speedwell Veronica

Mayweed Matricaria maritima

Fairy rings (Type 3) and Thatch fungus Basidiomycetes Type 3 fairy rings generally show no change in the growth of the grass but are evident only by the presence of rings of fungal fruiting bodies. Superficial fairy rings or Thatch fungus are caused by fungal activity in the thatch. They can cause rings or patches of yellowed or darker green turf and may also be associated with slight depressions of the turf surface. Fruiting bodies will not be seen with superficial fairy rings.

A deep rooted perennial that forms a large rosette with large round yellow flowers. The seed heads produce an abundance of seed that is easily spread by the wind.

There are numerous species of Speedwell that are considered to be lawn weeds and they look very much alike. The most common ones found in sports turf and lawns is the Birds Eye Speedwell and Ivy leaf Speedwell.

A star shaped weed that adapts to grow just below mowing height. Prevalent on acidic heathland and moorland areas and sometimes found on parkland areas but not found on chalk downland. It produces a white flower with a yellow centre similar to a daisy. If allowed to flower each plant can produce large amounts of seeds.

Ribwort plantain Plantago lanceolate

White clover Trifolium repens

Ragwort Senecio jacobea

GRASS SEEDS

TURF PESTS

A rosette forming perennial turf weed with distinctive ribbed leaves. It produces a long hairy flower spike with an abundance of seeds. Will grow almost anywhere but prefers soils above pH 5.

White clover is a very common turf weed, it flowers with a small white flower from June to September and produces thousands of seeds that are dispersed and become viable within 2 weeks. As well as a large seed bank Clover also speeds by stolons. Clovers fix nitrogen from the air giving a darker green area to the turf.

Although a biennial, when mown close it produces a rosette that is persistent and exhibits perennial properties. As it gets older it becomes woody and can cause uneven playing surfaces. It is classified as an injurious weed under the weeds act 1959.

Perennial ryegrass Lolium perenne Seeds per gram: 700 Optimum pH range: 5.8 – 7.4 Salt tolerance: Medium Rhizomes/Stolons/Tufted: T Shade tolerance: Average

Strong creeping red fescue Festuca rubra rubra Seeds per gram: 1,000 Optimum pH range: 5.5 – 6.8 Salt tolerance: Weak

Earthworm Lumbricus

Earthworms eat decaying plant material and thatch and do not damage the turf. There are 25 species of common earthworm that are commonly found in the UK but only 3 produce casts. They are the Lob worm, Grey worm and the Blackhead worm.

Buckshorn plantain Plantago coponopus

Yellow suckling clover Lesser trefoil

Selfheal Prunella vulgaris

Rhizomes/Stolons/Tufted: R Shade Tolerance: Very Good

Narrow lance-shaped leaves. It grows in sandy open soils, often found growing close to the sea as it is quite salt resistant.

Yellow suckling Clover has a small rounded yellow flower right through summer from May to October. It spreads quickly and can form large clumps which look unsightly and can affect the playing surface on sports turf.

A member of the mint family, it has hairy leaves, grows quickly and spreads over lawns to form large patches competing with grass. It flowers with large rounded purple flower from June to November. It is easily spread by seed.

Browntop bent Agrostis capillaris Seeds per gram: 14,000 Optimum pH range: 5.6 – 7.0 Salt tolerance: Moderate Rhizomes/Stolons/Tufted: R Shade tolerance: Good

Hard fescue Festuca trachyphylla Seeds per gram: 2,000 Optimum pH range: 4.5 – 7.5 Salt tolerance: Good Rhizomes/Stolons/Tufted: T Shade Tolerance: Very Good

Leatherjacket Tipula paludosa

There are several species of leatherjackets (larvae of crane flies) that feed on the roots and stem bases of lawn grasses and other plants. The adult crane flies, commonly known as daddy-longlegs mostly emerge and lay eggs in the turf or soil surface from August to October.

Greater plantain Plantago major

Field woodrush Luzula campestris Course, broad grass like dark green leaves fringed with silky hairs. It favours very acidic conditions and spreads by creeping stolons. Flowers early in the spring and produces dark brown seed heads.

Toadrush Jancus bufonius

Large oval green leaves with between 5 and 9 large thick veins that are clear once the leaf is removed. The greater plantain is the most common and grows well in compacted low fertile areas.

Toadrush is a very fine rush that forms a tight bundle of green, purple and reddish shoots. They have a hard woody base with very little root and can therefore quite easily be pulled out. It tends to grows in areas that persistently lay damp, such as turf with a compacted thatch layer.

Creeping bent Agrostis stolonifera Seeds per gram: 16,000 Optimum pH range: 5.6 – 7.0 Salt tolerance: Good Rhizomes/Stolons/Tufted: S Shade Tolerance: Good

Tall fescue Festuca arundinacea Seeds per gram: 450 Optimum pH range: 5.5 – 7.0 Salt tolerance: Good Rhizomes/Stolons/Tufted: T Shade Tolerance: Very Good

Chafer Grub Phyllopertha horticola There are 3 types of Chafer grub but the most common found in turf are the Garden Chafer. The different species have different lengths of life cycle (1, 2 or 3 years). Adult chafer beetles are small coppery green that scurry across the turf and feed on the grass leaf through spring but are generally not a problem. The adult beetles fly up from turf in large numbers at dusk from late May to June. Eggs are laid in the turf and these hatch a few weeks later.

Get our Grass Guys Weekly Disease Blog delivered to your inbox every Monday! Email sales@collier-turf-care.co.uk or speak to your Local Area Technical Sales Representative. For professional advice and product recommendations on turf disease, weeds, pests and grass seed, please contact the the Grass Guys.

Chewings fescue Festuca rubra commutata Seeds per gram: 1,000 Optimum pH range: 5.5 – 6.8 Salt tolerance: Weak Rhizomes/Stolons/Tufted: T Shade Tolerance: Good

Annual meadowgrass Poa annua Seeds per gram: 6,500 Optimum pH range: 5.5 – 7.5 Salt tolerance: Weak Rhizomes/Stolons/Tufted: T Shade Tolerance: Good

Frit fly Oscinella frit

The Frit fly is a shiny black insect that is around 2mm in length. It has 3 life cycles each year. The adult fly lays its eggs on the grass leaf, the eggs hatch into small maggots that then burrow into the roots and leaf shoots, causing withering and yellowing.

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Slender creeping red fescue Festuca rubra litoralis Seeds per gram: 1,000 Optimum pH range: 5.5 – 6.8 Salt tolerance: Good Rhizomes/Stolons/Tufted: R Shade Tolerance: Good

Smooth-stalked meadowgrass Poa pratensis Seeds per gram: 3,300 Optimum pH range: 5.8 – 7.5 Salt tolerance: Weak Rhizomes/Stolons/Tufted: R Shade Tolerance: Poor

St Mark’s Fly Biblio marci

St. Mark’s Flies are so called because they emerge around St Mark’s Day (25th April) every year and can be seen in flight in May. They are most common on downland turf but can be found elsewhere. The St. Mark’s Fly has a short adult life cycle; they are in flight for only one week. The majority of their time is spent as larvae in the soil. During autumn and winter the larvae feed on decaying thatch and roots. In spring the males emerge a few days before the females, they mate and die shortly afterwards.

Photographic credits: Dollar spot, Take all patch, Fairy rings, Yellow tuft, with kind permission of Syngenta. Grass Seeds with kind permission of Barenbrug. Microdochium, Red Thread - Kris Lord. Parsley Piert, White Clover and Leatherjacket - Simon. Anthracnose - Turf Republic. Buttercup - Carine06. Yarrow - NY State IPM Program at Cornell University. Buckshorn Plantain - Hugh Knott. Speedwell – Arria Belli. Copyright Collier Turf Care 2018.

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