Introduction

Annual bluegrass is the most widespread species of maintained turfgrass. A large portion of the golf tournaments sponsored by the United States Golf Association and the Professional Golfers Association, are held on courses whose greens are composed of a substantial percentage of annual bluegrass. Even though some golf course superintendents purposely plant annual bluegrass on fairways, roughs, and greens, some professionals consider annual bluegrass to be an obnoxious weed.

Annual Bluegrass Used for Turf

The main reason for annual bluegrass use on greens is because it can tolerate a lower cutting that a lot of species. It survives at such low heights as 3.2 mm. You can maintain this low mowing height on greens because annual bluegrass has a high competition density. Mowing it at this low height also decreases the chances of invasive weeds taking over the putting green. Although annual bluegrass can withstand these lower heights, to get the maximum quality on the golf course, try planting annual bluegrass on the fairways. If the fairways are mowed at 12.7 mm, this would be the optimum height for bluegrass. Unless you have serious drainage problems in certain areas of the rough, bluegrass is also a great choice for this part of the course.

Contolling Annual Bluegrass as a Weed

Annual bluegrass can also be considered a weed of many turfgrasses. If a single pathch of annual bluegrass is found, remove it quickly before seed production starts. Do not over water greens made up of creeping bentgrass because this will promote annual bluegrass growth. Species of bluegrass require more nitrogen for germination than creeping bentgrass, so do not over fertilize greens of this stature. A biological approach to controlling annual bluegrass would be to induce a disease the annual bluegrass is susceptible to. Summer patch (Magnaporthe Poae), anthracnose (Colletotrichum graminicola), and bacterial wilt (Xanthomonas campestris) are three of these diseases. The best way to prevent annual bluegrass in unwanted areas is to simply prevent infestations.

References

"Annual Bluegrass." Common Lawn Weeds. Via Rural. 10 Oct. 2005 <http://www.aces.edu/Tallapoosa/weed-control/annual-bluegrass.htm>.

"Annual Bluegrass." Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. 23 Feb. 2005. USGS. 11 Oct. 2005 <http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/index.htm>.

"Annual Bluegrass." Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. 3 Oct. 2005. University of California. 11 Oct. 2005 <http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/index.html>.

"Poa Annua." Via Rural. 11 Oct. 2005 <http://www.viarural.com.ar/viarural.com.ar/agricultura/malezas/poa-annua01.htm>.

Vargas, J M., and A J. Turgeon. Poa Annua. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2004.

Photos

http://www.viarural.com.ar/viarural.com.ar/agricultura/malezas/poa-annua01.htm

http://www.aces.edu/Tallapoosa/weed-control/weeds/annual-bluegrass1.jpg

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