Any plant out of place is termed as a weed. Weeds on golf lawns detract the beauty of the lawns due to contrast in color and texture between the desired grass plants and weeds. Weeds compete with desired plants for food, space and water. This usually results in thinning the desired plant cover.
Weeds are the most striking biological disfiguration of the turf lawns. They do a lot of damage by interfering with inspection by competing with roots of perennial grasses making mowing very difficult. Weeding adds to the expenses of maintaining the turf grass. Millions are spent on herbicides each year on herbicides and labor for weeding.
Identification of weeds in golf course:
It is very important to know the emergence of the weed. It may be classed into two categories:
- Monocots: they emerge with single leaf. These are found in the turf grass and belong to family Gramineae. These are also very popular as weedy grasses.
E.g.:- crabgrass, quack grass, etc. - Dicots: these emerge with two seed leaves. They are called as broad leaf weeds.
E.g:- clover, dandelion, plantain, etc.
The weeds may be seasonal, annual, biannual or perennial. Effective weed control on the turf is based on the correct identification of the weeds. There is a lot of literature, charts, and pictures to identify common lawn weeds.
Control methods for weeds in golf grass:
The first and most important method to control the lawn weed is to have dense and vigorously growing turf grass. Weeds are the indicator of some underlying problem on the turf. It is important to addressed it instead of just killing the weeds and keeping the problem unsolved.
E.g:- knotweed is the indicator of some defect in the soil. This indicated to the poor compaction of soil and needs to be corrected. If the weed is removed without any correction, other weeds will soon invade the area.
Altering the cultural practices also is very effective in controlling the weeds. In these cases, the practices favoring the grass are followed instead of the weeds. This may include:
- Changing mowing frequency
- Changing mowing height
- The interval between subsequent irrigations
- Fertilizer applications
- Soil aerification, etc.
Herbicides for weed control in golf grass:
These are chemicals that prevent the growth of the plants. These are also called as weedicides. Depending on the time of application of the herbicides they are classified as:
- Preemergence Herbicides
- Post emergence Herbicides
A combination of correct cultural practices and prudent use of chemicals is essential to control weeds effectively in turf. It is very important to always read the label before using any herbicide as it may have a drastic effect on the golf greens.
