Current weather patterns for much of the territory are forecasting over the next 15 days to be low temps in the high 40’s to low 50’s and high temps in the 70’s. Rainfall patterns are in the forecast, but a drying trend seems to be developing. If the dew points increase, we should have a recipe for early season disease pressure.

The Michigan State University Snow Mold Field Day held at the Tree Tops Golf Club in Gaylord, Mich., was re-scheduled to this coming week.

So far, there have been reports of Brown Ring Patch & Yellow Patch in all parts of Michigan and Northern Ohio. Trinity has been the fungicide of choice for many of these applications. I recommend using first step of Emerald applications for early preventative dollar spot management for much of the territory.

It seems that golf play has been slow in getting started this season. As a result, many of the golf courses are less than optimistic on their view of 2008 due to increased fuel costs, fertilizer prices and increases to most of their inputs.

I met Kyle Miller in Ohio and we performed a one-day meeting schedule with researchers at Ohio State University. We met with the turf pathology team and discussed this year’s work. They provided us with the newest family of fungicides for their turf chart, which has been an excellent resource for turf managers to display in their shop.

Then we met with Dave Gardner (turf broadleaf) and John Street (turf grassy weeds). Kyle and I later met with Hannah Mathers (ornamental weed science) and Dennis Lewandowski (ornamental pathology). While Dennis currently does very little ornamental work at present, his plans are to increase his presence. Dr. Mathers is active in ornamental weed science and we shared with her our plans for Tower and FreeHand for this year.

We then drove north to Cleveland and met with Randy Zondag, he is director of extension in the Lake Country area and very closely connected to the ornamental business in the area. We discussed numerous opportunities for our ornamental products that would be great for growers in the area.

I am hearing reports of active Brown Ring Patch (Waitea Patch) in Western Michigan, Northern Ohio, & parts of Western Pennsylvania. Late curative applications of Insignia fungicide for Brown Ring Patch will not be as effective as preventative and early curative applications. Trinity fungicide @ 1 oz/m is outstanding preventively and curatively on Brown Ring Patch. The 2007 research also looks solid for Trinity for Fairy Ring Disease Management. A tank-mix of Insignia @ 0.5 oz/m + Trinity @ 1 oz/m is a solid recommendation for not only Brown Ring Patch but several spring & early summer diseases. And just a reminder, the Emerald three-step dollar spot management program is a very solid approach for supers to gain control over dollar spot in a proactive manner.

In the areas of Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit, Mich., the EMERALD-First application program involves applying Emerald the last 10 days of April to the first 10 days of May, based on historical weather patterns. In Northern Michigan, the EMERALD-First program should be applied in early- to mid-June.

In Columbus, Ohio and to the North, based on historical weather patterns, EMERALD-First involves applying Emerald the last 15 days of April to the first 7 days of May.

For Western Pennsylvania, EMERALD should be applied the last 15 days of April to the first 7 days of May based on historical weather patterns.

But, as a general application rule, use Emerald first in the spring for dollar spot management. Then apply Emerald in the summer as a tank mix with a contact for dollar spot management. And lastly, apply Emerald in the fall as a tax mix with a contact or a penetrant fungicide for dollar spot management.