An unusual sight on the morning of December 14th in Newark, DE was powdery mildew on 
turfgrass in a residential lawn. Powdery mildew is favored by cool humid conditions and is usually seen in the spring and fall, in shady areas. Our normal December temperatures would have sent our lawns to a dormant state by now, but not this year. Our temperatures have been above normal, and there has been fog the past two mornings. No control is normally necessary for residential lawns, but in severe cases or commercial sites, a fungicide can be applied. Call your local Cooperative Extension office for guidance on fungicides that are labeled.
N Gregory 12/14/15
Tag: turf
Users of the UD Plant Diagnostic Clinic
Results of the short survey we passed out at the recent DNLA Landscape and Turf Conference.
79 surveys were completed, out of approximately 120 persons in attendance (66%):
65% were aware of the UD Plant Diagnostic Clinic
48% were aware of the services offered by the UDPDC
20% utilized the services by submitting a sample
50 % of submitters (10% of overall surveys) submitted more than one sample.
Many lawn and landscape professionals do not know about the Clinic. If they do, they often contact the county offices to submit a sample (which is absolutely fine). Many submitters are repeat submitters!