It’s been distinctly non-diseasey so far this year, but dollar spot is revved up and ready to go with this forecast for next week

It’s a ‘bust out the big guns’ kind of weekend across the upper Midwest

If you’re not as excited about this pink patch as I am then I just feel sorry for you

And right on cue, etiolation on bent in Madison. Almost like Bill Kreuser, PhD knows what he’s talking about

Watching the drone app in our study this morning had me envisioning a not-too-distant future where AI monitors local conditions and uses disease predictive modeling to send out drones to apply pest mgmt tools with minimal input from humans. Interesting and exciting times ahead!

The Turfgrass Diagnostic Lab will be CLOSED from July 10th until July 21st so that Kurt Hockemeyer and I can attend the International Turfgrass Research Conference. Any samples received during this time will be discarded. Please plan accordingly! tdl.wisc.edu/2025/05/13/the…

The July issue of our #WinterTurf newsletter is out! Read the latest work from our project about mitigating winter injury in turfgrasses: mailchi.mp/umn/winterturf… To subscribe: winterturf.umn.edu/newsletter 📸 Trygve Aamlid

It has been for us in Wisconsin, now it’s working for Kerns and Co down in North Carolina. Stay tuned for more details…

Brown patch (on green) and Pythium blight (on collar) have been seen at the OJ Noer. And in true research fashion, none of it is on our brown patch or Pythium blight studies of course. Get some appropriate fungicides down if you haven’t already.

Final reminder that the TDL will be closed starting tomorrow while Kurt Hockemeyer and I are at the International Turfgrass Research Conference in Japan. It will reopen on July 21st. We apologize for the inconvenience!

One of these products is working, and the other isn't. Find out which one is working by attending the Wisconsin Turfgrass Summer Field Day on August 5th! For more details and to register: wisconsinturfgrassassociation.org/wisconsin-turf…

We still have 7 open spots for the 2025-2026 Turfgrass Apprenticeship Program, but we anticipate the program will sell out prior to November. If you or a staff member are planning to enroll, do so soon! For more details: turf.wisc.edu/tap/ To enroll: charge.wisc.edu/plantpath/appr…

Don’t be fooled that several of the people in this photo are facing the opposite direction I’m speaking, it’s going to be a great day. See many of you on Tuesday! Kurt Hockemeyer Doug Soldat

Bucky is ready, plots are ready, are you? Weather looks perfect for the WTA Field Day tomorrow. Hope to see you there!

Perfect weather on tap for our Summer Field Day today. Greatly appreciate all the work that our staffs put into making this day a reality, and of course thanks to everyone who came out today! Kurt Hockemeyer Doug Soldat Wisconsin Turfgrass

We know that the N fert decreases dollar spot, but we don't know why. Our most recent paper led by Shashi Welmillage suggests that N influences the microbiome, specifically increasing oxalic acid-degrading bacteria, which leads to reduced disease. Give it a read! doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-…

September 1st is the deadline for scholarship applications for the 2025-2026 Turfgrass Apprenticeship Program. Enroll soon if you want to be eligible for a scholarship by the deadline. For more details: turf.wisc.edu/tap/ To enroll: charge.wisc.edu/plantpath/appr…

Can’t thank this crew enough for all the excellent work they’ve put in this summer. Congrats to mustache boy (aka ⁦Kurt Hockemeyer⁩) on his sudden death victory in the lab championship mini golf outing today. Time to start wrapping up summer trials and prep for snow mold!

Our Turfgrass Diagnostic Lab wouldn't exist without our Contract Members, and we can't thank them enough for their support. The full list of 2025 Contract Members can be found here: tdl.wisc.edu/tdl-contract-m… For more on joining this esteemed club visit: tdl.wisc.edu/tdl-contract-m…

Excited to share that the Turfgrass Apprenticeship Program has been added to the UW-Madison Digital Badge collection. See below for more info on the TAP badges available: Educational bootcamp badge: wisconsin-madison.badgr.com/public/badges/… Field apprenticeship badge: wisconsin-madison.badgr.com/public/badges/…