If a superintendent with a non-Poa course had to describe Poa annua in one word, it would probably be ‘unwanted.’ Yet, getting rid of it is easier said than done. It infests courses and can easily overtake desirable turf, and controlling it often comes at the cost of playability and appearance.

PoaCure SC is an excellent option for superintendents managing bentgrass (cool-season) or hybrid bermudagrass (warm-season) golf courses—including greens, fairways, tees, and roughs. Its active ingredient, methizolin, provides selective pre- and post-emergent control of Poa annua. The key differentiator for PoaCure is that it has been proven (Koo et al., 2013) to gradually and methodically eliminate Poa with minimal impact on the playing surface, thanks to its unique mode of action.

The ability to eliminate Poa while preserving playability and appearance has attracted many of my customers to PoaCure. Here in New England, I have a customer who started a PoaCure program three years ago. He jumped right in, and his course was, at the time, around 20 years old. The course features L-93 bentgrass greens, and it was facing a Poa invasion of near-biblical proportions. He wanted to make five applications, which is right at the top of the yearly range.

I told him that going all in would cause some of his Poa to shut down, and that would likely lead to significant thinning and cause the stand to collapse slightly, resulting in some putting issues. He started at the standard rate (0.6 fluid ounces per thousand square feet) in late April. It was still relatively cold at that time, and ideally, you want bentgrass to be actively growing before making applications so you avoid injuring it. So, he made the application and came back about 17 or 18 days later with a second, and made a third at a similar interval. He also made two applications in the fall. This caused a traffic jam from a seeding standpoint. After your last spring application, you have to wait 30 days before you put down bentgrass seed to allow the product to properly break down in the soil.

After that first trial run, he now makes two applications in the spring and two in the fall, and I recommend this approach to all of my customers. If you make your second application on May 15, you can start overseeding on June 15. When you put down bentgrass in the summer, the germination period is only four days, so this timing is excellent. He has had great results, and even in year two, which brought about an extremely wet summer, his members were pleased with the course conditions.

Before he started using PoaCure, some greens had upwards of 60% Poa on them. Fast forward to today, three years later, and his greens are at about 85% bentgrass. He’s overseeded, and it’s only taken six buckets over that three-year period, which is not a lot considering the course has three and a half acres of greens. This is a somewhat extreme example, and some memberships may not be able to stomach a green speed of under 10 or 11, even temporarily, so keep that in mind when you’re considering this product.

We covered spring applications, so let’s look at the fall. Here in New England, if you have a high amount of Poa, I recommend making two applications in the fall, two weeks apart. An example timeframe is September 1 and September 15. In warmer areas, bump those back to around September 15 and October 1. 

In addition to the standard control provided by the product, your two fall applications and first spring application (Note: the label recommends applying ammonium sulfate with the first spring application) will provide effective Poa seedhead control. This eliminates the need to make ethephon (or other herbicides) and plant growth regulator (PGR) applications.

Another benefit of PoaCure is its potential to reduce fungicide use. As Poa populations decline, so too does the need for treatments targeting Poa-specific diseases like summer patch and root rot, except for Pythium root rot. This allows you to focus on attacking algae and surface issues (such as dollar spot and anthracnose) and saves you money that would’ve otherwise been spent on summer patch fungicide applications. 

A few additional pointers: If you’re going to aerate, ensure that your turf has completely recovered and is stress-free. Avoid using Class B PGRs (such as Trimmit or Cutless) while applying PoaCure during both spring and fall programs, as they can interfere with its effectiveness. This is because they share similar growing degree day models (275 GDD32). After completing your spring PoaCure applications, you can resume Class B PGRs two weeks later for summer use, but be sure to stop again two weeks before beginning your fall PoaCure program. Class A PGRs (like Primo or Anuew) can be used throughout the program, and many superintendents choose to apply them during the off weeks between PoaCure’s two-week intervals. Be sure to water the product in immediately after application—apply 0.10 inches of irrigation for bentgrass greens and up to 0.25 inches for higher-cut turf areas.

If I had to say just one thing about this product, I would say that it’s an excellent solution that alleviates a lot of the stress (both to you, your turf, and your members) that typically comes with eliminating Poa. To learn more about PoaCure, please reach out to your representative.