It Looks Nice But Don't Touch

Poison Ivy [Toxicodendron radicans]  is found throughout most of the United States and southern Canada. Poison Ivy can grow as a self-supporting woody shrub or as a thin trailing vine running along the ground and even an  aerial-rooted vine growing on shrubs, trees, power poles, and fences. Older (ten years or older) vines can grow to several inches in diameter as high as 30-feet.

Poison Ivy is a perennial plant that is reproduced by seeds and woody rhizomes. Over the years the populations have steadily grown throughout the Village and is now on the verge of becoming a major problem.

As a result of this we have stepped up our efforts to help control this dangerous weed. Currently the Poison Ivy is very easy to spot due to the beautiful fall color that it is currently displaying, Don't be fooled though stay away. We have been using mixtures of broad leaf herbicides to control it with varying degrees of success. The Ivy is very hard to kill due to its waxy leaf surface that makes herbicides unable to be effectively absorbed by the plant. As a result of this several herbicide applications may be necessary to completely control this plant species. 

In Bloom

With all of the spring rains and cooler than normal temperatures some of the wildflowers are still looking good. The flowers that are most visible at this time are Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis). These flowers are often found in cooler shaded areas, but there are always exceptions to the rule as found on the third hole.

Dame’s Rock was a common garden flower that was introduced to America from Europe in colonial times, and has since spread through prolific seeding. Technically it is considered a noxious weed by many states and needs close monitoring to control the spread of this plant. Even though this plant is considered by some a weed, it sure adds a lot to the beautification of the golf course.

We pay close attention to the spreading of this weed by applying herbicides to control it in numerous areas on and around the golf course. The definition of a weed is a plant out of place, Dame’s Rocket sure looks nice but if you’re not careful it can get away from you.

Weed Warriors

Once the rain stopped and the temperatures began to rise so did the weeds throughout the golf course. We have been actively spraying the weeds each and every day that the winds have not been blowing. It is a monumental task to keep the golf course free of weeds due to the size of the areas to be covered. On any given day there will be at least one person spraying and many days there will be as many as three people treating the weeds. Even with this amount of dedicated manpower the weeds are coming up faster than they can be sprayed.

Weeds in Native Dying After Being Sprayed
Dandelions in Rough Curling From Herbicide Application