Cultivation Reduces Infestation of Silvery-Thread Moss (Bryum argenteum Hedw.) in a Creeping Bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) Putting Green

Cultivation creates voids in a putting green that may be recolonized by weeds or creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.); therefore, we investigated the cumulative effect of cultivation on a silvery-thread moss (STM, Bryum argenteum Hedw.) infestation in a creeping bentgrass putting green when used with or without light, frequent topdressing, and the herbicide carfentrazone. Cultivation treatments were applied for 2 yr in the spring and fall and included hollow-tine aerification at low and high surface disruption (SD), vertislicing, and no cultivation. Carfentrazone was applied 1 wk before and after cultivation treatments each spring and fall. On average, each split application of carfentrazone reduced STM cover by ~20%. Cultivation did not increase STM cover; to the contrary, hollow-tine aerification at low SD and vertislicing slightly reduced STM cover, even in the absence of carfentrazone. Topdressing did not affect STM cover. The greatest reduction in STM cover was achieved when cultivation treatments were used in conjunction with carfentrazone.