![]() If it stays purple, it was a response to cold temperatures. If the grass turns green again, it was P deficiency. The other way is to simply apply P to the area in a test strip. The greens on the course in Des Moines have levels of 250 to 300 lb/acre. I generally do not see P deficiency symptoms on bentgrass unless P levels fall below 10 lb/acre (5 ppm). So, how can you tell the difference between true P deficiency and grass turning purple in the fall? Soil tests can help. This shows how persistent some of these old varieties are and how long they can be found in greens. The purple patches are Washington bent and the surrounding greener bentgrass is Penncross and a few other newer varieties. Washington bentgrass was known for turning purple every fall when temperatures dropped. This course was established more than 60 years ago to a stolonized variety called “Washington”. Figures 2, 3 and 4 were taken on a golf course in Des Moines, Ia. This is quite common in creeping bentgrass, particularly some of the old, stolonized varieties. What you are seeing is a plant pigment called anthocyanin. In the fall, however, grasses can take on s similar purple appearance in response to cool temperatures. Notice how the problem disappears when small amounts of P are added to the area. Figure 1 shows a study at Michigan State University a few years ago. The symptom of phosphorus deficiency is initially a reddish color, followed by a purple discoloration. I often get questions at this time of year about creeping bentgrass turning a purple color. ^ "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew | Synonyms of Anemanthele lessoniana (Steud.) Veldkamp".^ "Hesperostipa spartea (Trin.) Barkworth | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". ![]()
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