The Turf Zone Podcast

MTC Turf News – Julie Holt, Content Director, TheTurfZone.com

Now in the second year of his term as MTC President, Ben Ellis has led the association through one of the most challenging years in recent memory. Despite unexpected hurdles due to COVID-19, Ben, along with the MTC Board, has helped keep turfgrass professionals across the state connected and growing. We sat down with Ben to talk about his work and future plans for MTC.

What is your work history and what path led you to your current position?

My turf industry story is a little interesting. Currently I’m the golf course super here at Fort Belvoir, and we run the 36-hole property with a crew of six at the moment. For those who know about golf, that is an unheard-of, low number. It’s a lot of work for sure. I’ve worked in Maryland for the last 10 years. I was at the golf course at Andrews Air Force Base. When I was at Paint Branch Golf Course, a little over a year ago, and was told that I would be reassigned to doing either sports turf or lawn and landscaping, that wasn’t my passion. Anybody who has even talked to me briefly, knows that I’m a golf course guy. So for me, I had to make the choice to leave.

Fortunately, I landed here at Fort Belvoir, which is actually the golf course I grew up on. My first grounds crew turf job was on this golf course back in 2003. Some of our guys who are here are the ones who trained me how to mow greens, how to change cups, and I came back several years later as their boss. It’s been a very good welcome home.

How did you decide on a career in turfgrass?

When I was in high school, I got hired here at Fort Belvoir, and I thought I wanted to be a golf pro. I wanted to play golf, I wanted to give lessons, I wanted to run a pro shop. I never knew what a golf course superintendent was. Even though I was working for one, this was my second day working here, and he asked me “What do you want to do?” I explained to him, and he just started laughing. And he’s like, “Man, all they do all year around is pull sweaters.” There’s always the joke there. I went home and I’m like, “What is a golf course superintendent? It’s plant science and being outside with soils and environmental. That sounds pretty cool, I want to do that.”

I had the opportunity to go to Maryland for college. Unfortunately, I lived in Virginia, and Maryland is out-of-state tuition. So although Maryland was the closest school, I couldn’t actually do that. I got my two-year degree from a local college, and then I got my turf degree from Penn State.

What are some unique challenges of the job you’re doing right now?

I think for all of us in the turf field, it’s weather. Weather has a huge impact. The turf science to me is enjoyable, but the biggest challenge besides the weather is personnel management on my end. For a lot of the lawncare guys, they’re restricted in counties with laws and regs that golf courses are normally exempt from. Pest management, different chemicals and things like that, we’re exempt from because we are golf courses, but a lot of homeowner or lawncare companies are starting to get hit really hard with laws and regs. That’s what MTC and a lot of us are trying to help fight in ways that we can.

What made you decide to get involved in leadership with MTC?

Originally, I was at the MTC Annual Conference, which was held at Maryland at the time, this was many years ago. I had always liked to help, I always wanted to be involved, but never really knew how to, and then the question was asked: we need people to be on the board, is anybody interested?

A week or so went by and I emailed Vernon, our Executive Director, and said “Hey, if you still need help with something, let me know. I’m here, I’m willing to help, just let me know.” I received an email back, and that was the start of it and being on the board. For me,

ATA TurfTimes – Scott McElroy, Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Crop, Soil, & Environmental Sciences and Jim Harris – Research Associate, Department of Crop, Soil, & Environmental Sciences, Auburn University

The following article will discuss select new products that will be available for turfgrass industry use in 2021. The discussion of these products is not an endorsement of the products and exclusion of products that may be newly available is not opposition to those products. Products discussed have been researched in Dr. McElroy’s research group and some available data is presented. Always follow the label regardless of what any article may say about a product. The label is the law.

New herbicide products do not necessarily mean new active ingredients. New herbicide product names may simply be repackaged active ingredients or novel mixtures of previously available active ingredients. Novel active ingredients are a rarity with respect to new herbicide products. The lack of a novel active ingredient does not necessarily mean that the products do not bring a new control angle to the turfgrass industry. Novel combinations of older active ingredients can provide additive or even synergistic herbicide effects and can broaden the spectrum of weeds controlled. But with new combinations it is important to understand the activity of individual active ingredients contained in the products.

 

Coastal

Coastal herbicide is a new combination of older products – imazaquin, prodiamine, and simazine. Imazaquin previously labeled as Image can now be purchased as the stand alone product Scepter T&O. Prodiamine was first labeled as Barricade and simazine was first labeled as Princep (There are other product names, it is simply easier to refer to the first product name used).

New herbicide mixtures primarily target new combinations of post herbicides — Trimec-type herbicides or herbicides with mixtures of sulfentrazone (Dismiss) and quinclorac (Drive). Echelon is a combination of prodiamine and sulfentrazone, pre and post, respectively, but few (if any) others exist. Coastal is another unique combination because it also combines both pre and post herbicides. Prodiamine is strictly a preemergence herbicide with no postemergence activity. Simazine is used for post winter weed control, primarily Poa annua, but it can provide 14–28 days of residual. Imazaquin is a postemergence herbicide with minimal residual activity.

Coastal is labeled for use on bermudagrass, centipedegrass, St. Augustinegrass, and zoysiagrass. Like the name implies, it is primarily targeted at warm-season turf along the gulf coast. Being registered for weed control on the four-primary warm-season grasses is important for lawn care because it does not require the changing of products from one turfgrass lawn to the next.

Research conducted in 2019–2020 evaluated Coastal in September and October for Poa annua and winter annual broadleaf control. Coastal was applied at 32 or 64 fl oz/a with or without metsulfuron (MSM) at 0.5 oz/a. A comparison treatment Specticle at 6.5 fl oz/a plus metsulfuron at 0.5 fl oz/a was included.

* All treatments controlled Poa annua completely regarless of split or single applications (data not shown). The additional benefit of Coastal is that it also provided effective control of the annual broadleaf, small hop clover (Trifolium dubium; Figure 1). Coastal with and without metsulfuron reduced hop clover cover to 2–4%, while hop clover cover was > 25% in non-treated plots. The combination of residual activity from prodiamine and simazine combined with the postemergence activity of simazine and imazaquin likely lead to the effective control.

 

Vexis

Vexis is a new herbicide product containing the new active ingredient pyrimisulfan.

Mississippi Turfgrass – Scott McElroy, Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Crop, Soil, & Environmental Sciences and Jim Harris – Research Associate, Department of Crop, Soil, & Environmental Sciences, Auburn University

The following article will discuss select new products that will be available for turfgrass industry use in 2021. The discussion of these products is not an endorsement of the products and exclusion of products that may be newly available is not opposition to those products. Products discussed have been researched in Dr. McElroy’s research group and some available data is presented. Always follow the label regardless of what any article may say about a product. The label is the law.

New herbicide products do not necessarily mean new active ingredients. New herbicide product names may simply be repackaged active ingredients or novel mixtures of previously available active ingredients. Novel active ingredients are a rarity with respect to new herbicide products. The lack of a novel active ingredient does not necessarily mean that the products do not bring a new control angle to the turfgrass industry. Novel combinations of older active ingredients can provide additive or even synergistic herbicide effects and can broaden the spectrum of weeds controlled. But with new combinations it is important to understand the activity of individual active ingredients contained in the products.

 

Coastal

Coastal herbicide is a new combination of older products – imazaquin, prodiamine, and simazine. Imazaquin previously labeled as Image can now be purchased as the stand alone product Scepter T&O. Prodiamine was first labeled as Barricade and simazine was first labeled as Princep (There are other product names, it is simply easier to refer to the first product name used).

New herbicide mixtures primarily target new combinations of post herbicides — Trimec-type herbicides or herbicides with mixtures of sulfentrazone (Dismiss) and quinclorac (Drive). Echelon is a combination of prodiamine and sulfentrazone, pre and post, respectively, but few (if any) others exist. Coastal is another unique combination because it also combines both pre and post herbicides. Prodiamine is strictly a preemergence herbicide with no postemergence activity. Simazine is used for post winter weed control, primarily Poa annua, but it can provide 14–28 days of residual. Imazaquin is a postemergence herbicide with minimal residual activity

Coastal is labeled for use on bermudagrass, centipedegrass, St. Augustinegrass, and zoysiagrass. Like the name implies, it is primarily targeted at warm-season turf along the gulf coast. Being registered for weed control on the four-primary warm-season grasses is important for lawn care because it does not require the changing of products from one turfgrass lawn to the next.

Research conducted in 2019–2020 evaluated Coastal in September and October for Poa annua and winter annual broadleaf control. Coastal was applied at 32 or 64 fl oz/a with or without metsulfuron (MSM) at 0.5 oz/a. A comparison treatment Specticle at 6.5 fl oz/a plus metsulfuron at 0.5 fl oz/a was included.

* All treatments controlled Poa annua completely regarless of split or single applications (data not shown). The additional benefit of Coastal is that it also provided effective control of the annual broadleaf, small hop clover (Trifolium dubium; Figure 1). Coastal with and without metsulfuron reduced hop clover cover to 2–4%, while hop clover cover was > 25% in non-treated plots. The combination of residual activity from prodiamine and simazine combined with the postemergence activity of simazine and imazaquin likely lead to the effective control.

 

Vexis

Vexis is a new herbicide product containing the new active ingredient pyrimisulfan.

New England Blade – Arthur Eddy, ASLA, LEED AP

A synthetic turf field can be a great asset for an athletic facility limited by space and increased pressures from the demands of multiple teams and users. For a long time, there was the perception that synthetic turf fields are maintenance free, but that ideal is the farthest from the truth. The reality is that maintenance is critical to the performance, safety, and longevity of the turf.

Synthetic turf systems are made up of synthetic turf fibers and some type of infill whether that is a crumb rubber or a natural material. Regardless of the infill material, it will move and displace within the turf fibers during use. This movement will have an impact on the safety and performance on the field including the following:  GMax: Any turf system that does not include a shock pad is relying on the infill for its impact attenuation. The higher the GMax, the harder the surface; the lower the GMax, the softer the surface. ASTM F1936 requires a maximum GMax of 200 g. Currently, the NFL and FIFA require 165 g.

HIC: Head Injury Criteria measures head impact on the field. HIC is measured by critical fall height. World Rugby requires a critical fall height of >1.3m.

Rotational Resistance: Rotational resistance simulates an athlete’s ability to alter direction. The level of infill and the amount of fiber revealed will have a direct impact on how an athlete’s foot will react in the field. FIFA requires 30Nm-50Nm.

Vertical Deformations: Vertical deformation is the energy restitution that moves into an athlete’s legs through the surface. Too soft, and athletes can get fatigued and too hard, athletes will feel soreness or stiffness. FIFA requires deformation that is between 4mm-10mm.  Any of the above safety testing is impacted by changes in the turf system and more importantly changes in infill depths. Being charged with maintaining a synthetic turf field, it is critical that infill is being checked on a regular basis and that attention is given to high use areas, i.e. soccer penalty kick dots, corner kicks, lacrosse mounts, center field dot, and high use practice areas, etc. Adding infill when necessary will help to keep the surface safe, performing, and add longevity by deferring costly replacement. Simply grooming the field may not be enough.

In a year of a synthetic turf field, your high use areas are changing based on seasonal sports. Adapting to the changes will help to focus maintenance efforts. Unlike a natural grass field, without further investigation you are not going to see the areas that need attention without the appropriate infill depth equipment. Lastly, it is important to understand the frequency with which you need to attend to your field. Each manufacturer has guidelines as to how often you should be maintaining your field to ensure that you are meeting your manufacturer’s warranty and log all the work completed.

A synthetic turf surface can be a valuable asset that can have a wide range of benefits providing safe, performing facilities and proper maintenance goes hand and hand with the users’ enjoyment.

This article is based on a NESTMA webinar presented in January by Art Eddy, ASLA LEED AP. Art is CEO of RePlay Maintenance in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Connect with Art via email at [email protected], or phone (877) 641-1819.

Tennessee Turfgrass – Jeffrey Derr, Ph.D. and Adam Nichols, Virginia Tech

Herbicide-resistant weeds in turfgrass, ornamental, and nursery crop commodities have been an increasing issue over the past 10 years. It has been a while since we have seen a new herbicide mode of action so we are primarily relying on herbicides developed 20, 30, 40 or more years ago. Until new herbicide modes of action are developed, the issue of herbicide resistance will increase.

Definition of resistance

First, some definitions here. When I say “Herbicide Resistance,” I am referring to weed species that used to be controlled by a given herbicide, but now are no longer controlled. This is different from weed species that were always difficult to control — we refer to these as troublesome or tolerant weed species. Examples of troublesome weed species would include species like kyllinga, wild garlic, wild violets, Virginia buttonweed, bindweed, poison ivy, and mugwort (wild chrysanthemum). These troublesome weeds can be controlled, but it may require higher application rates or repeat applications. For herbicide-resistant weeds, increasing the application generally has no effect, as the biotype often can tolerate many times the highest use rate.

How resistance develops

It is thought that in a population of a given weed species, there may be a few individuals that, through a genetic mutation developed resistance to an herbicide. The mutation may have been present before that herbicide was ever used on the property. Current thinking is that herbicide application does not cause the genetic mutation that confers resistance, but that the mutations occur as a separate, random process. Often the herbicide provided a high level of control for the susceptible biotypes of that weed species. Repeated applications of that herbicide quickly control the susceptible biotypes, allowing the resistant biotype to spread through uninhibited seed production. If that herbicide is reapplied every year or so for say eight or nine years, the resistant population will increase until it is the dominant biotype. Over that eight or nine years, that herbicide will be less and less effective until it provides no control at all.

Examples of resistance in turf situations

There are certain weed species that appear to be prone to developing herbicide resistance, such as annual bluegrass (Poa annua). There are documented cases of annual bluegrass biotypes that have developed resistance to certain herbicides. In 2019, Ian Heap (International survey of herbicide resistant weeds, www.weedscience.org) reported that annual bluegrass ranks third among all herbicide-resistant weed species globally, with resistance to nine different herbicide sites of action. Triazine-resistant annual bluegrass has been detected in turfgrass, with simazine being the primary triazine used in turf (mainly used in bermudagrass), with specialized uses of atrazine in certain warm- season turf species. Adam Nichols and I documented triazine resistant annual bluegrass at a golf course in Virginia a number of years ago. We kept seed from that biotype and discovered that biotype was also resistant to Xonerate (amicarbazone). Simazine and amicarbazone both are photosynthetic inhibitors.

Annual bluegrass biotypes resistant to the dinitroaniline herbicides have been identified in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia. The dinitroaniline herbicide class incudes prodiamine (Barricade, others), pendimethalin (Pendulum, others) , oryzalin (Surflan, others), and trifluralin (Treflan, others), key turfgrass and ornamental herbicides. Annual bluegrass resistant to glyphosate (Roundup, many others) has been identified in Tennessee and Missouri.

Biotypes of Poa annua resistant to the sulfonylurea herbicides have been documented in Tennessee, Alabama, and Virginia.

Pennsylvania Turfgrass – Michael Fidanza, Ph.D., Professor of Plant and Soil Science Pennsylvania State University, Berks Campus, Reading, PA and John Kaminski, Ph.D., Professor of Turfgrass Science Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

The late Dr. Houston Couch (1924 — 2004), published a series of three articles in 1984 and 1985 on methods, techniques, and other factors to improve fungicide applications to turf. He was a turfgrass pathologist at Pennsylvania State University early in his career, and at Virginia Tech for the remainder of his career. In 2002, he received the prestigious GCSAA Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award, and was recognized in 2003 with the USGA Green Section Award. Since those ‘Dr. Couch articles’, there have been many advances in spray application equipment and technology over the past several years in both the agricultural and green industry sectors, as well as research on making adjustments to spray nozzles to improve or ensure product delivery and performance. Let’s revisit water-carrier spray volume and spray tips or nozzles.

Water-Carrier Volume. In golf course turf management, a commonly accepted rule-of-thumb is to calibrate your sprayer to deliver 1 (one) gallon of water-carrier per 1000 square feet for fairways, tees. and roughs, and 2 (two) gallons water/1000 sq ft for greens. That 1 gallon amount also is common for sports turf, lawns, and sod farms. Incidentally, 1 gal/1000 sq ft equals 43.56 gal water per acre, and 2 gal/1000 sq ft equals 87.12 gal water per acre. Some turf managers use an even 50 gal water per acre (which is 1.15 gal/1000 sq ft) or 100 gal water per acre (which is 2.3 gal/1000 sq ft). Of course, more water-carrier volume translates to longer time required to operate the sprayer and repeatedly fill the spray tank to make product applications. In turf management, we don’t have the option of flying an air- plane over a site and making aerial spray applications at a low volume of 5 gal water/acre as is the case with field crops. Proper and effective spray applications take time, and of course employee safety is a top priority.

The proper water-carrier volume is important to ensure accurate delivery and distribution of the product to ensure optimum product performance and efficacy, and to legally follow product label instructions. It also means driving your sprayer as slow as 3 to 4 mph across the turf, or walking a ‘spray hawk’ across greens, so it does take time. Calibrate your sprayer or spray system for the proper ground speed and pump pressure to deliver the amount of water-carrier volume you desire and train your employees to check the calibration periodically throughout the “spray season”.

Nozzles. The nozzle or spray tip represents the last piece of equipment to come into contact with the spray solution before it reaches the turf. Don’t let the least expensive part of your sprayer be responsible for a very expensive mistake. The nozzle forms the spray solution into spray droplets and a spray pattern. After all the careful calculations of product rates and timings and formulations, and careful calibration and maintenance of your sprayer, it all comes down to water droplets. Regularly check all nozzles on the spray boom for wear or damage, and periodically measure water output from each nozzle to ensure the same amount is dispensed or at least within 5% variance among all the nozzles along the spray boom. And what about nozzle spacing? Whether you prefer a 10″ boom height or 20″ boom height (i.e., distance from the turf surface to the bottom of the nozzles on the spray boom), make sure the space between the nozzles is equal to the boom height in a “1-to-1” ratio. For example, for a 20″ boom height, the nozzles should be spaced 20″ apart.

There are many nozzle-types available,

North Carolina Turfgrass – Julie Holt, Content Director, TheTurfZone.com

TCNC would like to congratulate Cameron Stephens on receiving the Eagle Award. Each year, our board chooses a turfgrass professional to recognize for their commitment to and achievement in the industry.

Cameron is a Ph.D. student at the University of North Carolina. His area of study is plant pathology, with his dissertation covering etiology, epidemiology, and management of take-all root rot on golf course putting greens. Previously, he earned his Master of Science in Agronomy from Penn State and his Bachelor of Science in agriculture at Ohio State.

Alongside his studies, Cameron currently works as a graduate research assistant on a variety of projects. He held the same position at Penn State while working toward his Master’s. He has worked as a teaching assistant at NC State and Penn State as well.

Throughout his educational career, Cameron has co-authored a number of articles for peer reviewed publications, peer reviewed plant disease management reports, industry publications, and extension publications. He has conducted presentations at universities and conferences as well. Add to that membership in industry organizations and volunteerism, numerous first and second place finishes in competitions, and even an athletic career at a varsity lacrosse player at Ohio State.

Cameron says of his future plans in turfgrass:

“Upon completion of my Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in May 2020, I aspire to pursue a career in the turfgrass industry for an agricultural chemical company. While I have primarily worked with the biology and management of pathogenic fungi in the turfgrass system, my mentors have always stressed the importance of engaging in a diverse set of research projects, leadership roles, and experiences. The work I have pursued in turfgrass disease management and pesticide environmental fate has provided me with a number of valuable skills that I can put into action to benefit the end-user. The experiences I have had over the years has shown me what I really enjoy doing and where I can make the biggest impact in the turfgrass community. Interacting with the end-users and customers to provide science-based solutions to practical problems is what I am most passionate about. Therefore, my future career plan to pursue a technical service position within industry fits my strengths and puts me in a position to interact with the growers, help address their unique issues, and improve a company’s team dynamic within the turf and ornamental markets.

I believe achieving my short-term goal of being a technical service representative, my experience working in three different labs throughout my academic tenure and holding various leadership roles would position me to be an effective team leader. I would instill a productive, energetic, and positive culture which would be reflected in the relationships we build with superintendents, sales representatives, and the R&D and marketing teams. My professional career goals are centered around making a positive impact within the turfgrass community by working to improve turfgrass disease and weed management through agronomics and innovative chemical control strategies. I am highly motivated and passionate to pursue these career goals in the turfgrass industry and will continue to broaden my experiences and knowledge along the way.”

TCNC wishes Cameron the best in these future plans, and congratulations on earning the Eagle Award.

New England Blade – Julie Holt, Content Director, TheTurfZone.com

Grounds Supervisor and Landscape Manager Colby College, Waterville, ME

A.S. In Turfgrass Management from UMass

B.S. in Plant Biology and Recreational Tourism from Westfield State College

Certified Master Gardener

How did you get your start in the sports turf industry?

Working summers, after school, and spring breaks at Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord, MA.

Where did you go from there?

After seven years at Nashawtuc, I spent a summer at the Essex County Club in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA and then I had the opportunity to grow 18 new holes at the Lincoln Hills Club in Lincoln, CA. I worked at a couple of golf courses in the Metropolitan NYC area for the next decade before making the jump to Colby College.

Who were your mentors when you were first starting out in the business?

Dan O’Connell, who was the Assistant at Nashawtuc CC, taught me to not take everything so seriously and to have fun at work. I spent my first two years in college going for an accounting degree before he helped me realize that wasn’t what I really wanted to do, and I switched to turf. If you can still smile after an 80-hour week two decades into a career, then you’re in the right spot. When I got into management, I learned a lot from Matt TenEyck. Even though I spent the shortest time with him of any supervisor in my career, something clicked. I’ve stayed in contact with him for career and personal advice or just a good laugh ever since.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received?

If you don’t look forward to going to work in the morning, you need to make a change. After 24 years in the industry, I still get excited when the garage door goes up in the morning.

What is the next “game-changer” you see on the horizon?

It looks like robots and automation. I am also encouraged by the increase in effective organic products. With the recent push to keep pesticide use to an absolute minimum, these emerging products will be more important than ever.

What’s your favorite/most useful:

Equipment? Ventrac tractors. Also the ProTecTurf Pusher for synthetic fields, this took days off of our field clearing process.

Product? Organic fertilizers and insect products. With our emphasis on sustainability at Colby, the new products have been great.

Technology? WiFi-enabled irrigation systems with phone apps, no more rushing back to make sure the sprinklers aren’t set to go off during a practice or game due to scheduling changes.

Can you share a bit about your family life and what you enjoy doing in your free time?

I spend the majority of my free time restoring Jeeps and renovating our farmhouse and barn. My wife of 13 years was thankfully very supportive (or pretended to be) in the beginning when I would come home and say, “Hey, what about moving here?” Rounding out the homestead are three kids, two dogs, a pig, five ducks and fifteen chickens. Our current pandemic goal is to visit all the lighthouses in Maine.

What advice would you share with people starting out in sports turf management today?

Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and cold call someone for advice or help. Sometimes a quick call can give you an answer you would never think of on your own. Also, early on in your career try to get as much variety in your career as possible. I have worked in MA, CA, CT, CO, FL, NY and ME and every area had a different approach to the same situations or was dealing with similar issues that helped me later in my career. You miss out on a lot of time saving techniques if you always do it the way you’ve always done it. You need to embrace change.

What have you found the most beneficial about being a NESTMA member?

Pennsylvania Turfgrass – Evan C. Mascitti and Andrew McNitt, PhD

A baseball often touches two different surfaces during the same play. This sets baseball apart from other ball sports. Most ground balls take their first bounce on the turf and are fielded on the infield skin (Figure 1). The concentration of play in this small area means that infield playability consumes much of the grounds crew’s focus. Experienced managers know instinctively when the ball is reacting the way they want, and they can produce a consistent surface despite changing weather conditions. Playability can be an ambiguous term because it is easy to observe but hard to describe.

This article unpacks infield playability by combining practical observations with bite-size pieces of physics. We will cover the following ideas:

1. Consistency is king

2. Components of speed

3. Corkboard = plasticity + stiffness

Figure 1: Most action occurs on the infield skin.

Consistency is king

Above all else, infielders want a consistent, predictable surface. This means no surprises about how the ball will react from one hop to the next, and that the field will play identically throughout a game and over the season. Elite athletes can field almost any ball, fast or slow – so long as the bounces are the same, each and every time. Infielders prefer ground balls to “hug” the surface: a shallow path makes the ball easier to track and collect. The grass and dirt areas should have similar speed and the transition between them should be seamless.

Predictability is crucial for players to be able to do their jobs. If the final hop is deflected by just a few degrees, the ball can easily carom off the heel of a player’s glove or scoot beyond his reach.

Components of speed

Players and coaches sometimes ask us to “speed up” or “slow down” the infield, usually by adjusting the cutting height of the turf. Ball response is more nuanced than fast vs. slow, and canopy height plays only a minor role. However, it has been said that perception is reality, so a perceived change may satisfy such a request – even if we fib about having lowered the reels by 1/8″ or so. Ball response is divisible into three important elements: pace, bounce, and spin.

Pace

Pace is the relative velocity of a ball after impact. Infield pace is mostly determined by hardness and friction. It is measured as a simple ratio, the Coefficient of Restitution (COR):

There is limited research on infield pace, but data suggest that soil properties affect COR more than cutting height or thatch. Dr. Jim Brosnan measured COR on real infields and on research plots (Brosnan and McNitt, 2008a; b; 2011). Infield COR ranged from 0.4 to 0.6, meaning a ball retained 40 to 60 % of its initial velocity after the first bounce. COR was generally higher on skinned surfaces than synthetic turf, which had a similar (but slightly higher) COR than natural grass.

In the work by Dr. Brosnan, pace was closely related to surface hardness. Hardness is easy to measure with the familiar Clegg hammer or the F-355 device (for synthetic infields). Brosnan and McNitt (2008a) found that most infield skins had Clegg values well over 100 Gmax – much higher than values recommended for turf areas (Figure 2). However, it is worth noting that some fields in this study were substantially drier than typical game moisture. In a baseball context, hardness may be more useful for managing playability than safety, as baseball players are never tackled and rarely become injured by falling on the surface.

Figure 2: Surface hardness on baseball infields generally exceeds values recommended for American football.

Ball-to-surface friction is determined by soil texture, presence of conditioner, and the all-important water content (Goodall et al., 2005).

Virginia Turfgrass Journal – Julie Holt, Content Director, TheTurfZone.com

VIRGINIA BEACH – The Virginia Turfgrass Council Environmental Institute (VTC-EI), the newly established nonprofit arm of the Virginia Turfgrass Council, begins their environmental advocacy through two impactful initiatives: distribution of 25,000 pollinator-friendly wildflower seed packets and a service project which includes beach grass planting and cleaning/restoring sensitive environmental areas. Each pack has 200 seeds and will treat 10 square feet.

Wildflower seed packet distribution, (in which this issue of the Journal is a key factor), will continue throughout the spring and will ultimately total five million seeds dispensed, which could create up to 250,000 square feet of new food and foraging space for pollinators. The seed mix, curated by Dr. Cindy Smith of George Mason University, consists primarily of Virginia native perennials. The goal of this project is to maintain healthy ecosystems providing season-long pollen and nectar sources to enhance pollinator populations.

An equally substantial element in VTC-EI’s commitment to a cleaner, healthier commonwealth is the planting of 6,000 custom grown American Dune Grass plants on the oceanfront dunes located at the north end of the city’s resort area. The planting is in partnership with the City of Virginia Beach and occurred during the VTC’s hallmark event, Come to the Bay. At the request of the City, VTC-EI will make dune grass planting an annual effort, with a goal of expanding planting to at least 20,000 plants per year.

Alongside dune grass planting, Come to the Bay attendees (which include green industry professionals and environmental advocates) worked to clean and restore areas of Marsh View Park, near the south end of the city’s resort area. This project location was determined by the City of Virginia Beach, with whom the VTC-EI will work to determine sites for 2022 cleaning and restoration.

The 2021 Come to the Bay theme was “Water – It’s Everyone’s Business”. Speakers from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Elizabeth River Project, Virginia State University, the City of Virginia Beach, the City of Norfolk, the Virginia Aquarium, Virginia Tech and others addressed ways Virginians can positively impact the health of natural water bodies and the importance of preserving these essential natural resources.

About the VTC-EI – We believe Turfgrass and Landscape Professionals are the Original Environmental Stewards. The Institute gives us a vehicle for our great work and to promote our industry. We work hard for our membership, representing you on environmental and government relations issues. We seek to educate industry professionals, legislators, decision makers and the general public on proper practices for environmental protection through various means, including seminars and workshops.

As a 501(c)(3) Corporation, all donations are tax-exempt. Beach grass planting and pollinator seed packs are two of the Institute’s newest endeavors. Look for Informational Road Trips in your part of the state this spring and summer. We will be presenting additional opportunities for the turfgrass industry to be strong environmental stewards.