The Turf Zone Podcast

Mississippi Turfgrass – Julie Holt, Content Director, TheTurfZone.com

The Turf Zone: Welcome to The Turf Zone. In this episode of Mississippi Turfgrass, we’re talking Will Arnett, Director of Golf Operations and instructor at Lion Hills Club at East Mississippi Community College. Hi Will, how are you doing?

Will Arnett: Doing great, thanks.

TTZ: Thanks so much for joining us. We’re talking to you as a member spotlight about your background and what you do in the industry, so why don’t we start at the beginning and tell me a little bit about how you got into the turfgrass industry.

WA: I was a college student, ironically enough at East Mississippi Community College, playing baseball with no real plan of what to do with my life, other than I didn’t want to be inside the rest of my life. I happened to get a summer job after my first year of junior college, which would have been summer of ’89 at Mississippi State’s golf course for Mr. Tim Lacy. Tim kind of took me under his wing there. After that summer, he basically offered me an opportunity to come back the following summer. He talked to me about the turfgrass program at Mississippi State, which I had no idea about. I grew up in Starkville and had no idea about that program. So Tim presented that option to me. I went back and played baseball another year, came back and work for Tim again. At that point, I enrolled in the program there at Mississippi State. Like I said, Tim took me under his wing, gave me some direction on where to go. I started my internships and it just really took off from there. 

TTZ: That’s a really interesting story – I feel like I hear that a lot from turfgrass managers. They really didn’t know that this was a career path and it was through sports or somebody that wasb working in that field that you learn – this is a job and you can be on a baseball field and actually working. Do you see a lot of that at the school, coming in, folks who have learned about this profession through sports?

WA: I think we see a lot of kids, predominantly kids that have been in athletics, for sure. I think that seems to be a path, somehow, someway – whether that’s they just wanted to be outside, or grew up outside, played golf, played baseball, whatever it may be. I think that is a direct path. I think you see a ton more, I know we do, and I think the industry does, a lot more students that are directed to the sports field industry. When I was in school, it really wasn’t a deal. Bart Prather that’s now the director of campus landscape at Mississippi State was really the first guy I knew that left college and went and did some stuff for the University of Arkansas sports fields. So it really wasn’t a thing when I was in school. It was really golf, golf, golf – only golf. But now you see a lot of kids that will come to do the landscape part and a whole lot that are really coming to do sports turf. Which I think is flooding the market. We have trouble fulfilling all the job requests we get and I think a lot of that over the last 5-6 years, with the craze of travel ball and municipalities building better baseball complexes and soccer complexes, you’ve got a lot of students going into that side of things. It’s definitely a path that you see kids that are athletic, that have been playing sports come to. 

TTZ: Absolutely. Do you feel like the demand for golf and lawn and landscape sectors of the industry are getting what they need as far as labor and kids coming out of school? 

WA: I think so, and I’ve seen an uptick in that. I think we went through, obviously as everybody did, some downfall from some recession type issues, that the golf industry was not as strong as it would have been back in the ‘90s and early 2000s. But I do see that ticking back up. You might see schools don’t have maybe quite the enrollment numbers that they used to. At least the larger school, but here at the community college, we keep 20-30 students.

Tennessee Turfgrass – Julie Holt, Content Director, TheTurfZone.com

The Turf Zone: Welcome to the Turf Zone. In this issue of Tennessee Turfgrass, we’re talking to Brandon Horvath, recipient of the Tom Samples Professional of the Year Award, Associate Professor of Turfgrass Science at the University of Tennessee. Good morning Brandon.

Brandon Horvath: Good morning Julie, thanks for having me on. 

TTZ: Thanks so much for taking the time. First of all congratulations for being honored by TTA for the Tom Samples award. I think our members would love to hear a little more about you and all the things that worked together to help you be honored in that way. 

BH: Well, it’s interesting because one of the things that I really love about finding out that I had been given this award is that I didn’t know about it ahead of time. One of the things that happens too often in places like the university or organizations is that people will say that, “It’s about time that you win this award, so we’re going to nominate you. Would you mind filling this out or sending us this or whatever form it is to get you nominated for an award?” And one of the things that’s really cool about this award is you don’t know about it until it’s already been given, so it comes as a surprise, which I think is a really cool thing. It’s, in my opinion, the way all the awards should work, so that was really humbling to be told that I had been given this award, not just because of the award but because of the fact that it’s named after Dr. Tom Samples, who is a friend and a colleague, a mentor. He’s one of those guys, he’s one of the nicest human beings that I know, so to be mentioned in that same air is very humbling.

TTZ: Absolutely, I know that Dr. Samples has been a mentor for so many in the industry and I’ve never heard anybody talk about him who wasn’t just a big fan. I personally did receive a Tom Samples bobblehead. I think that award should come with the Tom Samples award. Did that happen, or no? 

BH: I have a box full of them in my office that I’m allowed to give out, so I might give myself another one. The real keepsake is a bobblehead that you get that is signed by the man himself. That’s not as frequent, but it is cool and it should come with the award, you’re right. 

TTZ: Let’s go back to the beginning and talk a little bit about how you got into the turfgrass industry and how you ended up where you are today at the University of Tennessee. 

BH: My first exposure to turfgrass I would say was when I was a young man, probably 14, I think. I had been playing golf or exposed to golf since I was eight. I went and played with my dad and I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, a small town just about 25 miles north of downtown Cincinnati, a little town called Mason. They had a golf course that hosted the LPGA Championship for a number of years in the 70s and 80s, and I believe into the early 90s. We lived right adjacent with that golf course, we didn’t live in the community with the golf course, but just adjacent to it. I was around the golf course all the time, I would find golf balls and sell them back to the golfers to make some money in the summer. All those kinds of things that come with being around a golf course. So that was my first exposure and then I went to high school, graduated high school and I tried out for my golf team, but I wasn’t good enough and that was okay. But when I went to college I was going to be a pharmacy major and I was in pharmacy for two years at Butler University.

When I was in pharmacy my sophomore year, some of the guys in my fraternity house were on the golf team and we would go out and play golf and I would beat them. They asked me why I wasn’t on the golf team and I said because I’m not that good. They commented that, “Well, you’re beating us, so why wouldn’t you want to try out for the team?” So I decided that summer that I was going to try out for the team,

MTC Turf News – Maryland Turfgrass Council & TheTurfZone.com

The 2019 Maryland Turfgrass Conference, held on December 10th at Turf Valley Resort and Conference Center was a huge success. About 415 attendees spent the day in educational seminars with tracks focused on Lawn and Landscape Turf Management, Sports Turf Management, Golf Turf Management, and Turf Equipment Management. After 3 years of combining with Virginia for the Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo, this was the second year of the reinvigorated 1-day MTC conference held at Turf Valley Resort.

A January conference is often subject to unpredictable winter weather and is in close proximity to other national conferences, but holding the conference in early December is early enough to avoid most winter storms and not conflict with the national sports turf managers and golf industry shows after the new year. The Turf Valley location provides a venue that is appropriately sized to accommodate several hundred attendees and is conveniently located for those attending from the I-95 and I-70 corridors, while offering reasonably priced lodging for those travelling from farther away.

As usual, it is the enthusiasm of the attendees, the quality of the speakers, and the generous support of the vendors who contribute to the success of the conference. Special thanks goes to Dr. Joseph Roberts for organizing the speaker program and returning to Maryland to speak and help organize after moving to Clemson University this summer and to retired Dr. Kevin Mathias for returning from Virginia to present about controlling insects in turf and landscapes. The program also featured several researchers from other states. This year the MTC was happy to welcome Dr. John Kaminski from Penn State, Dr. Jim Brosnan from the University of Tennessee, and Dr. Travis Gannon of North Carolina State University. Presentation topics covered a broad range of subjects important to turfgrass managers ranging from communication tips and practices for turf managers (Dr. Kaminski) to research related to pesticide residue duration (Dr. Gannon), and optimizing weed management programs (Dr. Brosnan).

Additional highlights included the 2019 Year in Review presented by the USGA’s Elliott Dowling, an update on the developing best management practices for sports turf managers by Dr. Roberts, and the latest in disease bio-control research at the University of Maryland by graduate student Joe Doherty.

Mid-day at the show provided ample time for a brief Maryland Turfgrass Council annual meeting, lunch on the trade show floor, and the opportunity for participants to engage in face-to-face conversations with vendors from all segments of the turfgrass industry during the tradeshow.

With a wide variety of speakers and a separate track for mechanics focused on equipment maintenance, the conference provided a great respite after a busy season. Turfgrass managers from around the state and all facets of the industry were able to attend informative educational seminars, visit with colleagues, learn about the latest techniques and products, and earn re-certification credits.

Be sure to watch for dates and locations of Maryland Turfgrass Council-sponsored re-certification events through the year and mark your calendars for December 8, 2020 for this year’s Maryland Turfgrass Conference!

Pennsylvania Turfgrass – Max Schlossberg, Ph.D., and Nate Leiby, MS Graduate Student (BS TURF ’18), Center for Turfgrass Science, The Pennsylvania State University

Well, to the satisfaction of article browsers, more easily and often than most realize. But the best answer remains; ‘it depends.’ Turfgrass requires greater quantities of N than any other mineral nutrient, and N sufficiency is promptly supported, or N deficiency is promptly reversed, by application of soluble N fertilizer(s) containing urea, NH4, and/or NO3.

There are four N-rich gases that arise from N fertilizers; dinitrogen (N2), nitrous oxide (N2O), nitric oxide (NO), and ammonia (NH3). In fact, every plant-available N-form (urea, NO3, NH4), or intermediate (NO2), serves as soil feedstock for at least one of the above gases. Evolution of these gases from originally plant available N-forms is undesirable. But once emitted, N2 and NO are the most innocuous.

N2O Emissions

Agricultural soil is the greatest source of anthropogenic N2O emission on earth, accounting for nearly 70% of annual totals. Industry and combustion (fossil/other fuels) are the next greatest contributors. Nitrous oxide is a tenacious greenhouse gas that reduces protective ozone and claims very few opportunities for transformation or sequestration.

Incomplete soil denitrification of nitrate

Denitrification is the microbiologically mediated reduction of NO2 and/or NO3 following incorporation of soluble N fertilizer into warm, saturated soil. Under such conditions, the nitrate fraction of a soluble fertilizer application relates directly to early denitrification severity (Figure 1).  Turfgrass systems maintained on highly porous rootzones underlain by functional drainage are unlikely to lose N via denitrification. While systems maintained on native soils having high organic matter content and/or water-retention are more likely, especially in mid- to late-summer.

This is the part of the article where we considered introducing complete vs. incomplete denitrification, and describing the more benign product (N2) of the former and all the a/biotic factors identified by research as comparative facilitators of it. But in the context of modern cultural techniques developed and/or adopted by the most effective turfgrass managers worldwide, it’s a non-starter. No turfgrass manager should maximize water-filled pore space in efforts toward favoring the N2 denitrification product.

Incomplete soil nitrification of ammonium

Nitrification is the microbiologically mediated oxidation of soil ammonium (NH4) and a notoriously prolific generator of soil acidity. Nitrification is a two-stage process, each depending on a separate genus of chemolithoautrophic microbes. Regrettably the second stage, oxidation of NO2 to NO3, is often limited by success of the first; oxidation of NH4 to NO2. Which constitutes feedback inhibition, but by no means incites greater risk to the product of the first stage, right? Wrong. Local oxygen depletion incites electron acceptance by the freshly oxidized NO2, catastrophically reducing it to NO or N2O. Most readers will recognize ‘…fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony…’ as a quote by Morpheus in The Matrix (1999). But how many know Morpheus was referring to nitrogen? Hmmmm, Danny?

 

NH3 Emissions

Most atmospheric ammonia in North America originates from livestock operations and fertilizer application. In the presence of nitrate or sulfate, NH3 constitutes the most significant and influential precursor to smog formation, i.e., particulate matter <2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5). Elevated PM2.5 levels are monitored in numerous non-attainment regions along the US Eastern Seaboard and are statistically correlated to adverse health effects. Furthermore, ammonia deposition to surfaces, the primary atmospheric removal mechanism, is considered a significant threat to terrestrial and aquatic ecosyst...

New England Blade – NESTMA and The TurfZone.com

* NESTMA member for 30 years

* Past President of NESTMA

* Past STMA Board Member

* Chair of STMA Environmental Committee

* Chair of STMA BMP Task Force

* Undergraduate Degree Ornamental Horticulture: Penn State University

* Graduate Degree Plant Pathology/Entomology: University of Rhode Island

What was your first job in the industry?

When I graduated from URI, I worked as a sales representative for Lofts Seed, Inc. and handled retail and professional accounts for Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Where did you go from there?

I moved away from my regional sales position and became more involved in the professional turf division, providing technical agronomic support for distributors, as well as national lawn care, sod, sports turf, and golf accounts. I also served as the agronomist that worked with the advertising agency to develop marketing pieces for the professional turf division. The company was sold and became a part of a larger turf seed/forage company. In that new company, I continued in my role as the agronomist for the company’s marketing support and handled sales training for the landscape and sports turf markets. After that company folded, I joined Turf Seed/ Tee to Green as an agronomist/sales rep covering distributor support for the northeast states and eastern Canada, eventually I went back to a regional sales role with Valley Green, Inc. for a couple of years before joining the faculty at UConn. I have been at UConn for 10 years, coordinating sustainable turf/landscape programs.

Who was your mentor when you were first starting out in the business, and why?

There were 2 people that definitely supported me early in my career: Dr. Richard Hurley, the Director of Research for Lofts Seed, and Dr. Noel Jackson at URI.

I met Rich the summer between my sophomore and junior year in college, when I applied for a summer position to work at the Lofts’ research facility. The following summer, he recommended me to work as an intern in Holland with Barenburg Seed, one of Lofts’ European seed partners. He encouraged me to pursue a graduate degree and career in turf.

Noel Jackson was a preeminent turf pathologist and my major professor at URI. I learned a lot from him while pursuing my graduate studies. And, I can acknowledge, he was instrumental in my meeting my future husband.

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

If you are asked a question and don’t know the answer, don’t make something up. Get the answer and follow up with the person that asked the question.

Always try to treat people the way you would like to be treated. Be honest and respectful to those you work with and you should expect to be treated in the same fashion.

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

Two pieces of advice:

To quote a person that was one of my dearest friends, the former sports turf manager at University of Tennessee and past president of STMA, Bobby Campbell, “This in an industry where, if we do our jobs correctly, we help create memories. As professionals and caretakers of the fields, it is our responsibility to remember that as we complete our tasks. We do not want that memory to be based on a bad playing field. We need to pay attention to every detail in everything that we do.”

To professionals starting in the sports turf industry… this industry is a great industry in which to be involved. I have met sports turf managers from across the country and if anyone asks for help to solve a problem, or share equipment or recommended practice, every one of the sports turf managers I have met will not hesitate to take the time to help their fellow sports turf professional. So, make an effort to get to know others in our profession, attend the NESTMA Field Days or Workshops,

North Carolina Turfgrass – Turfgrass Council of NC

Willie Pennington joined BASF in 1972 as production manager at the manufacturing site in Tucker, Georgia. He moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1975 and served as Sales Representative for the agricultural products business, covering soybean, corn and cotton markets. Pennington earned three sales of the year awards for increased sales of new products.

In 1991, he was promoted to Market Manager / National Accounts Manager in the Specialty Products Department to develop business plans for distributors, resellers and 3rd party customers. Pennington supported the development of the NPV model for BASF products in the Turf and Ornamentals markets. Beginning in 1978, he was involved with BASF active ingredients in markets other than soybeans and cotton, before BASF officially established a Specialty business in the T&O segments in the mid 90s.

In 1996, Pennington became Regional Accounts Manager, covering the eastern U.S. for the T&O business. His primary responsibilities included distributor and reseller calls from South Carolina to Maine.

In 2000, he was promoted to Fumigation Specialist managing the golf course renovation (regrassing) projects in the U.S. He worked with golf course architects and builders on more than 75 golf courses and athletic fields to improve turfgrass stands and improved playability. Pennington implemented training courses, developed protocols, and supported the writing of a fumigation manual in the state of Virginia.

He collaborated with Certis USA / (Advan LLC) as a fumigation specialist to complete the transfer of the sale of the fumigation business from BASF to Kanesho Soil Treatment, and provide technical experience in the re-grassing of golf courses.

Pennington is a Past President of the Pesticide Association of NC and Board Member of The J C Raulston Arboretum at NC State University. He is also a Past President of the Board of Directors of the NC Cooperative Extension Service Foundation (NCCESF) and past member of the Board of Directors of the Central NC Chapter of the National Assn. of Investment Clubs (NAIC) and has provided investment education to Investment Clubs.

Pennington has served on panels at Crittenden conferences to discuss golf course renovations with Architects, Builders and prospective golf courses. Projects renovated include:

* University of DE, Newark, DE

* University of VA, Charlottesville, VA

* University of SC, Columbia, SC

* Warren Memorial Stadium (NFL Pro Bowl), Maui, HI, with George Toma

* Cincinnati Bengals Stadium, OH

* Reading Phillies, Reading, PA

* Philadelphia CC, Philadelphia, PA

* Wilmington CC, Wilmington, DE

* Bayshore CC, Miami, FL

* Loxahatchee CC, FL

* Frenchmen’s Creek, FL

* PGA West, LaQuinta, CA

* Olympia Fields CC, Olympia Fields, IL

* Medinah CC, Medinah, IL and others.

Pennington retired as Sales Representative – North Carolina and South Carolina where he promoted the proper use of BASF active ingredients on golf courses, Lawn Care, nursery, greenhouse and landscape markets as well as introducing new active ingredients in market segments.

Awards / Recognition:

* Three (3) Sales Awards with the BASF Professional & Specialty Solutions business.

* Green Resource LLC (2019) – Industry Service Award (along with Pat O’Brien, USGA)

* Triangle Turfgrass Association (2019) – Lifetime Member

* Turfgrass Council of North Carolina (2019) – Lifetime Achievement Award

Pennington has served his community and the world by completing 16 or more international Mission trips (Austria, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Italy) with trips planned to Ecuador and Spain in February and October 2020.

Pennington is a graduate of Tuskegee University (formerly Tuskegee Institute); 1970 – BS, Chemistry Education.

ATA Turf Times – Barry Stewart, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Sports Turf Science, Mississippi State University

Unlike most other crops, turfgrass soils are rarely exposed to tillage and therefore many turfgrass soils become compacted due to traffic. Our cultivation program is our best defense against soil compaction and the myriad of problems it can cause. In turfgrass, nearly everything we do — mowing, fertilizing, topdressing, rolling, playing games, etc. — happens on the horizontal plane. Turfgrass cultivation is one of the few things that happens on the vertical plane (I borrowed this from Dr. Trey Rogers at Michigan State). As we maintain and use turf soils, downward forces are applied and soil particles are pushed closer together. Soil pores, particularly macropores, are eliminated and the bulk density of the soil increases. If we think of an “ideal soil” we think of one that has 50% pore space and 50% solid space. When we consider that quartz is the dominant mineral in soils, then our ideal soil would have a bulk density of 1.33 g/cm3 given that the density of quartz is 2.65 g/cm3 (83 lbs/ft3). A bulk density range of 1.2 to 1.5 g/cm3 is a good working range for healthy turfgrass. Once bulk densities creep above 1.6 g/cm3 root growth begins to be affected and at bulk densities above 1.9 g/cm3 root growth nearly stops. Roots are not drills, they grow in the pore space, and compacted soils have less and less pore space, particularly macropore space and therefore limited root growth.

The second benefit of cultivation is the control of thatch and organic matter accumulation. In cultivation we break up the organic material accumulating at the turf surface. Sometimes the material is removed when we harvest the cores after aerifying or sweep up the clippings after we vertical mow or fraze mow. By keeping the rootzone in a favorable state of aeration, organic matter accumulation will be kept to a minimum as oxidation will proceed at its maximum rate. As organic matter accumulates and compaction happens, the rootzone is less well-aerated and organic matter decomposition slows down and organic matter accumulation increases. This leads to more moisture being held in the soil making it more vulnerable to compaction, and we begin on a downward spiral in which turf cover is lost. Topdressing is another tool in this battle with organic matter accumulation and will be the subject of a future article.

This article is written with warm season grasses in mind. The need for cultivation will vary with grass type and soil type. In general, native soils have a greater need for cultivation than sand-based soils. It is ironic that sand-based turf is more likely to receive cultivation than a native soil, but this is probably not surprising given the cost to establish and maintain grass on sand construction. Bermudagrass and zoysiagrass make up the vast majority of sport turf surfaces and require more cultivation. Some St. Augustine and centipede grass that receives traffic may also need occasional cultivation, but this should be done carefully. To ensure rapid recovery from any cultural practice mowing, make sure we have temperatures favorable for turf growth, 70 degree nights or 150 days with plenty of water available.

 

Core Cultivation / Hollow Tine Cultivation

Hollow tine cultivation is the cornerstone of any cultivation program. It should be a “showstopper” in that it should be a scheduled event. My mind’s picture of the benefit of core cultivation is that as our turfgrass soil becomes compacted, the elevation of our surface would decline. When we pull cores, we create a new large pore (the hole) and bring material back to the surface. As the cores are broken up and drug back into the holes not all of the material will fit into the holes and some will remain on the surface adding elevation to the surface. If the cores are collected and new material is top-dressed onto the site,

Virginia Turfgrass Journal – The Turf Zone

Craig Zeigler, President of ALM and VTC Board Member, has a story that begins like many other turfgrass professionals. He always knew he enjoyed working outside, and after a three-year stint as an assistant manager at a country club, where he primarily handled restaurant management duties, he knew it was time to find a way to get out of the clubhouse.

Having worked on a golf course during his senior year at Penn State, Craig had many friends who were turfgrass management majors. “I wished I would’ve majored in that, but I was getting ready to graduate with a degree in Recreation and Parks,” he said. Craig enjoyed his golf course work so much that after three years in the clubhouse, he went to North Carolina State University and got his degree in turfgrass management.

He began working on golf courses in 1995 and worked his way up to assistant golf course superintendent in 1996. That turned out to be a fateful year for Craig, as two major hurricanes made landfall in Topsail Beach, North Carolina, exactly where his course was located. Those two hurricanes caused major devastation in the area, and the golf course was no exception. The storm surge brought saltwater onto some greens, and the course lost over 1000 trees as well.

Clean-up and recovery was seven months of grueling work, only to have the course reopen around Christmas with no one left in the area to play. Topsail Beach remained a depressed area for about a year after the hurricanes. This meant revenue for the course was low, and when Craig was presented 100 dollars as his Christmas bonus, he decided it was time to make a change. He moved to Raleigh and tried his hand in the lawncare segment, working as a route manager for a company there.

In one year, Craig grew his route by 30 percent. He realized he could be doing that exact kind of work for himself, so he made the leap. He moved to Virginia Beach and started his own lawncare business in 1998. It was a slow start with many hours spent doing the literal leg work of promoting a new business. Craig says he walked many miles passing out flyers and working hard to grow the business.

Craig’s business, Agronomic Lawn Management (ALM), began to grow and Craig’s brother, Chris, joined in 2007. The company has grown 25–30 percent every year since 2010. One great draw for customers has been their call-in radio show. Craig, Chris, and ALM’s general manager, Bryan Raehl, alternate radio show duties the first and third Saturdays of each month, fielding lawncare questions from callers.

ALM offers lawn treatments (including fertilization, pre- and post- emergent weed control, disease and insect management, and seeding) and tree and shrub care (using an IPM approach). They have 43 employees and over 8000 customers in the Chesapeake area.

One area that Craig and ALM have excelled in is a company culture that values and retains employees. All areas of turfgrass management have faced labor challenges in recent years, and ALM has been intentional in building relationships and camaraderie among the staff. The ALM team has enjoyed some exciting Employee Appreciation Days — including Go Karting, paintball and even shuffleboard — that have allowed staff that don’t normally work side-by-side to get acquainted and build a team mentality. Craig says ALM does not lay off employees in the winter, so they find community service projects to work on as well. Recently, the entire team worked together to plant over 3000 sea grass plants in Back Bay to help with erosion on the dunes. They also pick up trash along waterways and streets — and if that sounds like a chore, you might be surprised to find out that the crew that got excited about shuffleboard actually found a way to compete at roadside cleanup. They turn it into a contest to see who can find the most unique object.

This culture and camaraderie are vital to keeping great staff,

New England Blade – Bill Kreuser, Extension Turf Grass Specialist, University of Nebraska

Generally, I warn against a lot of nitrogen fertilizer in early spring. Turf usually grows at a rapid rate once soil temperatures remain around 50–55F. This explosion of growth is thought to be from freeze-thaw cycles during the winter that release plant available nitrogen. Microbial activity is also low in early spring because the soils are cold. This means the grass roots have less competition for mineral nitrogen, and the grass surges once temperatures are conducive for growth in the spring. The spring growth surge can also be related to late fall and early winter nitrogen fertilization. Applying nitrogen at that time is very inefficient and most of the fertilizer remains in the soil until growth resumes in spring or it is lost to the environment. Adding large quantities of additional nitrogen in early spring can promote excessive shoot growth. This depletes carbohydrate (sugar) reserves before the stress of summer. This is the reason I advocate to use stand-alone preemergence herbicides (PREs) for the first spring app. A combination fertilizer + PRE product is better for a sequential application in late spring-early summer.

There are situations where early season nitrogen may be appropriate. In most cases, however, only small amounts of nitrogen (0.1-0.5 lb N/1000 sq ft) are required to positively impact the turf. Use soluble or sulfur coated nitrogen sources. Avoid natural or synthetic organics and polymer-coated products that need active microbial communities to release nutrients.

Here are just a few examples:

* High traffic in spring: Turf areas with extensive use in spring can benefit from small applications of nitrogen application in spring to promote regrowth and recovery. Typical areas would include sports fields and golf courses with a lot of spring play.

* Lightly shaded areas: The lower sun angle in the fall can usually increase shade stress around trees and other structures. This leads to thinning of the turf in late fall. It can be beneficial to supply small amounts of nitrogen in the spring to build density and store sugars before the trees leaf-out. Shaded areas as a rule should be treated with minimal nitrogen, especially when the trees are full of leaves. Too much nitrogen in shade reduces carbohydrate reserves and promotes excessive growth as the turf tries to out-grow the trees.

* New turf stands: Areas of turf that were established last fall likely need more nitrogen fertilization to build density before the summer. These areas should receive enough fertilizer to promote 100% cover before the summer annual weeds take over later in the year. Older turf stands will need less nitrogen in the spring to achieve acceptable color than stands established in the past couple years.

* Achieve even green-up: Sometimes turf stands do not green-up evenly. This could be from different species in the lawn (i.e. tall fescue is generally slower than perennial ryegrass or older cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass). There may also be differences in the soil or dog spots from the winter. In these cases, small amounts of fertilizer will stimulate green-up without placing extra stress on the plant.

Spring is also a good time to soil test for other nutrients. The most important nutrients to test for are phosphorus and potassium. Use a lab that can do the Mehlich-3 soil test method [e.g. UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Lab www.soiltest.unconn.edu or UMass Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Lab https://ag.umass.edu/services/soil-plant-nutrient-testing-laboratory]. Fix deficiencies in the spring before the heat and stress of the summer.

Bill Kreuser is Assistant Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist at the University of Nebraska. Contact Bill at [email protected]. This article originally appeared in STMA’s Industry News Online.

Arkansas Turfgrass – ATA

2020 gave us a vision for the future and it’s just possible that our show will take on a much different look in the coming years as we adapt to changing industry trends and respond to member needs. To understand where we are going, it is important to remember how we got this far to begin with. During the Awards Luncheon we surprised longtime director Bill Tippit with a plaque to recognize him for serving on the Board of Directors since 2008. Bill has been a dedicated friend to ATA and a loyal supporter. We can’t thank him enough for his valuable contributions, and we wish him well on his retirement. Hopefully he will come back to the show visit if we promise not to work him too hard!

Our joint tradeshow with the Arkansas Green Industry was sold out, and we enjoyed adding a few new vendors to our line-up. We figure if you didn’t see a vendor for it at this show, you probably don’t need it anyway. But seriously, our show continues to be one of the few left that still bring in equipment for you to see. This affords you the chance to see the latest and greatest innovations from equipment manufacturers without any obligation.

The Awards Lunch was a great time to network and enjoy seeing old friends again. This year we celebrated the achievements of three turf professionals who are the top in their field. Two golf courses were recognized in different divisions. Ricky Self accepted on behalf of Cypress Creek and Dustin McNaughten for Burns Park Golf Course. Daniel Baxley accepted the Sports Turf Field of the Year for Benton Parks and Recreation. Congratulations to all of our winners!

The ATA Conference continues to bring you the most recent research in the industry. Dr. Maria Tomaso-Peterson from Mississippi State educated us on large patch control and foliar diseases in ultradwarf bermudagrass. Dr. Becky Grubbs-Bowling from Texas A&M gave presentations on The Absence of Glyphosate, BMP for Lawns and “What are We Going to do About Poa?” Dr. Richardson contributed many talks in the Sports Turf Session which seems to grow more every year. Dr. Eric Reasor with PBIGordon updated us on the Top 10 Weeds and Their Control as well as addressing herbicide resistance. There are too many to list, but we did change things up and enjoyed an update from Pat Berger about the conversion of Razorback field and Troy Fink, superintendent at The Blessing on hosting major tournaments. We can’t list all the presentations here, but we were proud to offer a well-rounded portfolio of topics. We also offered four workshops this year which proved to be a big success.

Join us in thanking Dr. Karcher for organizing all of education for us and making several presentations. We could not do this show without his connections, insight, knowledge and hard work.