The following article appeared in the February 2019 issue of Golf Course Management magazine. The research it cites was funded by the New England Regional Turfgrass Foundation, which is supported by NESTMA. It is reprinted with permission. From food labels to cotton sheets, the concept of going “organic” is alluring. The idea is open to much discussion and debate, but it’s a fact that many municipalities are imposing bans or restrictions on the use of pesticides, especially around schools, sports fields and public grounds.

Zoysiagrass, one of the earliest grass species to be used as turf, is native to Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and the Philippines where the weather varies greatly depending on season. This relatively slow-growing, sod-forming and warm-season species forms a durable, uniform turf in full sun and light, open shade. Many zoysiagrass varieties produce no viable seeds and must be established from sod, plugs or sprigs. Depending on the planting date, sprigging rate, and plug diameter and spacing, the vegetatively propagated varieties often require more than a year to totally cover the soil surface. Leaves and stems developing from nodes on stolons and rhizomes usually grow upright at an angle of about 90 degrees, a trait contributing to very good to excellent stand density. Zoysiagrass leaves are often stiff and stems are very tough due to high levels of lignin and hemicellulose. These attributes result in excellent wear tolerance.

Many athletic fields in the U.S. are built with native soils in contrast to constructed sand root zones such as those developed according to the United States Golf Association (USGA; USGA Green Section Staff, 2007). Native soils high in silt and clay tend to have greater soil water contents and slower water infiltration rates compared to constructed sand root zones (Pitt et al., 2008). The decreased water infiltration rates of cohesive soils (i.e., non-sand soils) are potentially problematic when precipitation occurs prior to athletic events. It has been reported that cohesive soil athletic fields with high soil water content tend to lose green turfgrass cover faster than those with lower soil water content (Rogers, 1988; Carrow et al., 2001).

White grubs, or scarab beetle larvae, may be the one common pest that plague all turfgrass systems around the globe. Larvae feed directly on roots, which impedes water and nutrient uptake. If left unchecked, grub feeding may cause a separation of root tissue from aboveground plant material (Figure 1). This is particularly problematic on athletic fields where large populations of actively feeding grubs can create footing and other safety issues. Additionally, the mere presence of the larvae can attract predators (e.g. skunks and raccoons), which in turn may cause even more severe damage.

All weeds have a story to tell. Their mere presence communicates valuable information on recent maintenance practices employed. Cultural practices that promote a healthy and dense turf stand are one of the most important and least recognized weed control tools. In fact, many pest infestations are triggered by problems associated with upkeep including mowing height and regularity, irrigation timing and frequency, and fertilization (usually too much or too little). Improper practices can stress the turf, giving weeds a competitive edge. Although herbicides may seem like a simple solution to weed problems, killing the weeds with an herbicide only treats the symptom without identifying the underlying cause.

Across Mississippi, youth of all ages are enjoying America’s greatest past times. There’s no denying that sports are interwoven into the fabric of who we are as a nation. Some of my fondest memories as a child were made on the baseball, football, or soccer field. In my current role, I have the pleasure of visiting high school sports fields across Mississippi. The coaches and field managers I meet have a great passion for providing the best playing surface for their athletes. They juggle several job responsibilities and have limited budgets – making field maintenance a difficult task. In my travels, I have noticed some common maintenance practices that are lacking or in need of correction.

Maryland Turfgrass Council - Pete Landschoot, Ph.D., Professor of Turfgrass ScienceSuperintendents generally do a good job of monitoring the nutrient status of turfgrass and soil on their golf courses. However, keeping track of nutrient requirements and fertilizer programs on large properties with different turfgrass species, management regimes, soil types, and microenvironments can be challenging. A nutrient management plan (NMP) can help organize all or most of this information into a single document that can be shared with staff members at your facility. It can also demonstrate to club members, neighbors, and community organizations that you are taking an environmentally responsible approach to turfgrass fertilization.

TurfZone: Before we start talking about crabgrass control, first tell us your background and your position.MB: Sure. I’m a newly hired research scientist at the University of Arkansas. As a research scientist, I’m not quite faculty, not quite a post-doc, I fall between there, but I have my own research program and I’m responsible for weed and vegetation management and turf, pastures, roadsides and specialty crops, so it’s a real big grab-bag of responsibilities. I like to think I’m pretty well prepared for it. My background – I got a Ph.D. in horticultural weed science at NC State. I was studying weed control in watermelons, so I learned about vegetable production systems, and I have to tell you, turf is pretty far different from the vegetable production. But you learn all the fundamentals of weed science, you learn different management strategies and I think it’s something that I’m really excited to take on.

How to Best Use Diagnostic and Soil Lab ServicesGetting the most out of your soil testingSoil testing is vital to successfully growing any plant. Turfgrasses are no exceptions. But turfgrasses grow very differently to most other crops, so sampling and implementing recommendations are different in turfgrasses from most crops. Here is how to get the best information and benefit out of your soil testing for turfgrass.

The Arkansas climate is such that injury to warm-season turfgrasses is almost always a possibility during the winter months, especially in the northern region of the state. The most common causes of winter injury are sustained low temperatures, low temperature spikes, unseasonably warm temperatures followed by freezing temperatures, and turfgrass tissue desiccation. Certain species of turf have a better chance of surviving extreme cold temperatures than others. Turfgrasses that produce underground stems (rhizomes), such as bermudagrass and zoysiagrass, are better equipped to withstand extreme cold temperatures when compared to grasses like St. Augustinegrass or centipedegrass, which produce only aboveground stems (stolons). Many cultivars of bermudagrass, including Latitude 36, Northbridge, Riviera, and Tahoma 31, have demonstrated increased resistance to winter injury when compared to older bermudagrass cultivars. Certain site-specific characteristics can also play a role in determining the extent to which low temperatures will injure a stand of turf. Areas receiving large amounts of traffic, north facing slopes, heavily shaded areas, and poorly drained soils all have an elevated risk of winter injury.