The Turf Zone Podcast

As we build weed management programs for turf, it is important to take advantage of every opportunity at our disposal. One such opportunity occurs during the establishment and/or renovation process that often occurs in the turf areas we manage. It is at times hard to fight the temptation to adopt the “plant now and worry about it later” strategy. This is a path that will likely result in great regret down the road. Weed management at the start of a project can solve many difficult weed problems. The expression “let’s start with a clean slate” should be in the back of your mind as you plan and implement establishment and/or renovation projects in turf and landscape areas.

Insects are the most common and abundant pollinators in the world. Although bees may be the most well-known insect pollinators, there are many other insect species, including butterflies, moths, wasps, flies and beetles, which also play an important role in plant pollination. Due to increased interest in pollinator and wildlife communities in turfgrass environments, we are conducting a study examining how the implementation of pollinator-friendly habitat on established golf courses impact pollinator populations. In the spring and summer of 2018, we set out across the state, sampling for pollinators in managed turfgrass environments to determine which insects were already present prior to establishing refuge areas the following season. This fall we returned to these sites to plant pollinator-friendly seed mixes. After some trial and error, we have identified a few key things to know prior to establishing pollinator habitat. Our five summarized key steps to creating pollinator-friendly habitat on your golf course or managed turfgrass area are as follows

As a sports field manager, where do you turn when you have a professional development question? We talked with Kristen Althouse, a graduate of Penn State’s Turfgrass Science program and Education Manager of the Sports Turf Managers Association. STMA is a great resource for members wishing to access educational programs that will support and advance their careers at every stage, she says. “One of the best parts of my job is interacting with our members. They are hard-working, dedicated people that are very serious about providing the best fields possible for users. If someone has a question, help is just a phone call away.”

How long have you been a NESTMA member? I have been a member for a little over six years. I am also a member of STMA, PGMS, NEGCSA, and GCSAA.

New England Blade – Vickie Wallace and Alyssa Siegel-Miles, UConn Extension

Weather stations are a powerful tool that have long been utilized in production agriculture and have become essential equipment on golf courses and sports facilities. The ability to correct problematic management practices as early as possible, and to scout to prevent pest problems before they occur, helps athletic field and grounds managers better manage their fields and facility properties.

What are weather stations?

A weather station is a group of centrally organized instruments that measure atmospheric and soil conditions using many different sensors. On-site weather stations monitor the microclimate of a specific growing area, such as precipitation, air and soil temperature, evapotranspiration (ET), wind speed, and relative humidity.

Weather stations must be properly sited, installed, and maintained to be effective and reliable. To correctly site the weather station, it must be:

* In an open location, on level terrain, where no shading or disruption in wind flow can occur. It should be sited well away from all buildings, large structures, and trees, to account for seasonal changes in shade and wind patterns.

* Placed directly on a turf or landscaped area, in a location free from excessive radiant heat provided by adjacent driveways, sidewalks, and buildings, which act as heat “sinks” and produce misleadingly higher air temperatures, lower humidity, and higher ET values.

* Operational in a school/public environment location where protection from vandalism and firewall settings do not disrupt data transmission.

* Placed with a clear sight line to the location where data will be received.

Why is monitoring weather important?

Weather conditions can vary over short distances, so off-site measurements from a public weather network may not accurately reflect the precipitation and temperature in the immediate vicinity of a school’s athletic fields and grounds. For irrigation and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) decisions, more specific measurements may be required. Weather stations can be an integral tool for making:

* Irrigation decisions:

* Athletic fields may require irrigation for turfgrass to remain dense and healthy, given the challenging conditions (e.g., compaction and heavy wear) associated with school athletic fields.

* Weather stations can estimate the evapotranspiration (ET) rate of a turfgrass area. Awareness of water loss through ET is a valuable component for making irrigation management decisions.

* Scheduling irrigation events according to observed ET water loss rates, rather than irrigating on an automatic schedule, minimizes ineffective watering and wasteful water loss.

* Pest management decisions, as part of a comprehensive school IPM program:

* IPM is a sustainable and scientific approach to pest control that strives to address and correct the root causes of pest problems.

* Weather stations can support accurate IPM decisions. Pest management decisions based on growing degree days are more accurate than a calendar-based approach. The timing of insect development, disease activity, weed germination, and seedhead emergence of broadleaf and grassy weeds may vary based on seasonal weather conditions.

* Predicting the optimal time for chemical treatment, where chemical control methods are not prohibited, is dependent on accurate microclimate information.

How can the information collected from weather stations be used in turf management programs?

* Irrigation scheduling:

* Help determine when and where to irrigate, based on soil moisture and ET readings.

* Pest Management of Weeds, Insects, and Diseases:

* Improve decisions about timing of cultural management strategies and ...

Across the region, 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. 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.

During the month of June, the VT Turf Team hosted two youth-oriented educational and outreach events on the campus of Virginia Tech. These events served as great opportunities for Virginia Tech to tout turfgrass science as a two- or four-year major and utilize our highest profile sporting venues in exposing dozens of young men and women to this industry and the opportunities for education, jobs, and careers in turfgrass and allied green industries.

While not recognized as a plant essential nutrient, silicon (Si) accumulates in epidermal and vascular tissue of grasses. A field study of ‘CrossOver’ Ca/Mg-silicate (SiO3) pelletized soil conditioner/liming agent (Harsco Minerals Intl., Sarver, PA) was conducted on a neutral perennial ryegrass field within the J. Valentine Turfgrass Research Center (University Park, PA). Plots were trafficked weekly by a dedicated wear simulator, June through Sept. Multispectral radiometric canopy quality measures, clipping yield, clipping/tissue composition, soil pH, and plant-available soil Si levels from the 0-3” and 3-6” depths were regularly collected over the two-year study. Similar multiyear field experiments, employing identical products and methods on creeping bentgrass fairways and putting greens, were inconclusive. However, perennial ryegrass plots under intense wear/traffic and treated annually by granular application of Ca/Mg-silicates at 25 or 50 lbs per 1000 ft2, showed significantly improved mean canopy quality relative to adjacent plots receiving equal Ca and Mg as lime. This improved canopy density and color coincided with acetic-acid-extractable soil Si levels >70 ppm in the 0-3” soil depth. Further field trials are being initiated on perennial ryegrass and turf-type tall fescue to confirm these results and identify a critical leaf Si concentration for improved wear tolerance.

“Everyone has different learning styles,” says Aaron J. Patton, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Agronomy at Purdue University. “We all communicate in different ways.” Smart phones have allowed us to access and share information across any number of platforms, customizing it for whatever works for us and for our colleagues and customers. Apps are a crucial part of that and there’s an app or a website for nearly everything.

The Deep South Turf Expo claims “Braggin Rights” about our Keynote Speakers this year. In addition to an outstanding line-up of education for the conference, we will present three keynote speakers. Two are stalwarts in the industry and one a young man who wants to “make a difference, one yard at a time.” We are indebted to BASF for sponsoring our speakers this year.