The Turf Zone Podcast

ARKANSAS TURFGRASS: Dr. Casey Reynolds, Executive Director TPI

Turfgrass Producers International (TPI) has members who produce and sell turfgrass seed and sod in almost every U.S. state and over 30 countries. As I travel to visit with them, speak at conferences, write magazine articles, etc., I often get to speak with producers first-hand about what they’re experiencing in their local markets. This often includes the good and the bad, and oddly enough no matter where I go, the themes are usually similar. From a farm’s perspective, demand is up; costs are up; labor is short; and where did all the truck drivers go? From a market perspective, consumers and policy-makers increasingly just don’t understand natural grass lawns and their benefits, and in many areas of the country, they are quite literally trying to write them out of new construction, through local ordinances which ban or dis-incentivize the use of grass.

So where does this leave us? In the short run, housing is still quite hot and the demand for grass ebbs and flows with it. In the long run, will the next generation of consumers and home-buyers value or even want lawns, landscapes, natural grass athletic fields, and golf courses? The short answer to that question is that it’s up to us. But let’s revisit that a little later.

Data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development indicates that as of March 2023, purchases of new homes increased for a third consecutive month. Construction of new homes rose in February and sales of existing homes surged after a 12-month decline. The U.S. Census Bureau shows that New Housing Units are still strong, despite a recent drop-off from the post-covid boom (Figure 1). As such, turfgrass producers in most areas of the country including Alabama sod producers, are still reporting strong sales, high demand, and sometimes low inventory.

While this is good news for producers and others in the green industry who rely on lawns, landscapes, sports fields, and golf courses, it is no surprise to anyone that costs are also up. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has some useful tools on its website at https://www.bls.gov. If you’re a data junky, or just a little curious to see it on paper, you can find some helpful charts and graphs that track the costs of goods and services over many years. It should be no spoiler that food, energy, raw materials, transportation, and warehousing are all up when compared to pre-Covid levels. A little good news is that all 2023 Producer Prices Indexes are down when compared to 2021 and 2022.

Like many industries, turfgrass seed and sod producers routinely look for efficiencies to reduce these costs and often find them in new equipment, automation, digitalization, GPS/Remote Sensing technologies, new techniques or practices, and so on. It would be difficult to list them all here, but out of necessity comes innovation and there is always a better way to do things. There are certainly plenty of those opportunities out there just as there are in other segments of the green industry.

Now, let’s change course from a production perspective to a market perspective, which is just as likely to impact the state of our industry. With that in mind, what is the current and future consumer perception of lawns and other green spaces? I suspect many of you have seen recent headlines such as “Kill Your Lawn Before It Kills You”, “American Lawns: Ending the Toxic Yard” and so on. If we need further proof of that, simply Google the phrase “Lawns are” and you can see the top search terms that people are entering into common Google queries. The top hits include Lawns are “bad, stupid, wasteful, colonialism, useless, ecological disaster,” and so on.

While it is easy to sometimes write these off as op-eds, there is definitely consumer research that shows we as an industry should take these seriously.

TENNESSEE TURFGRASS: Neal Glatt, CSP, ASM

Many leaders seek to hire people who fit their company culture, meaning they choose candidates who share their values, style, or goals. Their theory is that these teams will be more cohesive and aligned to enable performance of key business outcomes. Unfortunately for these leaders, the science shows exactly the opposite is true.

According to a 2015 McKinsey report, diverse management teams are 35% more likely to outperform non-diverse teams in terms of financial performance. One of the reasons for this is that teams which disagree challenge each other to perform at their best. The desire for cohesiveness can in fact limit a team’s ability to obtain performance.

For managers who want to hire the best people, cultural fit may be undermining the entire hiring process. In fact, personality, behavioral, or cultural tests predict on-the-job performance only 20% of the time while giving hiring managers a false sense of security.

One way to know that hiring methods aren’t working to look at the employee turnover rate of an organization. What percentage of employees departed your organization for any reason in the past 12 months? If the answer is 9.2% or higher (the average for all construction companies), then your hiring criteria must be revaluated to outperform the competition.

The best leaders don’t look for a cultural fit, they target candidates who contribute cultural adds. These people have an identity, viewpoint, or experience which is new and unique to a team and brings a new perspective to an organization. Striving for diversity, as opposed to fit, is the best way to build a high-performing team with lower turnover.

A good talent assessment won’t reveal work styles because the best in each role achieve their results in very different ways. Save the personality and behavioral assessments for building self- and others-awareness of new hires and development. In the hiring process, an assessment of the entrepreneurial talent is what’s needed to succeed.

Finally, managers need to revisit how they interview and move to structured formats where each candidate is given the same questions and answers are scored against an objective guide. These questions should also only be around exhibited behavior in previous experiences or hypothetical situations to determine how someone would perform in a given role. When combined, these strategies dramatically reduce hiring bias and increase team talent and diversity.

If you need more help revamping your hiring process to succeed, check out the courses on GrowTheBench.com or contact us for one-on-one coaching.

Neal Glatt is the Managing Partner of GrowTheBench, an online training platform for the green industry. Connect with Neal at www.NealGlatt.com.

VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL: Brad Jakubowski, Assistant Teaching Professor, Center for Turfgrass Science, Penn State University

Keeping an eye on the weather is something professional turfgrass managers have ingrained into our systems. Can I mow today? We check our phones for the most recent forecast. Should I spray today? We monitor dewpoints, humidity and temperatures. Will I pull the tarp prior to today’s game? We study the weather radar. There is a tremendous amount of weather information out there and nearly all of us have some form of a weather app on our phones, or a link to our favorite weather website, to help us make day-to-day management decisions. Let’s take a journey, to see what is out there and what information will help us make the best weather-based decisions possible.

Which app is the best?

Honestly, there is no one best app. It is important to find an app or a number of apps that provide you the most reliable and quickly available information. Basic Information that is important to have available with the least number of clicks would be: High and Low Temperatures (including overnight lows), Dewpoint, Relative Humidity, and Short-Term Weather forecasts. Intermediate information includes: Radar (Base and Composite Reflectivity), Satellite Imagery, and Severe Weather (especially lightning). Advanced information would be: Echo Tops, Vertically Integrated Liquid, Digital Storm Accumulation and Forecast Discussion.

Basic Information

When looking for basic information, it is best to have most or all important data on the first screen, or within one or two clicks from the first screen. That is often a good way to judge how well your app will benefit you over time. As an example, The National Weather Service includes much of the basic data (Figure 1). At a glance, you can get a good idea of what is happening now and what will happen in the immediate future. High and low temperatures provide a quick mental image of how the day (and night) may influence your maintenance plans. Winds, dewpoint and relative humidity provide a quick insight on irrigation requirements, disease potential, and infield skin management requirements.

It is beneficial to see both relative humidity and dewpoint together. Viewing only either limits your view of the big picture. For example, a relative humidity of 95% with dewpoints near 70 degrees indicate that less time may be spent scouting for wilt and instead used scouting for diseases. The same relative humidity with dewpoints under 30 may indicate a majority of the day may be dedicated for scouting wilt or watering an infield skin.

The Hourly Forecast – The Turf Manager’s Secret Weapon!

The Hourly Forecast on Weather.gov (Figure 2) is the turf manager’s secret weapon. In one image, a turf manager can make plans for multiple issues and tasks. For Example, The Heat Index: potential high heat indexes aids in planning for employee safety; Temperature and Dewpoint: Matched high overnight dewpoints and temperatures means extended leaf wetness and high disease potential. They also indicate heavy dew until at least 8am, which may require a syringe cycle to limit mower clumping, or to make sure greens are whipped post-cut; Wind Speed and Direction (Surface Wind): predicted light southerly winds meaning even higher probability for disease potential and dew, as well as for good spraying conditions in the early morning, but gusts in the teens starting around 11am; Relative Humidity: indicates conditions will be wet early, but dry quickly throughout the day; Sky Cover: indicates it will be partly cloudy throughout the day providing some relief, while Precipitation Potential indicate a 50% chance of rain throughout the day.

Intermediate Information

When making game-time decisions such as tarp pulls, or field evacuations, due to severe weather,

PENNSYLVANIA TURFGRASS:

KAFMO’s annual Field of Distinction award recipients for 2023 are East Pennsboro Area School District, John Gross Field in Enola, PA and Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field, the home of the Williamsport Crosscutters. Both facilities deserve recognition for their outstanding record of providing safe, playable conditions for their users. Both fields are also successful examples of an increasingly common arrangement: they are maintained by teams of outside contractors. In the Summer installment of Between the Lines, we took a look at Historic Bowman Field, maintained by BrightView Landscapes. John Gross Field at George R. Saxton Jr. Memorial Stadium is under the care of a groundskeeping team from Aramark. We talked with Grounds Project Manager Keith Evans of Aramark about his experience working with the school district.

Aramark is a facilities services provider to client organizations in education, healthcare, business, and leisure. It operates in North America and internationally and is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. According to their website, Aramark assembles service teams which bring “passion, experience, and local knowledge” to meet the needs of their client organizations.

Keith Evans certainly brings that promise to life on the groundskeeping team at East Pennsboro. He is passionate about his work, has been working in turf management for over 25 years, and has been an active member of KAFMO since its inception. He is on the KAFMO Board of Directors and is currently serving as Board Secretary.

Professional Networks

Evans understands the value of a professional network. “KAFMO has played a huge role in my career,” he says. “I’ve attended every conference since it was established. The education sessions and the ability to network is priceless. They are constantly providing the latest updates in the industry and staying on top of where the industry is going as technology advances. The nice part about KAFMO is someone with the same issues is just a phone call away.”

The same might be said of his Aramark connections. When asked about the pros and cons of the contract service model for turf management, for example, Keith responded in positive terms. “I can tell you that working with a company like Aramark gives school districts access to a vast community of expertise and resources due to the company’s scale.”

Field of Distinction

The Field of Distinction award is the fulfillment of a goal for Keith Evans and his team at the East Pennsboro Area School District: to have a top athletic facility for their programs. John Gross Field, home of the Panthers, is mainly used for football, but it also hosts soccer and band events as well as community events during the season. The field was originally built in the early 1950’s and underwent renovation in 2020 when Hummer Turfgrass Systems installed a sand grid drainage system and a Hunter automatic irrigation system. The field was finished with 90,000 square feet of Kentucky Bluegrass big roll sod on top of the sand capped field. Evans describes the field as “a showcase for a sense of pride in the school district and the community.”

In 2019, the field was renamed in honor of coach and administrator John Gross. The late John H. Gross Jr. had been inducted into the West Shore Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame as a distinguished coach for his many coaching awards, including his undefeated football team in 1959, the Lower Susquehanna Football Championship in 1959, and the Blue Mountain Football Championship in 1962 and 1963. The KAFMO Field of Distinction award constitutes yet another tribute to a respected coach as well as a recognition of the high quality of the field itself.

The grounds team has worked hard to provide a high-level High School field and The Field of Distinction award validates their efforts,

NEW ENGLAND BLADE: Tom Barry, CSFM – Sports Turf Manager, Greens Farms Academy, Westport, CT

INTRODUCTION

Many schools are challenged to maintain safe, uniform, and healthy playing surfaces due to intense playing schedules and repeated traffic. Fraise mowing is a renovation practice that reinvigorates the turfgrass surface and can remove shallow-rooted weeds (Sitko and Rossi, 2019). Schools in towns or states that have banned pesticides on K-8 school grounds, such as in Connecticut, have had to readjust management practices. The use of fraise mowing can be an effective practice in an integrated weed management program for athletic fields, especially where herbicides are restricted or are not allowed.

SITE CONDITIONS

Silt loam, overly compacted soils.

PROBLEM

High weed contamination (70 – 80%) of annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens) on a heavily trafficked multi-purpose (lacrosse, soccer, flag football) middle and high school athletic field at Greens Farms Academy.

GOALS

• Eliminate a high percentage of the shallow-rooted weeds, including annual bluegrass and white clover.

• Keep the desirable populations of turfgrass species, perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) intact.

• Improve soil aeration and drainage.

• Have the field ready for use in late June / early July for summer lacrosse camps.

STEPS TAKEN

• Fraise mowing was performed on the field in mid-May after the conclusion of our spring sports season. We planned for the field to be out-of-play for six weeks to recover from the fraise mowing renovation process.

• The fraise mower was set to 1⁄2″ depth to remove the majority of the shallow rooted weeds, including annual bluegrass and white clover, while keeping the deeper rooted and rhizomatous desirable grasses intact.

• Immediately after the fraise mow process, the field was solid-tine aerated with 3⁄4″ tines, and overseeded with a combination of high-performing perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass cultivars to establish in the bare areas and to outcompete the germinating weeds.

The fraise mower removes two inches of the turfgrass surface and debris is removed.

• We used a Redexim 1575 disc seeder in two directions with 2 lbs/1000ft2 of Kentucky bluegrass, broadcast perennial ryegrass at 3 lbs/1000ft2, and dragged seed into aeration holes.

• Our grow-in fertility program included a starter fertilizer and a poultry manure product at seeding. Every three weeks post-germination, we sprayed the field with a wetting agent, light N application, and biostimulants.

• Once the overseeding process was completed, we top-dressed with a coarse athletic field sand to help improve soil texture and surface levels of the field, including improved drainage and root development and penetration.

• The field was irrigated with light, frequent irrigation until germination of both species occurred. After germination, the irrigation schedule was reduced, and the duration of each irrigation event increased.

RESULTS

We had great success with reducing both annual bluegrass and white clover populations, but some annual bluegrass did recover (about 10 – 15% following grow-in). We will continue to aerate and top-dress with sand to improve drainage and promote deeper rooted grasses. Clipping removal will be performed when annual bluegrass and clover are in flower. We will also look to fraise mow the field in the future (every three to five years).

WHAT WE LEARNED

The timing of an early spring fraise mow was not ideal, due to the lack of thatch development followed by intense summer annual grassy weed germination (e.g., crabgrass). Late summer-early fall is the best time to fraise mow, if an alternate field is available for sporting events.

Also,

MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS: Neal Glatt, CSP, ASM

Many leaders seek to hire people who fit their company culture, meaning they choose candidates who share their values, style, or goals. Their theory is that these teams will be more cohesive and aligned to enable performance of key business outcomes. Unfortunately for these leaders, the science shows exactly the opposite is true.

According to a 2015 McKinsey report, diverse management teams are 35% more likely to outperform non-diverse teams in terms of financial performance. One of the reasons for this is that teams which disagree challenge each other to perform at their best. The desire for cohesiveness can in fact limit a team’s ability to obtain performance.

For managers who want to hire the best people, cultural fit may be undermining the entire hiring process. In fact, personality, behavioral, or cultural tests predict on-the-job performance only 20% of the time while giving hiring managers a false sense of security.

One way to know that hiring methods aren’t working to look at the employee turnover rate of an organization. What percentage of employees departed your organization for any reason in the past 12 months? If the answer is 9.2% or higher (the average for all construction companies), then your hiring criteria must be revaluated to outperform the competition.

The best leaders don’t look for a cultural fit, they target candidates who contribute cultural adds. These people have an identity, viewpoint, or experience which is new and unique to a team and brings a new perspective to an organization. Striving for diversity, as opposed to fit, is the best way to build a high-performing team with lower turnover.

A good talent assessment won’t reveal work styles because the best in each role achieve their results in very different ways. Save the personality and behavioral assessments for building self- and others-awareness of new hires and development. In the hiring process, an assessment of the entrepreneurial talent is what’s needed to succeed.

Finally, managers need to revisit how they interview and move to structured formats where each candidate is given the same questions and answers are scored against an objective guide. These questions should also only be around exhibited behavior in previous experiences or hypothetical situations to determine how someone would perform in a given role. When combined, these strategies dramatically reduce hiring bias and increase team talent and diversity.

If you need more help revamping your hiring process to succeed, check out the courses on GrowTheBench.com or contact us for one-on-one coaching.

Neal Glatt is the Managing Partner of GrowTheBench, an online training platform for the green industry. Connect with Neal at www.NealGlatt.com.

ATA TURF TIMES: Brad Jakubowski, Assistant Teaching Professor, Center for Turfgrass Science, Penn State University

Keeping an eye on the weather is something professional turfgrass managers have ingrained into our systems. Can I mow today? We check our phones for the most recent forecast. Should I spray today? We monitor dewpoints, humidity and temperatures. Will I pull the tarp prior to today’s game? We study the weather radar. There is a tremendous amount of weather information out there and nearly all of us have some form of a weather app on our phones, or a link to our favorite weather website, to help us make day-to-day management decisions. Let’s take a journey, to see what is out there and what information will help us make the best weather-based decisions possible.

Which app is the best?

Honestly, there is no one best app. It is important to find an app or a number of apps that provide you the most reliable and quickly available information. Basic Information that is important to have available with the least number of clicks would be: High and Low Temperatures (including overnight lows), Dewpoint, Relative Humidity, and Short-Term Weather forecasts. Intermediate information includes: Radar (Base and Composite Reflectivity), Satellite Imagery, and Severe Weather (especially lightning). Advanced information would be: Echo Tops, Vertically Integrated Liquid, Digital Storm Accumulation and Forecast Discussion.

Basic Information

When looking for basic information, it is best to have most or all important data on the first screen, or within one or two clicks from the first screen. That is often a good way to judge how well your app will benefit you over time. As an example, The National Weather Service includes much of the basic data (Figure 1). At a glance, you can get a good idea of what is happening now and what will happen in the immediate future. High and low temperatures provide a quick mental image of how the day (and night) may influence your maintenance plans. Winds, dewpoint and relative humidity provide a quick insight on irrigation requirements, disease potential, and infield skin management requirements.

It is beneficial to see both relative humidity and dewpoint together. Viewing only either limits your view of the big picture. For example, a relative humidity of 95% with dewpoints near 70 degrees indicate that less time may be spent scouting for wilt and instead used scouting for diseases. The same relative humidity with dewpoints under 30 may indicate a majority of the day may be dedicated for scouting wilt or watering an infield skin.

The Hourly Forecast – The Turf Manager’s Secret Weapon!

The Hourly Forecast on Weather.gov (Figure 2) is the turf manager’s secret weapon. In one image, a turf manager can make plans for multiple issues and tasks. For Example, The Heat Index: potential high heat indexes aids in planning for employee safety; Temperature and Dewpoint: Matched high overnight dewpoints and temperatures means extended leaf wetness and high disease potential. They also indicate heavy dew until at least 8am, which may require a syringe cycle to limit mower clumping, or to make sure greens are whipped post-cut; Wind Speed and Direction (Surface Wind): predicted light southerly winds meaning even higher probability for disease potential and dew, as well as for good spraying conditions in the early morning, but gusts in the teens starting around 11am; Relative Humidity: indicates conditions will be wet early, but dry quickly throughout the day; Sky Cover: indicates it will be partly cloudy throughout the day providing some relief, while Precipitation Potential indicate a 50% chance of rain throughout the day.

Intermediate Information

When making game-time decisions such as tarp pulls, or field evacuations, due to severe weather, radar becomes an important tool.

NORTH CAROLINA TURFGRASS: Bryan Tolar, Tolar Capitol Partners

Symbolism is great, but integrity is what matters. It’s a universal truth that confidence in a person or product sustains brand value, whether for automobiles, electronics, whiskey – you name it. With stiff competition in the marketplace and ne’er-do-wells pitching knockoffs, the integrity of a product and faith in the people behind it cannot be faked, undercut or understated.

So it is with turfgrass. A NORTH CAROLINA TURFGRASS

Consider Tiffany & Co. For nearly 200 years, Tiffany’s little blue box has been its statement of quality, even before the fine jewelry inside is visible. The distinctive, trademarked “Tiffany Blue” creates breathtaking anticipation because of the integrity of its brand: sought-after elegance, renowned craftmanship and international prestige.

Tiffany’s marketing slogan? “Who said red is the color of love?”

Such stature is earned.

Tiffany’s fine jewelry is usually reserved for special occasions then carefully stored away until the next wear. Consider the expectations, then, for a product undergoing regular use. One visible for all to appreciate on a daily basis. Should your expectations for turfgrass be anything less?

Choosing a top turfgrass cultivar and utilizing a robust, respected certification program solidifies the integrity of the cultivar and the brand of the farm that produced it. Such trustworthiness is at the core of integrity. It takes years to earn it but can easily be lost.

Validation of your trustworthiness must be constant. Doing so will increase the value of your products and your business – it means everything. It is your “blue box” of consumer anticipation.

“You’re either elite or you’re not,” says University of Georgia Head Football Coach Kirby Smart. A certified winner himself, Coach Smart should know.

What’s the value of certification for turfgrass? According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a certification mark shows consumers “that particular goods and/or services, or their providers, have met certain standards.” In short, certification by the state crop improvement association provides a process attesting to a level of achievement.

So it stands that obtaining and protecting the integrity provided by turfgrass certification can make a sod grower elite. The process adds value and elevates the product to a higher level. Not only that, but turfgrass certification validates being invested in industry oversight that solidifies your integrity as a producer.

Not all turfgrass cultivars can be certified by the state crop improvement association because the rigorous comparative evaluation standards and scientific peer review can’t be met, but those that can, should.

The ultimate responsibility for protecting the purity of a turfgrass cultivar lies with the grower, through farming practices. Turfgrass certification is not just for the grower, however. It is also a commitment to grow the best, backed by rigorous third-party oversight, to assure the earned integrity customers are seeking. State authorities, as appropriate, and licensees of the cultivars also play a critical role in this process of achieving and maintaining integrity. There is no substitute, and presenting such certification to buyers and end-users demonstrates these products are the best the market has to offer; that you stand behind your product. Remember, you’re either elite or you’re not.

Each state operates a Crop Improvement Association Certification (CIAC) program. The blue tag of these crop improvement associations is the ultimate quality control marker for warm season, vegetatively produced turfgrass cultivars. Blue tag validation shows landscapers, contractors, and consumers that the sod meets all state CIAC rules and...

MTC TURF NEWS: Casey O’Neal, Graduate Research Assistant, Auburn University

Julie Wang, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Georgia

Nikolay Minaev, Graduate Research Assistant, Mississippi State University

Movements such as “Save the Bees”, “No Mow May”, and “Let it Bloom June” are recently trending critiques of monoculture lawns. They highlight the lack of plant and insect diversity in single grass species or cultivar lawns. In recent years, programs like Operation Pollinator have moved the golf industries toward stakeholder interests by supporting research and outreach efforts to improve the ecological function of turf on their facilities. Similarly, the turfgrass industry must prepare to do the same for lawns. While replacing grass lawns with flower gardens, white clover fields, or meadows may be beneficial for pollinators and people in some areas, it ignores the documented want and need for lawns in modern society.

Monoculture lawns, typically a green frame around residential and commercial buildings, accumulate pests and consume a significant sum of inputs. Monoculture lawn alternatives, such as diversified, pollinator friendly, or flower lawns have been discussed; however, a warm-season alternative lawn with known beneficial impact and best management practices (BMPs) has not solidified in science or common practice. Understanding BMPs, and the benefits of these lawns, are crucial goals for the future of the turfgrass industry. The United States Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) has funded the Refuge Lawn project to help highlight these goals.

The Refuge Lawn project consists of interdisciplinary researchers from Mississippi State University (MSU), Auburn University (AU), and the University of Georgia (UGA). The team set out to identify low-growing, flowering plants that would be easily established and managed in grass lawns, as well as provide the resources necessary to promote an abundant and diverse pollinator community. As some of the graduate students work on different aspects of the project, we would like to share some of our on-going research.

Picking the right plants

At Mississippi State University, Nikolay Minaev, working with Dr. Jay McCurdy, has been looking for flowering plants that could be easily established and propagated within turfgrasses commonly found in southeastern lawns. After evaluating various species based on their blooming properties and appearances in lawns, it was determined that spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) shows high potential for inclusion in warm-season lawns. Spring beauty is a perennial wildflower that is native to rich forests and low woodlands. It prefers moist, well-drained soil and light shade to part sun. It grows from a small corm or seeds. The growing season lasts from January through April in the temperate climate of the southeast, after which the plant senesces and lies dormant before emerging from corms the next year. The flowers are showy, pinkish white with deep pink veins, and open in clusters at the apex of the plant, adding a burst of color to the lawn during the early spring period. Additionally, it is a resource for pollinators such as the rare spring beauty bee, a small mining bee native to eastern North America.

The current understanding of spring beauty propagation is limited, hence we aim to address this knowledge gap by conducting a comprehensive study. The primary objective is to phenotype different populations of spring beauty and identify those with the most abundant and long-lasting bloom period, accompanied by high seed production and germination rates. This will allow for the selection of the most promising population for inclusion in lawns. In addition to identifying the optimal population, we are also exploring the most convenient method of propagation,

ARKANSAS TURFGRASS: Brad Jakubowski, Assistant Teaching Professor, Center for Turfgrass Science, Penn State University

Keeping an eye on the weather is something professional turfgrass managers have ingrained into our systems. Can I mow today? We check our phones for the most recent forecast. Should I spray today? We monitor dewpoints, humidity and temperatures. Will I pull the tarp prior to today’s game? We study the weather radar. There is a tremendous amount of weather information out there and nearly all of us have some form of a weather app on our phones, or a link to our favorite weather website, to help us make day-to-day management decisions. Let’s take a journey, to see what is out there and what information will help us make the best weather-based decisions possible.

Which app is the best?

Honestly, there is no one best app. It is important to find an app or a number of apps that provide you the most reliable and quickly available information. Basic Information that is important to have available with the least number of clicks would be: High and Low Temperatures (including overnight lows), Dewpoint, Relative Humidity, and Short-Term Weather forecasts. Intermediate information includes: Radar (Base and Composite Reflectivity), Satellite Imagery, and Severe Weather (especially lightning). Advanced information would be: Echo Tops, Vertically Integrated Liquid, Digital Storm Accumulation and Forecast Discussion.

Basic Information

When looking for basic information, it is best to have most or all important data on the first screen, or within one or two clicks from the first screen. That is often a good way to judge how well your app will benefit you over time. As an example, The National Weather Service includes much of the basic data (Figure 1). At a glance, you can get a good idea of what is happening now and what will happen in the immediate future. High and low temperatures provide a quick mental image of how the day (and night) may influence your maintenance plans. Winds, dewpoint and relative humidity provide a quick insight on irrigation requirements, disease potential, and infield skin management requirements.

It is beneficial to see both relative humidity and dewpoint together. Viewing only either limits your view of the big picture. For example, a relative humidity of 95% with dewpoints near 70 degrees indicate that less time may be spent scouting for wilt and instead used scouting for diseases. The same relative humidity with dewpoints under 30 may indicate a majority of the day may be dedicated for scouting wilt or watering an infield skin.

The Hourly Forecast – The Turf Manager’s Secret Weapon!

The Hourly Forecast on Weather.gov (Figure 2) is the turf manager’s secret weapon. In one image, a turf manager can make plans for multiple issues and tasks. For Example, The Heat Index: potential high heat indexes aids in planning for employee safety; Temperature and Dewpoint: Matched high overnight dewpoints and temperatures means extended leaf wetness and high disease potential. They also indicate heavy dew until at least 8am, which may require a syringe cycle to limit mower clumping, or to make sure greens are whipped post-cut; Wind Speed and Direction (Surface Wind): predicted light southerly winds meaning even higher probability for disease potential and dew, as well as for good spraying conditions in the early morning, but gusts in the teens starting around 11am; Relative Humidity: indicates conditions will be wet early, but dry quickly throughout the day; Sky Cover: indicates it will be partly cloudy throughout the day providing some relief, while Precipitation Potential indicate a 50% chance of rain throughout the day.

Intermediate Information

When making game-time decisions such as tarp pulls, or field evacuations, due to severe weather, radar becomes an important tool.