Alabama Turf Times - Winter 2012

Winter 2012

Soil Compaction in Turf

Spring Start-Up for

Irrigation Systems A Look Back at the

2011 Annual Turfgrass Conference & Tradeshow Plus, ATA Member Spotlight

on skip Lambert, Sur-Line Turf

Winter 2012

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Top Features Recent Event — 8 A Look Back at ATA’s 50th Anniversary Celebration and Annual Conference

ATA Member Spotlight — 10 on Skip Lambert III, 2011 Recipient

of ATA’s Lifetime Achievement Award

Cover Story — 12 Soil Compaction in Turf Turf Talk — 16 Spring Start-Up for Irrigation Systems News from the Alabama Dept. of Ag. — 17 Have You Renewed Your

Professional Services Permit?

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Upcoming Events — 20 Join Us on the Greens

and Support Research

Departments 6 6 18 18 20 22 22

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www.AlaTurfgrass.org 4

From the President’s Pen ATA Annual Sponsors News from ATA — Meet Your 2012 ATA Leaders Welcome, New ATA Members!

News from ATRF Calendar of Events Advertiser Index

On the cover: the Jack Allen Soccer Complex in Decatur, AL (winner of ATA’s 2009 Sports Field/Complex of the Year).

The Alabama Turfgrass Association serves its members in the industry through education, promotion and representation. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, or its board of directors, Alabama Turf Times, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as Alabama Turfgrass Association members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this quarterly publication. Copyright © 2012 by the Alabama Turfgrass Association. Alabama Turf Times is published quarterly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of the Alabama Turfgrass Association. Third-class postage is paid at Nashville, TN. Printed in the U.S.A. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertion please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 790-3718, www.LeadingEdgeCommunications.com

From the President’s Pen >>>

Membership Has Its Benefits

As

we ring in the New Year, I want to take a moment to thank each of you for allowing me the opportunity to serve as your ATA president. This is an honor for me, and after serving on the board of directors for four terms, I guess you could say it was about time. My experience with the Alabama Turfgrass Association has been very meaningful to me throughout my career. I have met some of my best friends through ATA; I’ve had the opportunity to network and learn from some of the best turf managers in the country through ATA; and I have felt like part of a community that is greater than just my business or me. ATA is making a difference in our industry, and I’m proud to be part of that effort.

My wish is for each and every member of ATA to feel that strongly about our association. ATA is only as strong as its members, and because of that, we need every member to continue serving our industry and being leaders in issues affecting turf and turf managers.

Whether it’s providing great educational sessions, donating money to turfgrass research, lobbying for industry issues, providing scholarships to turf students, funding economic-impact studies, hosting tradeshows and field days or publishing an informational magazine like Turf Times or other informational outlets, ATA is working for you, our members, and we hope that your membership is beneficial to you, your business and your industry.

At the ATA’s Board Strategic Retreat back in December, we discussed in great length the importance of our membership — how to give members the most bang for their buck, how to successfully recruit more members, and

how to increase our members’ return on their dues investment. We based our discussions on the results of the membership survey that we conducted last year.

The survey showed that for every dollar ATA members spent on their membership dues, they received $21.94 in benefits. That’s a bargain! I just hope that every member takes advantage of these membership benefits. The benefits that our members found the most beneficial include educational programs, tradeshows and field days, research funding and networking with peers.

Every member can take advantage of these benefits by simply attending our events. At every event that ATA hosts, there is an educational program designed around the members’ needs. Many of these events also offer pesticide re-certification points and/or CEUs. Participation in these events, especially in our golf tournaments, directly contributes to research funding, and there are networking opportunities at every ATA event!

If you are not attending ATA events, you are missing out on some great opportunities. I encourage you to get involved this year, attend a meeting or two and get to know your peers. We strategically plan our meetings and events in the “off season” to help members attend, and we always offer a membership discount on registration fees. Refer to our schedule of events listed on page 22, and plan your calendar around it. Make it your New Year’s resolution to be involved with ATA this year — I promise it will be worth it!

James Bartley 2011–2012 ATA President

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Wint er 2012

2012 ATA Annual Sponsors

The companies listed here support the ATA and its members.

Please keep them in mind when making your purchasing decisions.

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GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

Beard Equipment Company Greenville Turf & Tractor Golf Ventures West Jerry Pate Turf & Irrigation

AAT – Direct Solutions Ewing John Deere Landscapes Syngenta T&O Products

Agromax BASF Bayer Environmental Science DuPont Professional Products

Harrell’s, Inc. Humphries Turf Supply Southern States Turf Sur-Line Turf

Alabama Turf Times is the official publication of the: Alabama Turfgrass Association P.O. Box 70 Auburn, Alabama 36831 Tel: (334) 821-3000 Fax: (334) 821-3800 Email: mailbox@alaturfgrass.org www.alaturfgrass.org Published by: Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, Tennessee 37064 Tel: (615) 790-3718 Fax: (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedgecommunications.com Executive Director Tricia Roberts Alabama Turf Times Editor James Horton Birmingham Botanical Gardens

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President James Bartley Vice President Glenn Hedden Town of Loxley

Treasurer John Carter

Carter Sod Farm

Past President Tom Wolf

Coosa Valley Turf Farms

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Golf Jeremy Sutton (1 year)

Montgomery Country Club

Lawncare Jason Cooper (2 years) Southern Scape, LLC

Parks & Recreation Raymond Sexton (1 year) City of Troy

Sod Tres’ Wilkinson (2 years) South Dallas Turf

Industry Steve Sanderson (2 years) AGRI-AFC, LLC

Institution Kim Byram (1 year) University of Alabama

At–Large Jeff Hill (1 year)

Cullman Golf Course Alabama Lawns

Sidney Whitaker (2 years) S & S Lawn & Landscape

EX OFFICIO/ EDUCATION ADVISORS Dave Han, Ph.D. Auburn University

Jim Jacobi

ACES, Birmingham 7

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Craig Jones (2 years)

Recent Event >>>

A Look Back at ATA’s

50th Anniversary Celebration and 2011 Conference & Trade Show

By Tricia Roberts, ATA Executive Director

The

2011 ATA Annual Turfgrass Conference & Tradeshow was a grand celebration! The Alabama Turfgrass Association turned 50, and turfgrass managers across the state attended the “party” in Auburn to celebrate. Thanks to everyone who attended and supported your association’s birthday bash — if you weren’t able to attend, we hope you enjoy the photos.

Like all previous ATA conferences, this conference had its regular favorites: beneficial educational sessions (21, to be exact), a golf tournament that blew our golfers away (and we mean that literally… congrats to Patrick Pierce, Tony Thomas, Steve Majors and Bryan Scroggins for winning the tournament), a celebration dinner (including a birthday cake), a live auction (that raised over $13,600, an all-time record-breaking amount), research updates (with a lunch instead of breakfast) and a welcoming reception hosted by our host hotel.

Of course, the presentation of ATA’s annual awards was also among the many highlights of this year’s gathering.

Skip Lambert III (Sur-Line Turf) was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award (see page 10), and the Foley SportsPlex was named this year’s Sports Field/Complex of the Year (a future issue of Alabama Turf Times will showcase this outstanding facility).

To up the ante for our 50th conference, additional features were added — and enjoyed by the attendees — to the agenda. We had our inaugural ATA Turf Bowl that was educational yet entertaining (congrats to the winning team: Herbie Fricke, James Bartley, Jeff Williams and Brian Aaron), a band party featuring The Jason Albert Band (who rocked the house all night) and a tradeshow and equipment demonstrations at Beck’s Turf Farm (many thanks to our hosts, Wayne and Jimmy Bassett).

The tradeshow was a great success and included many features, including

45 exhibitors (13 of which had equipment demonstrations in the bermudagrass fields), tent-topic seminars with record-breaking attendance and some fun competitions, including a turkeycalling contest (congrats to Chad Lambert, who won a gun, sponsored

by Southern States Turf) and a “toss the turf” contest (congrats to David Isbell, who won a monetary prize, sponsored

by Sod Solutions).

Many thanks to all our exhibitors, sponsors, speakers and members who supported our conference. The funds raised by our conference contribute to a majority of our operating budget. We are very appreciative of your support that allows ATA to continue making contributions to our industry, including a scholarship, research funding, lobbying efforts, educational advancements and information networking. Please make plans to attend this coming year’s conference in Auburn on October 2–5, 2012! v

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Wint er 2012

Thank You to Our Conference Sponsors Welcoming Reception Auburn University Hotel & Conference Center Breaks The Gowan Company Conference Favors Coosa Valley Turf Farms Continental Breakfast DuPont

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Drink Tickets Aquatrols Golf Tournament Agrium Advanced Technologies Bayer Environmental Science Beard Equipment Company DuPont Golf Ventures West Greenville Turf & Tractor Ewing Jerry Pate Turf & Irrigation John Deere Golf

John Deere Landscapes Southeast Turf Maintenance Syngenta Triest Ag Group, Inc. Membership Appreciation Dinner & Party Beard Equipment Company Golf Ventures West Greenville Turf & Tractor Jerry Pate Turf & Irrigation

Research Luncheon Quali-Pro Tractors SunSouth Tradeshow Luncheon Sod Solutions Turkey-Calling Contest Southern States “Toss the Turf” Contest Sod Solutions

2012 ATA Officers and Board of Directors (front row, left to right): Tom Wolf (Immediate Past President), Glenn Hedden (Vice President), Scott Herron (outgoing 2011 board member), Craig Jones, Dr. David Han, Raymond Sexton, Steve Sanderson and Sidney Whitaker. (Back row, left to right): Jeff Oelmann, CGCS (outgoing 2011 board member), James Bartley (President), Kym Byram, John Carter (Treasurer), Dr. Jim Jacobi, Jeremy Sutton and Tres’ Wilkinson. Not in the photo, Jason Cooper and outgoing Board member Bobby Farley.

ATA Past Presidents who attended this year’s 50th Anniversary Celebration (left to right): Lee McLemore, CGCS (2008), James Horton (2007), Ken Dillard (1978), Brian Aaron, CGCS (2004), Randy Bodine (2006), Jeff Oelmann, CGCS (2010) and Tom Wolf (2011).

Tradeshow Host Wayne Bassett (right) congratulates David Isbell, who won the Throw the Turf Contest.

Tom Wolf (right, 2011 ATA President) presents Skip Lambert III (Sur-Line Turf) with this year’s ATA Lifetime Achievement Award.

With lots of tempting items up for bid, ATA’s annual auction raised a recordbreaking $13,600!

Mark Irwin accepts the 2012 ATA Sports Field/Complex of the Year Award for the Foley SportsPlex (Foley, AL).

The celebration dinner gave all attendees an excellent opportunity for fun, fellowship and networking.

Chad Lambert (middle) wins a gun at the Turkey Calling Contest, pictured with James Bartley (left) and Rodney Guy of Southern States (right).

Please Support Our Exhibitors!

DuPont Professional Products Ewing FMC Farmington Equipment First Products Fore Par Group Golf Ventures West Greenville Turf & Tractor Harrell’s, Inc. Howard Fertilizer Jerry Pate Turf & Irrigation John Deere Landscapes Keeling Company

KWMI Net Connection, LLC Next Level Ag & Turf Products Pennington Seed Profile Products RD Murphy Regal Chemical Company Sod Solutions Southern Specialty Equipment Southern States Specialty Turf Supply

Sprigger’s Choice STEC Equipment SunSouth Sur-Line Turf, Inc. Syngenta Tamanet, USA The Turfgrass Group, Inc. Trebro Manufacturing, Inc. Trimax Mowing Systems Weed Man

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Al abam a Tur f Ti me s >>> Winter 20 12

AGRI-AFC, LLC A.M. Buckler & Associates Agrium Advanced Technologies Agromax Alabama Turfgrass Research Foundation BASF Bayer Environmental Science Beard Equipment Company Bucyrus Equipment Company Cleary Chemical Company Dow AgroScience

ATA Member Spotlight >>>

ATA Member Spotlight on

Skip Lambert III, the 2011 Recipient of ATA’s Lifetime Achievement Award

By Tricia Roberts, ATA Executive Director

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Wint er 2012

If

you haven’t heard of Skip Lambert, you are probably new to the turf industry. Louis Lambert III (aka Skip) has maintained, designed and installed athletic fields and golf courses since 1967. He is legendary in our industry, and we were proud to honor him at the 2011 ATA Annual Conference in October with the ATA Lifetime Achievement Award. This award, given to distinguished retired turfgrass managers, is the most prestigious award presented by ATA. Forty-five years ago, Skip graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy and hit the ground running in a career that many would envy. He started his journey as the golf course superintendent at Vero Beach Country Club in Vero Beach, FL. He then moved on to the position of director of golf courses for the General Acceptance Corporation in Miami, FL, and then to our great state as the senior agronomist for Gulf States Paper Corporation (North River Yacht & Golf Club) in Tuscaloosa. From there, he moved on to Southern Turf Nurseries in Tifton, GA, as the senior vice president and staff agronomist. Returning to Alabama in 1991, Skip founded Sur-Line Turf, Inc., in Northport, where he served as president and staff agronomist until his retirement in 2008.

During his remarkable career, Skip worked on hundreds of athletic fields and golf courses. Some of his most recognizable projects include The Citrus Bowl (Orlando, FL), Orange Bowl (Miami, FL), Atlanta Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta, GA), Atlanta Falcons practice fields (Sewanee, GA), David Lipscomb

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University soccer and softball fields (Nashville, TN), University of Alabama softball field (Tuscaloosa, AL), Vanderbilt baseball and track fields (Nashville, TN), Monterey Stadium soccer field (Monterey, Mexico), Augusta National Golf Club (Augusta, GA), Fox Den Country Club (Knoxville, TN), Sarabay Country Club (Sarasota, FL), University of Mississippi Golf Club (Oxford, MS) and Briarwood Country Club (Meridian, MS). Other remarkable achievements in Skip’s career include the development and patent of the Game-Safe Athletic Field System, development of the drainage system for the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC, and development of turf establishments in foreign countries.

While staying busy with these diverse projects, Skip still found time to give back to his industry. He has given presentations at turf seminars all across the Southeast, many for ATA. He also served on the board of direc-

tors for the Alabama Turfgrass Association and also for the Florida Turfgrass Association. He maintained his membership with many state turfgrass associations, as well as with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. Skip also served his community as a city councilman, a director on the Carroll’s Creek Water Board and a member of his local Lions Club.

Skip has two sons and five grandchildren. Chad, one of Skip’s sons, is following in his father’s foot steps and has served as president of SurLine Turf since Skip’s retirement. Skip now divides his time between his home in Northport and his hunting lodge in Texas. An avid bird hunter, he enjoys hunting dove, quail, pheasants and prairie chickens.

We thank Skip for blessing our industry with his greatness, talents and serving heart, and we wish him a happy retirement! v

Cover Story >>>

Soil

n CompaincTtuio rf

By Beth Guertal, Ph.D., Professor, and David Han, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Agronomy & Soils, Auburn University

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Wint er 2012

In

turfgrass management, the effects of traffic and compaction are usually easy to see — thin turf, worn paths and areas of bare ground that do not respond to applications of fertilizer or water. Turfgrass growing in compacted areas has shallow rooting, causing greater susceptibility to drought and other stress.

The soils in compacted areas have low air porosity and reduced infiltration.

Such compaction is most likely to occur in fine-textured soils (those with a higher clay content), but over time, all soils are susceptible to compaction.

Turf managers know that one key to correcting soil compaction in turf is aerification, which is performed using a wide range of equipment that drills, slices, spikes, punches or water-injects the turf and its underlying soil to various depths. Sometimes, the equipment removes a plug of turf, and sometimes it only cuts a slit or punches a hole.

With some equipment, there is the additional benefit of a small amount of thatch control, as the slicing or core removal also removes some thatch.

Regardless of the exact piece of equipment used, almost every turf manager has a piece of aerification equipment in the shed.

Factors affecting the effectiveness of aerification include soil wetness, tine size, depth of aerification, soil texture, aerification frequency and equipment type. Turf aerification research is somewhat difficult to do since studying soil compaction requires large plots, uni-

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form areas of compacted (and non-compacted) turf and, possibly, many different pieces of equipment. Additionally, collecting the data required to show treatment differences requires intensive sampling and a lot of labor.

Typical data collected from compaction studies may include soil bulk density, soil penetrometer resistance, surface hardness, water infiltration, shoot density and root length or weight.

The objectives of this article are to provide explanations of the type of data collected in turf-compaction experiments and to discuss some past and current turfgrass compaction research.

Things we measure in turfgrass-compaction experiments Soil bulk density Bulk density is defined as the mass of a unit volume of dry soil. To collect a bulk density reading, a sample of known depth and diameter (typically, 6" deep and 3" in diameter) is removed from the soil. The soil sample is dried and weighed, and the bulk density is expressed as the mass per volume (grams per cubic centimeter).

As soil is compacted, the bulk density increases because more soil particles are forced into a smaller volume and the soil pore space is reduced.

Sandy soils typically have a higher bulk density than soils high in clay or loam because sandy soils have few of the

very small pores associated with finetextured soils that have clay and organic matter. Additionally, sandy soils that contain sand in a range of sizes (as does a typical sand-based putting green) are already tightly packed, as smaller sand grains fit in between larger ones.

Typical bulk densities for clay and silt loam soils may range from 1.0 to 1.5 g/cm3, while the bulk density of sand-based soils may range from 1.3 to 1.8 g/cm3. At the upper end of these ranges, the bulk density is great enough that root penetration may be inhibited.

As a comparison, the USGA recommendation for the bulk density of a putting green rootzone mix is 1.2 to 1.6 g/cm2.

It’s important to note that bulk density is highly variable from location to location. One sample will usually not be an indicator of the bulk density of an entire field or turf area.

Soil penetrometer readings A soil penetrometer is a device used to measure the compaction of the soil.

What is actually measured is the resistance, or amount of pressure needed, to push a tipped rod through the soil (Photo 1). The rod tip is equipped with a load-sensing cell, and the soil strength is recorded as the tip is pushed down through the soil.

Soil penetrometers used for research are very sensitive, and they require some practice to use them correctly to obtain accurate measurements. They are also very expensive (around $6,000).

Hydraulic conductivity Hydraulic conductivity is the ease with which soil transmits water. In turfgrass, what we often measure is the saturated hydraulic conductivity, which occurs when all soil pores are filled with water.

Saturated hydraulic conductivity is typically measured using a double-ring infiltrometer, which consists of two metal rings (one about 12" in diameter and the other about 18"), with the smaller ring placed inside the larger one (Photo 2). Water is added to both rings until a height of water is maintained for a period of time, which indicates that the underlying soil has become saturated. The drop in the height of water inside the smaller ring during a given period of time is used to calculate the saturated hydraulic conductivity, which is reported in units such as inches per hour.

Small-diameter (6") infiltrometers can be purchased from many turfsupply catalogs. The intended use of these units is to provide turf managers the ability to measure infiltration rates of their turf soils quickly and directly in the field. Because research has shown that double-ring infiltrometers with an inside ring diameter of at least 12" produce the most accurate measurements of water infiltration, the accuracy of 6" diameter rings is a concern.

A 1991 research study by D.H. Taylor compared single and double-ring infiltrometers with inner-ring diameters of 6", 8" and 12" on a variety of turf areas, from golf greens to football fields. The study found that infiltration rates varied widely within each sampled turf area, even when the largest diameter rings were used. The conclusion from this research was that infiltration rates measured with ponded water should be used only as a rough estimate, and results should be used with caution.

Photo 2. A double-ring infiltrometer, measuring the rate of water infiltration into the surface of the soil on a putting green.

fication treatments, work has also started on calibrating Clegg hammer readings to field hardness or softness.

For example, a survey of 24 high school athletic fields had Clegg values that ranged from 33 to 167 gmax. For comparison, a tiled concrete basement floor had a gmax reading of 1280, which was reduced to 260 when the floor was covered with a carpet pad (Rogers et al., 1988). In another study, compacted Kentucky bluegrass plots had a value of 206 gmax, while plots that were not compacted had a value of 93 gmax (Rogers and Waddington, 1992).

A survey of college and professional soccer players compared their perceptions of soccer fields that had been used to collect Clegg data. Typically, fields with a hardness reading between 90 and 120 gmax could not be differentiated by players (Miller, 1999).

Our research Our previous work at Auburn University found that aerification was less likely to have an effect in non-compacted soils, as compared to compacted soils. We looked at the effects of using a deep, hollow-tine aerifier (8" deep, 3/4" diameter) at two locations: a heavily trafficked and compacted marching-band practice field and a lightly trafficked field at the Auburn University Turfgrass Research Unit.

At the heavily trafficked site, every additional core aerification in a given year decreased soil resistance. This was not the case at the lightly compacted site. Only one aerification was need in a given year to produce a significant reduction in soil resistance.

The effects of deep-tine aerification at the heavily trafficked site usually lasted about three weeks. This supports

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Al abam a Tur f Ti me s >>> Winter 20 12

Clegg impact readings The Clegg hammer calculates the hardness of a surface based on its reaction to a weight dropped onto the surface from a consistent height. Although the Clegg hammer is typically used as a diagnostic tool for discovering differences in surface hardness due to aeri-

Photo 1. A Remik CP-20 cone penetrometer, used to measure the resistance of soil to a probe inserted down into the ground.

Cover Story >>> Continued

the conclusions of previous workers that frequent aerification might be needed on compacted sites. However we did not evaluate the effects of different equipment (e.g., tine depth, solid vs. hollow tine) on compaction in trafficked turf.

We also wondered if continuous aerification would allow a compacted layer of soil to form at the bottom of the tines’ working depth. These “aerification pans” can form over time from the effect of tines pressing down on the soil below the level where they actually penetrate and remove soil.

This research used three different pieces of equipment (a pull-behind aerifier, a GA-60 standard-tine aerifier and a Soil Reliever deep-tine aerifier), using both solid and hollow tines. Plots were aerified four times per year, and traffic was artificially applied with a heavy roller to induce compaction.

Compaction was evaluated by measuring soil resistance to a soil penetrometer at depths down to 12".

The equipment used has a large effect on the amount of compaction relief and where it occurs. The deeptine aerifier (8" deep) reduced soil resistance when either solid or hollow

tines (5/8" diameter) were used. The standard-tine aerifier (4" deep) often produced a significant reduction in resistance when hollow tines (5/8" diameter) were used.

Figures 1a and 1b show the effect of the different sizes of aerification equipment on the relief of compaction as measured by soil resistance. The deeptine aerifier reduced soil resistance from the soil depth of 3.5" (90 mm) down to 7.6" (195 mm), but it did not reduce compaction in the top 3.5" (Figure 1a). The standard-tine unit did reduce resistance significantly in the top 3", but it had no effect deeper in the soil (Figure 1b).

Figure 2 shows the long-term effects of continued aerification with a standard-tine unit (4" deep) fitted with solid tines (5/8" diameter) for three years in a row. At a depth of 2.3" to 5" (60 mm to 135 mm), there was significantly more resistance than in un-aerified plots.

This indicates that a layer of compacted soil (known as a “pan” or “aerification pan”) had developed near the bottom of the tine stroke. This illustrates the need for periodic deep-tine aerification to avoid this problem. The pan of compacted soil was less severe when hol-

low tines were used, but it still could build up over time.

When the surface hardness of the turf was measured using a Clegg hammer, all forms of aerification produced a softer surface for at least one week after treatment (Figure 3). The standardtine aerifier with hollow tines tended to produce the softest surface.

Conclusions

•D eep-tine equipment is more effective at reducing soil compaction at depths below 2.5".

• Effects of aerification in heavily trafficked soils may be short-lived (about 1 month).

• Compacted “pans” develop over time at the bottom of the tine’s penetration into the soil, especially when using solid-tine equipment.

• Compaction of turfgrass soils lowers the percent macropores in the soil.

A decrease in macropores limits soil aeration, which hurts root growth.

• Diagnostic techniques for detecting compacted soils, such as infiltration measurements or soil penetrometer readings, are widely variable, even across supposedly uniform surfaces such as a putting green. v

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Wint er 2012

Soil resistance over depth. 1 week after August 2002 treatments. TGRU.

Figure 1a. Soil resistance in a trafficked hybrid bermudagrass athletic field, as affected by core aerification with a deep-tine (8") aerator fitted with hollow tines (SRH). Data points marked with an X indicate that the resistance was significantly different from the no-aerification control. Data points marked with a Y indicate a significant difference from the control and from all other aerification treatments in the study.

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Figure 1b. Soil resistance in a trafficked hybrid bermudagrass athletic field, as affected by core aerification with a normal-tine (4") aerator fitted with hollow tines (GA60H). Data points marked with an X indicate that the resistance was significantly different from the no-aerification control. Data points marked with a Y indicate a significant difference from the control and from all other aerification treatments in the study.

Continued <<< Cover Story

Soil resistance over depth. 6 weeks after August 2002 treatments.

AU Practice Field.

Soil surface hardness as measured via Clegg hammer, 2004. TGRU. Week after the August, 2004 verification

Trt

1 31 Aug

2 9 Sept

3 14 Sept

4 24 Sept

5 7 Oct

Clegg reading (gmax)

Figure 2. Soil resistance in a trafficked hybrid bermudagrass athletic field, as affected by core aerification with a normal-tine (4") aerator fitted with solid tines (GA60S). Data points marked with an X indicate that the resistance was significantly different from the no-aerification control. Data points marked with a Y indicate a significant difference from the control and from all other aerification treatments in the study.

SRH

51 b

51 b

56 b

55 b

52 bc

SRS

51 b

53 ab

55 b

58 ab

55 bc

GA60H

43 c

44 c

50 c

54 b

46 c

GA60S

52 b

51 b

59 b

63 a

56 bc

Pull Behind

55 b

58 a

59 b

59 ab

57 ab

No aerification

60 a

58 a

66 a

63 a

63 a

Figure 3. Soil surface hardness in a trafficked hybrid bermudagrass athletic field, as affected by core aerification with a normal-tine (4") aerator fitted with solid or hollow tines (GA60S & GA60H, respectively), a deep-tine (8") aerator fitted with solid or hollow tines (SRS and SRH, respectively) and a standard homeowner pull-behind aerator (Pull Behind). Within each column, data points marked with different letters are significantly different.

Al abam a Tur f Ti me s >>> Winter 20 12

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Turf Talk >>>

Spring Start-Up for

Irrigation Systems

By Tom Shannon, CLIA, CIC, CID, ARCSA, Ewing Irrigation, Golf & Industrial Products

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Wint er 2012

W

hen safely returning irrigation systems to operation after winterization, I try to think in a systematic approach called FLOW, which stands for Follow Logical Operational Wave. I also base it on the concept of “beginning with the end in mind,” as Steven Covey mentions in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

The first step is to find your water source (whether it’s a pump or backflow preventer from a city water source) and partially open it to slowly fill the mainline to prevent water hammer and subsequent damage to pipes.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for start-up or priming of pumps. Even if it has a well, try to throttle back the flow with a gate or ball valve to restrict the flow.

While you are doing this, open up a quick coupler that’s the furthest from the source, to let the air out of the mainline. If you are fortunate to have a flush valve installed on the main line, open it until you see clean, clear water.

Sometimes, algae can build up over the winter, resulting in an unpleasant surprise. Also, systems without check

16

valves can collect debris through the heads in low spots, or if the system was gravity-drained during winterization, it will siphon debris in.

On smaller systems, partially close the flow control on the furthest valve from the source, and manually open it to let the air out slowly. Then, adjust it back to operational flow. If the system was winterized by blowing it out with air, chances are the main will be clean.

Once the main is charged up, make sure any possible manual drain valves are closed on the main and on any exposed device like backflows, pressure tanks, pumps and filters.

The second step is to check out the controller to make sure it is powered up. On an indoor plug-in, check the circuit. On clocks with battery backup, make sure the battery is good, or replace it for the season. Many new clocks have non-volatile memory, so this may not be necessary. Be sure the date and time are correct for Daylight Savings, and reprogram it if it lost the program. Now the fun begins.

Most manufacturers offer service remotes that make start-up simple and

efficient. Some make universal remotes that adapt to most brands of controllers and are for temporary connections.

Other systems have receivers built in permanently and can be shared with one or more transmitters. Finally, some of the new controllers are accessible through smartphones, iPads, Droids, Blackberry phones or laptops. Some give zone descriptions, read amperage and live flows, and give alerts for shorts or open wires. One contractor calls it his “employee in a box” because it can be done with one person instead of two with radios or phones. Generally, you can justify the cost in one start-up and any preventive-maintenance program.

The labor and water savings are well worth it, not to mention saving shoes.

With a remote, start with the furthest valve, and turn it on until all air gets out, and repeat on and off to be sure the solenoid is functioning properly. Then, work your way through the system until all are fired up. Make notes on broken pipes, heads, clogged nozzles, tilted heads, etc., to finish the process.

It is also a good idea to flush out the drip lines and clean out any filters for

<<< News from the AL Dept. of Ag

Have You Renewed Your Professional Services Permit?

By Tony Cofer, Division Director, Alabama Dept. of Agriculture and Industries

the season. No other time is as important as spring start-up. It is a proactive way to keep a healthy landscape during fertilization and/or new planting.

Here are some suggested tools to have on hand for this process: • Meter keys, either universal or a variety of sizes • Channel locks or specialty wrenches for filter servicing • A volt/ohm meter for circuit testing • Service remotes • As-built drawings (rare) to find quickcoupler sand valve locations • Pump-station or manufacturer’s pump-maintenance manual procedures • Screwdriver for bleeding backflow ports

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Al abam a Tur f Ti me s >>> Winter 20 12

About the author Tom Shannon lives in Canton, Georgia, and is the Water Conservation Advisor for the Eastern U.S. for Ewing Irrigation, Golf, & Industrial Products. You can reach him at tshannon@ewing1.com. v

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enewals for Professional Services Permits have been sent to permit holders this year by email for the first time. This is an effort of the Department to go “green” and to also save postage. If you have not received your renewal notice, please check your email inbox, spam folder or junk email box. If you did not receive your renewal notice, please email Kathy Smith at kathy.smith@agi. alabama.gov and indicate the name of your company with address, the type of company (either horticulture or structural) and the email or mailing address where you wish the renewal to be sent.

After November 1, 2011, you are considered delinquent, and a delinquency penalty is accessed to your permit fee. In the past, if you were late more than sixty (60) days, a field inspector would contact you to collect payment and bring you into compliance. The Department expends much time, effort and gasoline to collect a permit fee that should have been handled by mail in a timely fashion.

Once you are delinquent and continue to operate your business, you are out of compliance with state law. In the future, field inspectors will not collect fees in the field. Instead, they will conduct an investigation at your business and document your non-compliant status as an illegal operator, and further regulatory action will occur.

It is important that you understand that state law requires you to maintain the Professional Services Permit for your business, your pesticide applicator certification and any insurance requirements that may be required to operate your business. Maintaining these elements in a timely way will keep you operating in compliance with the law and the requirement of the Department, as well as protect you from an unwanted and costly enforcement action. v

News from ATA >>>

Meet Your New ATA Leaders for 2012 On October 12 at the 2011 Annual ATA Conference, a new executive committee and several new board members (listed below) were elected to lead the Alabama Turfgrass Association for 2012.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President James Bartley 334-201-5969 auturf77@gmail.com

Golf Jeremy Sutton (1 year) Montgomery Country Club 334-834-0049 sutton_js@bellsouth.net

Vice President Glenn Hedden Town of Loxley 251-964-2153 glhedden@hotmail.com Treasurer John Carter Carter Sod Farm 334-567-8101 cartersodfarm@ elmore.rr.com Past President Tom Wolf Coosa Valley Turf Farms 256-927-4228 cvtf@tds.net

Lawncare Jason Cooper (2 years) Southern Scape, LLC 205-960-2795 jcooper.land@gmail.com

Industry Steve Sanderson (2 years) AGRI-AFC, LLC 256-308-1628 steves@agri-afc.com Institution Kim Byram (1 year) University of Alabama 205-544-6666 kbyram@tds.net At–Large

Parks & Recreation Raymond Sexton (1 year) City of Troy 334-670-6073 raymond@troycable.com

Jeff Hill (1 year) Cullman Golf Course 256-739-2386 golf@cullman recreastion.org

Sod Tres’ Wilkinson (2 years) South Dallas Turf 334-872-6644 southdallasturf@ yahoo.com

Craig Jones (2 years) Alabama Lawns 334-272-7171 allawns@bellsouth.net

Sidney Whitaker (2 years) S & S Lawn & Landscape 334-794-2779 cpauline64@yahoo.com

EX OFFICIO/ EDUCATION ADVISORS Dave Han, Ph.D. Auburn University 334-844-3980 handavi@auburn.edu Jim Jacobi ACES, Birmingham 205-879-6964 jacobjc@auburn.edu ATA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Tricia Roberts 334-821-3000 mailbox@alaturfgrass.org

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Wint er 2012

Welcome, New ATA Members!

Darrell Arnold Heritage Lawn & Tree Care Birmingham, AL

Landon Cook Sun Valley Sod Huntsville, AL 256-883-1948

Ralph Gutierrez City of Cullman Cullman, AL 256-734-9157

David Jones University of West Alabama Livingston, AL

Justin Pender Classic Gardens Center Point, AL 205-854-4005

Jeremy Barnes Lake Forest Yacht & Country Club Daphne, AL 251-597-5582

Reynolds Cook Southern Lawns Auburn, AL 334-466-0600

Brandon Haley Red Diamond Leeds, AL

Michael Majdan City of Callaway Callaway, FL 850-236-0949

Mike Pigg First South Farm Credit Cullman, AL

Eddie Martin HME, Inc. Anniston, AL

John Pintar Ground Effects Landscape Oxford, AL

Rob Boaz The Country Club of Birmingham Birmingham, AL 205-803-4268 Bob Campbell Carolina Green Corp.

Indian Trail, NC 704-753-1707

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William Dunnivant Regal Chemical Co. Alpharetta, GA 404-539-4760 Thomas Gilbert Ozark Country Club Ozark, AL 334-701-3091 Greg Glover Alabama Turf Gurley, AL 256-509-5645

Debbie Hampton Sumiton Park & Rec. Sumiton, AL 205-438-0637 Bruce Hospes Old Overton Club Vestavia Hills, AL 205-972-9001

Richard Moreman Four Seasons Opelika, AL 334-444-5610

Devin Huffman American Tree Maintenance, Inc. Columbiana, AL

Mark Nowland City of Anniston Anniston, AL 256-310-2714

Bill Seigle Craft Turf Farms Foley, AL 251-955-2742 Kahlil Weatherly Magnolia Springs, AL 251-747-4479

Al abam a Tur f Ti me s >>> Winter 20 12

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Upcoming Events >>>

Join Us on the Greens and Support Research

ATA

will host two golf tournaments this spring to raise funds for Turfgrass research: the Mole Cricket Classic and the Poa annua Classic. These events are a joint effort with our state’s golf course superintendents associations: the Alabama Golf Course Superintendents Association and the Gulf Coast Golf Course Superintendents Association. These tournaments raise money for the only 501(c)(3) organization in Alabama dedicated strictly to

turfgrass research, the Alabama Turfgrass Research Foundation (ATRF). 100% of the proceeds from these tournaments are donated to ATRF to continue its work in producing quality research for turfgrass managers in Alabama.

As always, we will offer an educational program before the tournament, have a networking lunch, then on to the golf course for a great afternoon on the greens. We encourage everyone to attend and bring a friend, colleague or customer! The more the

merrier and the more money we’ll raise for ATRF. The Mole Cricket Classic will be held on Monday, March 12th at the Robert Trent Jones Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Mobile. We will play on The Falls course, which was recently renovated. The Poa annua Classic will return to FarmLinks Golf Course, where we have enjoyed playing for years, on Monday, April 9th. Register today at www.alaturfgrass.org. We look forward to seeing you there! v

News from ATRF >>>

Announcing the Coleman Y. Ward Memorial

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Wint er 2012

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ur industry was saddened last year with the passing of one of our industry’s true heroes, Dr. Coleman Y. Ward. He was a turfgrass researcher, extension specialist, industry warrior and a true friend to every turfgrass manager. He consulted with hundreds, developed cost-saving enhancements through research and taught numerous classes on turfgrass-management practices to industry professionals.

His work benefited turf managers from all over Alabama and throughout the country; sod producers, golf course superintendents, sports-turf managers, lawncare specialist and landscapers alike benefited from the work of Dr. Coleman Y. Ward.

In 1998, Dr. Ward had a vision to start a foundation to maintain turfgrassresearch funding in Alabama for years to come. That vision gave birth to the Alabama Turfgrass Research Foundation (ATRF). Along with six other research enthusiasts, Dr. Ward founded the ATRF, and they immediately took off raising

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money for research. To date, the ATRF has funded over $111,206 in turfgrass research, with commitments of over $15,000 for future projects.

To keep Coleman Ward’s memory and mission alive, ATRF has developed the Coleman Y. Ward Memorial Fund.

We are asking turf managers from around the state to consider giving a memorial donation in his honor. If you, your company or your facility ever benefited from advice or research from Dr. Ward, we would greatly appreciate a monetary thank you to his memorial.

This would be a great way to honor Dr. Ward, support turfgrass research and make a tax-free donation to benefit your industry. ATRF is a 501(c)(3) organization whose donations are taxfree. Please send donations to: ATRF, P.O. Box 2887, Auburn, AL 36831.

We thank you in advance for your support of the Coleman Y. Ward Memorial Fund and to turfgrass research in general. You are helping to keep Dr. Ward’s vision and goal growing! v

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Calender of Events >>>

January 30 – February 3

March 13

June 20

February 1

April 3

October 2–4

February 15

April 9

February 27 – March 2

May 14–15

TPI Mid-Winter Conference (Turf Producers Intl.)

Scottsdale, AZ

ATA Road Show Seminar AL Dept. of Ag., Richard Beard Bldg.

Montgomery, AL ATA Road Show Seminar Jaycees Community Building Huntsville, AL Golf Industry Show & GCSAA Conference Las Vegas, NV

Advertiser Index >>> The Anderson Technologies Inc. www.andersonsgolfproducts.com.................... 21 AGRI-AFC, LLC www.agri-afc.com................ Inside Front Cover DuPont Professional Products www.proproducts.dupont.com......................... 7 Greenville Turf & Tractor Inc. www.greenvilleturf.com...................................... 5 Jerry Pate Turf & Irrigation www.jerrypate.com............................................. 19 Kesmac Inc. / Huntsville Tractor and Equipment www.kesmac.com................Inside Back Cover Penn State World Campus www.worldcampus.psu.edu.................................. 19 Quali-Pro www.quali-pro.com.....................................................11 Riebeling Farms Inc................................................7

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Wint er 2012

Southern Specialty Equipment www.ssequip.net......................................................... 10 Southern States Cooperative www.southernstates.com..................................15 Sur-Line Turf Inc.....................................................21 The Turfgrass Group................... 3, Back Cover www.theturfgrassgroup.com Tri-Est Ag Group Inc. formerly Hendrix & Dail.................................... 22 www.hendrixanddail.com

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Mole Cricket Classic Magnolia Grove Golf Course Mobile, AL Auburn University Turfgrass Research Field Day Auburn, AL Poa annua Classic FarmLinks Golf Course Sylacauga, AL Sports Turf Field Day University of Alabama Huntsville, AL

Gulf Coast Turfgrass Field Day & Expo Jay, FL 2012 ATA Annual Turfgrass Conference & Tradeshow Auburn Univ. Hotel & Conf. Center Auburn, AL