just experienced the beautiful fall weather and all of the visual splendor that accompanies it. Winter is just about upon us now. With the change of seasons, this winter slowdown of the turf industry is just that — a time to slow down. It offers us a chance to reflect on the previous year, whether good or bad. As I look on the past year, I am encouraged by the efforts of the Maryland Turf Council.
Earlier this fall, the MTC sponsored a great golf outing and crab feast at Queenstown Harbor Golf Course. Plans are in place for next year’s event to make it even better.
Your board worked diligently to keep the membership up to date on the new pesticide law in Montgomery County. Regardless of which camp you’re in, this county council decision sets a precedent, and more jurisdictions are sure to follow.
In the summer, the MTC worked with the University of Maryland to hold another informative field day. At the field day, we had a chance to meet and welcome UMD’s new Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Craig Beyrouty. We continued in the process of securing funds for the Turfgrass Pathology Endowment. The MTC presented a check toward that endowment.
At our spring meeting, we welcomed Dr. Joseph Roberts as the new turfgrass pathologist at the University of Maryland. We look forward to his many years of turf research.
Last winter, after 39 years, we held our last MTC turfgrass conference — good memories and a lot of great education at those turf conferences over those 39 years in Baltimore, the MD state fairgrounds and at Stamp Union Hall.
I’m a firm believer in the old adage of “as one door closes another door opens.” That new door opening is upon us now. Over the past year, several MTC board members have collaborated with the Virginia Turfgrass Council in co-sponsoring the new Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo or M-A-T-E. The new M-A-T-E is scheduled for January 25–28, 2016, in Fredericksburg, VA. Do yourself a favor, and make plans to attend this new regional event.
None of the MTC activities happen by themselves. It takes a team of individuals to plan and coordinate. The MTC board is always looking for volunteers. The opportunities can range from helping at special events, as a MTC board member or as our treasurer. We are looking for a replacement for Cheryl Gaultney, who has been the MTC treasurer for many years and who would like to step down. Please give this some thought and consider helping in any capacity you can. Contact me if you have any questions or comments.
Have a great winter!
Bill Warpinski
2015 MTC President
Central
Sod Farms
MARYLAND TURFGRASS COUNCIL
12 Pressie Lane | Churchville, MD 21028 execDir@MDturfCouncil.com www.mdturfcouncil.org
MTC Turf News is published quarterly for the MtC by: Leading edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge St. franklin, tn 37064 615-790-3718 (phone) 615-794-4524 (fax) info@leadingedge communications.com
2015 BoArD of DireCtorS
PreSiDent Bill Warpinski Central Sod farms Centreville, MD office: 800-866-1387 Cell: 410-320-7791 bill@centralsodmd.com
viCe PreSiDent Jamie roell Anne Arundel County recreation & Parks Millersville, MD office: 410-222-6250 Cell: 443-370-2582 rproel09@aacounty.org
SeCretAry/ treASUrer
Cheryl A. Gaultney Churchville, MD Home: 410-734-0650 Cell: 410-322-8275 sandqueen10@aol.com
PASt PreSiDent Lester Dubs Larchwood Landscape Co. Pasadena, MD Cell: 443-623-1745 ldubs@verizon.net
eXeCUtive DireCtor vernon W. Cooper P.o. Box 389 St. Michaels, MD Cell: 443-742-6618 office: 410-745-9643 fax: 410-745-8867 execDir@ MDturfCouncil.com
one-yeAr DireCtorS
Darren fisher American turf Davidsonville, MD office: 410-721-1861 amturf2@gargener.com
Kimberly Bohn newsom Seed fulton, Mo office: 800-553-2719 kimberly@newsom seed.com
Ben ellis the Courses at Andrews fort Washington, MD Cell: 571-340-0122 office: 301-440-9882 benjamin.ellis@ aafbgc.com
John vickers Anne Arundel County recreation & Parks Annapolis, MD Cell: 443-360-7129 office: 410-222-6250 rpvick00@aacounty.org
’m eXC ite D !
yes, I am very excited! Perhaps even more excited than I was to be part of and attend the first MTC Conference at the Landover Sheratan in 1976. I realize I’m older than most of you, but anyone else who may have been there may remember the great time we had getting together for that first conference, and don’t forget the tradeshow — outside in an unheated parking garage, in January — but nobody complained as this was new, and this was great!!
Well, we have that opportunity again to experience something BRAND NEW and DIFFERENT, and we don’t have to stand outside in the cold in January to experience it.
More than a year ago, the officers and board of directors of the MTC and the Virginia Turfgrass Council (VTC) met together and decided it was time to try a regional Mid-Atlantic conference and tradeshow for the benefit of all our sponsors, exhibitors, educators and, mostly, for our members. It was decided that all proceeds would be utilized to continue the support equally between the turfgrass research programs at the University of Maryland (UMD) and Virginia Tech (VT). So, MTC president Bill Warpinski and VTC president Fred Biggers each appointed four of their respective board members, plus Dr. Tom Turner (UMD), Dr. Mike Goatley (VT), Dr. Tom Tracy (VTC executive director) and me (MTC executive director) to form the Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Exposition Committee to develop the first annual Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo (M-A-T-E) conference to be held January 25–28, 2016, at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center in Fredericksburg, VA.
You’ll find details for the three-day education program and two-day Mechanic’s Seminar on pages 10–12. Here, though, are a few highlights:
• On Monday, lunch is being provided by Helena Chemical at their Fredericksburg facility. Bus transportation will be provided to and from, or you can use your own transportation, as the facility is close by.
• Monday afternoon features, for the first time, a special lawn and landscape session sponsored by Lawn & Landscape magazine.
• We’ll have a bigger and better-than-ever tradeshow on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a cocktail reception and “Corn Hole Tournament” Tuesday afternoon and evening.
On Thursday, we will finish up with all the recertifications for Pesticide Applicators License for MD, VA, WVA, DC, DE and PA, plus recertification for the new Fertilizer Applicator License for MD and VA. ALL re-certifications are free to MTC and VTC members. MTC memberships run from February 1 to January 31 each year (see page 9 for a membership form). If you are not currently a 2015 MTC member and your 2016/ 2017 dues are paid prior to the conference, you will be entitled to membership discounts to this M-A-T-E conference
Your MTC board is working to put together other recertification dates in the spring if you are unable to travel the short distance to Fredericksburg. These may meet the requirements of the laws for recertification, but they will NOT be the total experience you will receive at the M-A-T-E conference.
Also hold the date of Wednesday, September 28, 2016, for the next fabulous Angie Cammarota / MTC Golf Tournament at Queenstown Harbor, also held to support turfgrass research.
I hope you all have great Christmas and New Year’s holidays, and I am looking forward to see each of you in Fredericksburg. Go right now to www.turfconference.org to register today.
I think you will be as excited as I am!
v ernon W. Cooper
MTC Executive Director
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January 25–28, 2016 • Fredericksburg, VA • Fredericksburg Conference &
Maryland Turfgrass Council and Virginia Turfgrass Council are excited and proud to invite you to the organization’s first annual combined conference — the Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo (M-A-T-E) — slated for January 25–28. And for the first time ever in the history of either council, all profits from the event will be given to the turfgrass research projects at Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland!
Dress for both the educational sessions and the Expo is business casual.
Monday, January 25
Management Session
8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Turfgrass 101
Mike Goatley, Ph.D., Virginia Tech, and Tom Turner, Ph.D., University of MD
Golf Course Session
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Turfgrass Pathology Seminar
Dr. Joseph Roberts, University of MD; Dr. Lee Miller, University of Missouri; and David McCall, Virginia Tech
Lunch
(included with M-A-T-E registration)
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Sponsored by Helena
Concurrent Afternoon Sessions
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Golf Session
The Art of Communication
Dean Graves, CGCS, Chevy Chase C.C.
Using the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program for Selecting Grasses for Golf Course Use
Kevin Morris, National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP)
The Perils of Pond Scum: How a Simple Aeration System Snuffs Out Stagnation and Delivers Beautiful Ponds
Sandra Burton, Linne Industries
Operation Pollenator
Frank Wong, Ph.D., Bayer
Lawn/Landscape Session
Presented by Lawn & Landscape magazine
Implementing Technology to Improve Your Sales and Productivity
Matt and Chris Noon, Noon Turf Care
In the competitive suburban Boston market, Noon Turf Care has managed to grow into a multi-million-dollar company, thanks to how it has harnessed technology to streamline its production and sales efforts. The Noons will coach LCOs and other landscapers on how they can implement simple technologies to make their operations more productive and profitable.
Taking Advantage of the Outdoor Living Movement
Bruce Allentuck, Allentuck Landscaping
Bruce is the CEO of an awardwinning landscape construction company that has been installing outstanding jobs for decades. He’ll
share how landscapers can enter the thriving design/build market or take their company to the next level.
Labor and Recruiting Strategies for 2016
Kory Beilder, Ruppert Landscaping Kory is the senior employeedevelopment manager at Ruppert Landscape, a $110 million company with locations across the Eastern Seaboard and 1,050 employees. He’s a frequent contributor to Lawn & Landscape, where he writes about how landscapers can improve their recruiting and retention, and he offers specific strategies on how they can find the best employees.
State of the Industry Research
Chuck Bowen, Lawn & Landscape magazine
Sports Turf Session
Using the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program for Selecting Grasses for Athletic Fields
Kevin Morris, National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP)
Fraze Mowing and Spring Dead Spot
Dr. Lee Miller, University of Missouri
Innovation and Technology for Natural Grass Fields
Jerad Minnick, Growing Innovations
Sod Session
Weed Control Issues in Sod Production
Dr. Shawn Askew, Virginia Tech
Sod Certification
Dale Morris, MDA/T&S, and Tom Hardiman, Virginia Crop Improvement Association
Presidents’ Dinner and Awards
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
t uesday, January 26
VTC General Session
8:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Welcome by Bill Warpinski, MTC President, and Fred Biggers, CGCS, VTC President
Keynote Address #1 — Appreciation: The Key to Success
Dean Graves, CGCS, Chevy Chase C.C.
MTC Business Meeting
Keynote Address #2 — Grass Can Take More
Jerad Minnick, Growing Innovations
VTC Business Meeting
Mechanics Seminar — Day 1
Expanded to two days this year! (see page 12)
Concurrent Morning Sessions
10:50 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Golf Session
USGA Update
Darin Bevard, Director Championship Agronomy, and Elliott Dowling, Agronomist
Lawn Care Session
Weed-Management Strategies for Low-Input Turf
Dr. Shawn Askew, Virginia Tech
Organic Options for Use in Lawn Maintenance
Dr. Tom Turner, University of MD
Annual Grass Control Update for Ornamental Beds and Turfgrass
Dr. Jeff Derr, Virginia Tech
Sports Turf Session
Performance of Bermudagrass Versus Synthetic Turf: What Does the Research Say?
Adam Thoms, Univ. of Tennessee Center for Athletic Field Safety
Strategies for Cooling Synthetic Sports Fields
Adam Thoms, Univ. of Tennessee
Center for Athletic Field Safety
Sod Session
Sod Heating Trial
Dr. Mike Goatley, Virginia Tech
Crop Rotation in Sod Production
Dr. Bob Kratochvil, University of MD; John Brader, Landmark Seeds; and Bill Warpinski, Central Sod Farms
Weed-Management Strategies for Low-Input Turf
Dr. Shawn Askew, Virginia Tech
Low-Input Turfgrass Management
Dr. Tom Turner, Univ. of MD
Lunch and Tradeshow — Please visit with our exhibitors!
12:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Corn Hole Contest and Food on Tradeshow Floor
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 28
Fellowship Breakfast
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Mechanics Seminar (see page 12)
Concurrent Morning Sessions
8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Golf Research Updates
Creeping Bentgrass Cultivars
Dr. Erik Ervin, Virginia Tech
Poa Seedhead Suppression
Dr. Shawn Askew, Virginia Tech
Special Delivery: Fungicide Application Strategies for Improving Control of Turf Diseases
Dr. Joe Roberts, University of MD
Applying Remote Sensing to the Golf Course
David McCall, Virginia Tech
Lawn/Landscape Research Updates
Organic Disease Control Methods for Managing Lawns in the Transition Zone
Dr. Joe Roberts, University of MD
Turfgrass-Management Practices That Reduce Pollinator Problems
Dr. Kevin Mathias, Univ. of MD
Pylex Herbicide Update
Dr. Shawn Askew, Virginia Tech
Compost and Microclover
Inclusion in Lawns
Dr. Mark Carroll, Univ. of MD
Tradeshow and Lunch
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
All on the Tradeshow Floor.
Sod Growers Meeting 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
t hursday, January 28
Pesticide Recertification
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Fertilizer Recertification
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Virginia Certified Fertilizer Applicator Training and Examination
9:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Initial Pesticide Review of Core and Offering of Pesticide Exams for Virginia
8:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
(You must bring an approval letter from VDACS. We are seeking to add MD.)
t uesday, January 26
Morning Session
General Session and Small Engines
Lunch
Included with Registration
Afternoon
Wednesday, January 27
Morning Session Tier 4 Diesel Engines
Late Morning Visit
Lunch Included with Registration
Afternoon
Rough Bluegrass Can Be You R Wo R st LaWn nightmaRe
By Peter H. Dernoeden, Ph.D., Professor e meritus, University of Maryland
Kentucky bluegrass is dark green in color and produces an abundance of seedheads in spring.
rough bluegrass is yellow green in color and produces few, inconspicuous seedheads in summer.
rough bluegrass (aka Poa trivialis, Poa triv., roughstalk bluegrass, RBG) is an extremely common, perennial grass weed in lawns and golf courses in the Mid-Atlantic. It did not become a major problem in turf until the 1980s. Being developed as the answer to growing turf in wet and shaded areas, RBG was introduced in shady seed mixes, which still exist today, and it can be a contaminant in inexpensive, noncertified seed. RBG is now recognized to be an extremely noxious and invasive perennial weed in all cool-season turfs in our region.
r ough bluegrass basics
Rough bluegrass looks like Kentucky bluegrass in that leaves have a boatshaped tip, and two parallel lines run down the middle of upper leaf surfaces. Unlike Kentucky bluegrass, RBG foliage has a yellow-green color. Tufts of plants are easily detached or rolled back from lawn surfaces, exposing long (3" to 5" long), white tillers that trail close to the surface. These white tillers behave like runners or stolons, but younger ones do not usually produce roots. Eventually, as one tiller trails over the next, the lower runners root and behave like stolons.
The most reliable distinguishing characteristics of RBG (to distinguish it from Kentucky bluegrass) are its yellowgreen color and its white trailing tillers, which allow you to roll back a mass of plants easily, thus exposing rooted stolons underneath the canopy. Rough bluegrass produces a few, generally inconspicuous seedheads in July and early August on Delmarva; whereas, Kentucky bluegrass produces an abundance of seedheads in May and early June, which can persist into early summer.
The yellow-green color of RBG is especially prominent in spring. This weedy grass cannot be darkened substantially by applying nitrogen fertilizer or iron. For homeowners, it can be highly
White, trailing tillers of rough bluegrass.
the yellow-green color of rough bluegrass contrasts with other darker-colored grass in spring.
rough bluegrass can dominate sunny areas in irrigated lawns.
objectionable, and when summer hits, it can become a lawn nightmare.
For LCOs, it is an intractable problem. Rough bluegrass usually is most invasive in shaded and wet areas, but it spreads rapidly into sunny areas in irrigated lawns. What makes RBG so noxious is that its trailing tillers and stolons outcompete the more desirable tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. I have seen lawns in mixed sun and shade environments with up to 75% RBG cover.
A major problem with RBG is that it rapidly turns brown during periods of wilt, even during a spring drought. During summer, when there are heavy rain events, followed by sunny and hot weather, RBG develops a bronzed appearance and abruptly collapses in sunny areas of the lawn.
Matting of shoots is a sure sign that too much water combined with heat was involved in the browning and/or apparent death of RBG. What is difficult to explain to homeowners is how heavy rains play a major role in its demise in summer. After all, RBG is highly adapted to wet soils. Very wet soils (including sandy soils) persisting for several days in sunny and hot weather accumulate much more heat than well-drained areas. Furthermore, warm water contains very little oxygen. Basically, a sunny, hot and wet environment “cooks” or “scalds” RBG, causing plants to turn bronze or brown, collapse and matt. Conversely, cool to cold water holds more oxygen, does not accumulate a lot heat and thus does not cause problems in RBG during spring and autumn.
Sometimes when RBG appears dead, it often has entered a dormant state. All of the leaves and tillers may be brown and dead looking, but tiny buds on stolons and stem bases invariably survive wilt-induced dormancy and short-lived scald events. Where water puddles, the heat can kill all plants; however, there invariably are plants close by that survive, recover and spread into voids.
rough bluegrass entering dormancy in response to a spring drought before this irrigation system was activated.
Scalded rough bluegrass initially has a bronzed appearance.
rough bluegrass dormant due to scald. Some plants invariably survive and eventually will spread into voids. the dark-green grass is creeping bentgrass.
To check whether the RBG is dead or dormant, simply collect several of the brown trailing tillers and stolons, and carefully peel off all of the dead tissue. Using a hand lens, look for either some green tissue underneath brown sheaths and/or for small, white buds (smaller than a pin-head) on stems. Recovery usually becomes evident by November, but sometimes a dense RBG cover does not develop until spring.
r BG control
In the short term, the best approach to improve the appearance of collapsed RBG lawn areas is to power-rake and otherwise physically remove the dead RBG tissue and re-seed or sod bare areas with tall fescue or tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass mixes (not to exceed 5% Kentucky bluegrass by weight). This will not eliminate the basic problem, but enough tall fescue may be able to compete and mask the problem.
Complete renovation of the lawn will greatly improve quality; however, RBG cannot be eliminated in the long run because of long-lived seed in the soil. Furthermore, applying Roundup while RBG is dormant will not work since the herbicide cannot translocate through dead tissue to make contact with living buds on stem bases.
Rough bluegrass cannot be safely and effectively removed with any of the herbicides currently on the market. In pure tall fescue or fine leaf fescue (Chewings, creeping, hard and sheep fescues) lawns, the herbicide Fusilade T&O shows promise, but it can discolor tall fescue, and if there is any Kentucky bluegrass in the stand, it can cause severe damage to the latter species. PoaCure is an herbicide in development that has been shown to be safe and effective against RBG.
Rough bluegrass is an exasperating problem for homeowners and LCOs. Until an effective and safe herbicide is commercialized, RBG will continue to be a major weed problem. •
rough bluegrass dormant and matted from scald due to heavy rains in July 2015.
Dormant rough bluegrass peels from the surface, exposing stolons in the mat and on the soil surface.
as a Graduate Student at UMD Great Memories
twenty years ago, on May 19, 1995, I graduated from the University of Maryland with a Ph.D. in agronomy. I had the honor of being Dr. Peter Dernoeden’s first Ph.D. student (Dr. John Kaminski, also now at Penn State, was his second). I have some great memories of my days at Maryland.
I started at Maryland about a year before Henry Wetzel arrived to work on his master’s degree. Henry and I were both from southeastern Pennsylvania, and Pete grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia. Dr. Dernoeden insisted that graduate students call him “Pete,” which was a break from the formal convention. In those days, Pete had the reputation of being a stern taskmaster, which was something he learned as a graduate student at University of Rhode Island under Dr. Noel Jackson, who is British (imagine Sean Connery with a Ph.D. in plant pathology).
We did some great work with Pete as our mentor and advisor. Henry was one of the first to use molecular biology and DNA analysis to investigate turfgrass pathogens. I worked on a mathematical model to forecast Rhizoctonia blight, and I also developed a crabgrass degreeday model, both of which are still used today. Henry went on to earn a Ph.D. at Kansas State. Ken Ingram was a golf course superintendent back then and
was also working on his master’s, which he completed while we were there. We assisted Pete with all the fungicide and herbicide field trials. He always liked those split-split-plot experimental designs, which made sense agronomically but were a pain to statistically analyze. Dr. Mark Carroll was our statistics expert and always helpful, and Dr. Tom Turner taught us more about soils and plant nutrition than we thought possible.
H.J. Patterson Hall
The turf lab in historic H.J. Patterson Hall was small but very productive. As
graduate students, Henry and I each had a desk in that lab. On an old clock radio, Henry would blast a rock-n-roll station at noon, which played three Rush songs at lunchtime. After that, I would change the station to Rush Limbaugh and listen to talk radio. Mei Zhang, from China, was also Pete’s graduate student working in the lab with us. She would get a daily dose of rock music, and then I would teach her about capitalism through conservative, political talk radio. I think Henry and I were doing our part to combat Chinese communism! Henry and I got along well with the other graduate
By Mike f idanza, Ph.D., Professor, Penn State University
Mike fidanza on a research plot in 1992.
students in Soils and Crops and Botany. The department accountant, Deborah, was a good friend to us, and she had rules that certain forms could be submitted only on certain days of the week.
When smoking was permitted
When we smelled the aroma of pipe tobacco rising from Pete’s office, we knew he was in there editing our manuscripts — over and over again. All of his graduate students would agree: Pete made us all better writers. Pete would always say that the research isn’t complete until it’s written up. Whenever you read an article from one of his graduate students, it will probably include the word “hence” or “aforementioned,” as well as the use of the “Oxford comma.” I recently served as editor-in-chief for the International Turfgrass Society Research Journal , and Pete’s training certainly paid off.
And speaking of smoking, Pete would often smoke a cigar while spraying test plots. This was necessary, of course, to keep gnats and other bugs away during the humid summer days in Maryland.
o nly one printer for ALL graduate students on campus!
Henry and I both had our own Macintosh desktop computers with only 20 MB of memory, but that was all we needed for Word documents and spreadsheets back then. The internet was still in its infancy compared to today, and the turf lab had no internet connection or even any wiring to do so. At that time, there were only one or two “computer laboratories” on campus, which consisted of big rooms with clunky, slow, offbrand desktop computers. If you wanted to print out anything, you had to walk clear across campus to the basement of some obscure physical plant building and ask a cranky, unpleasant person at the desk to retrieve your printout, which was handed to you in that awful, perforated accordion paper. Looking back, we did get a great deal of exercise that way. Today, of course, graduate students have desktop or laptop computers in the lab, or even tablets, which are connected to
Mike fidanza, Mei Zhang and Henry Wetzel in 1994.
a printer in the same lab and, of course, with internet access.
r emember 35 mm slides?
Pete also had us make his slides. This was when a special 35-mm camera was attached to a computer (it cost a fortune). You made the slides on the first version of PowerPoint (very cumbersome to use at the time) and then set up the camera to download the PowerPoint image from the computer onto the 35-mm film. We would stay up all night to do this, typically starting it around midnight and watching it until it finished at 5 a.m. Next, we dropped off the film to be developed into slides and, a few days later, presented them to Pete. Most of the time, Pete would look at the finished slides and change his mind about the wording or the graphs or something. Then we would start the process all over again. It was extremely time consuming, but it was the cutting-edge way to do presentations at that time.
And during our presentations, Pete would always be sitting in the very front row. All of his graduate students loved that! To Pete’s credit, he always helped us rehearse our talks to get us looking and sounding as professional as possible.
Cherry Hill t urf r esearch f acility
Tony Nash was the farm manager at Cherry Hill. What a great place to do research! The site was a few miles from campus, and it essentially became a graduate student’s second home. We came to appreciate Tony’s British dialect and wit, and he always insisted that Guinness was the best beer. He even rented a VCR player and the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail so he could explain the humor to us! Whenever a piece of equipment broke down, Tony would blame the last person who used it. So, the trick was never to be the last person to use something there.
The turf field days at Cherry Hill were the best! We always worked hard to display the best research, and members of the Maryland Turfgrass Council and Maryland’s turf industry always made it
a fun time, both during and immediately after the actual field day event, where Steve Potter taught us the fine Maryland tradition of how to “crack crabs.” John Krouse was Pete’s technician in those days, and he was always helpful. He should write a book on “how to be a turf research technician.”
Betty Lou
Pete had this red, state-appropriated pickup truck. He called it “Betty Lou,” and no one was allowed to say anything bad about her! In fact, on several occasions, Pete would “ask” Henry and I to wash and wax her (… wait, that doesn’t sound right). He always gave us some beverages to help with that request. A few times, we were allowed to drive Betty Lou to Pete’s house, to help with some lawn and landscape “research.” Yes, Betty Lou was Pete’s faithful companion for a long time.
r atsie’s on f riday afternoons
Often on Fridays, Pete would offer to buy us pizza and a pitcher at Ratsie’s on the corner of Rt. 1 in College Park. This was his way of rewarding us for working hard that week and for us “absorbing” the anguish of doing research. Class was still in session in that place, as we would often discuss all things related to turfgrass science.
n o Google, no Wi f i
These were the days when you physically had to go to the library. I spent what seemed like weeks and months in McKeldin Library, actually looking up articles and spending soooo many dimes, photocopying page after page. Now, all students have to do is “Google it” to find articles. Unfortunately, students today feel that if it’s not on Google, then it doesn’t exist. I remember going to the USDA National Ag Library (Beltsville,
MD) to retrieve rare articles in what seemed like sacred archives. Pete taught all of his graduate students the value of hard work, persistence and determination.
Maryland t urf Conferences in Baltimore
In those days, graduate students were “seen and not heard.” We would attend the Maryland Turf Conference in Baltimore, which was always a big event. We would join Pete and the speakers for dinner, and often Stan Zontek would hold court and talk turf and tell stories. Listening to Stan and Pete during those dinners was a classroom experience in itself.
Pete’s favorite graduate student
The running joke among his graduate students was that Pete’s favorite was the
latest one to graduate! Pete liked all of us for different reasons, and he was frustrated with all of us for many more reasons. But, we all agree that his alltime favorite graduate student is Ken Ingram! When I graduated in the Chapel that day, David Smith was there to receive his B.S. degree in turf. Dave was our “adopted little brother” and worked for Steve Potter at Woodholme Country Club. He was known as “Pasquale,” and he called me “Paesan.” Pete really enjoyed calling on him during class.
Many of Pete’s graduate students are in academia today: Dr. Jack Fry (Kansas State), Dr. David Minner (Iowa State), Dr. John Kaminski (Penn State – University Park), Dr. Cale Bigelow (Purdue University) and Dr. Henry Wetzel (Washington State), and there are many others who are all very successful. To Pete’s credit, he has always acknowledged the contributions of his graduate students.
A graduate degree and a wife I graduated on a Thursday, and on Monday, I started working in research and development with an agricultural chemical company. In 2000, I changed jobs to become a college professor at Penn State’s Berks Campus (Reading, PA), and today I hold the rank of full professor. During my last year at Maryland, I met Anjanette. She was a recent graduate of American University (Washington, D.C.). We were married in 1998, and today we have five children: 3 girls and 2 boys, ages 14 to 7, and this includes two sets of boy/girl twins!
As a young boy from a mushroom farm in Pennsylvania, I could not have imagined a life of getting to do interesting and fulfilling research, teaching, traveling all over the world to give seminars and meeting so many people who have become my good friends. I owe a great deal of my success to my time in Maryland. All I can say is, “Thank you to Dr. Peter Dernoeden, the faculty and staff at the University of Maryland, and Maryland’s turf industry!” •
January 6–8
Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS)
Baltimore Convention Center Baltimore, MD
January 19–22
STMA Conference and Exhibition
San Diego Convention Center San Diego, CA
January 25–28
M-A-T-E
Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo (a joint conference between the Maryland Turfgrass Council and Virginia Turfgrass Council) Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center Fredericksburg, VA
f ebruary 6–11
Golf Industry Show
San Diego Convention Center San Diego, CA
f ebruary 22–25
TPI International Education Conference & Field Day (Turfgrass Producers Intl.)
Hyatt Regency Houston Houston, Texas
September 28
Angie Cammarota/ MTC Golf Tournament
Queenstown Harbor Golf Course Queenstown, MD
pete Dernoeden, ph.D. Professor Emeritus University of Maryland College Park, MD 301-405-1337 pd@umd.edu
tom turner, ph.D. Dept. of Plant Science & Landscape Architecture University of Maryland College Park, MD 301-403-4431 tturner@umd.edu
mark Carroll, ph.D. Dept. of Plant Science & Landscape Architecture University of Maryland College Park, MD 301-405-1339 mcarroll@umd.edu
Kevin mathias, ph.D. Institute of Applied Ag. University of Maryland College Park, MD 301-405-4692 jkm@umd.edu
Joseph roberts, ph.D. Dept. of Plant Science & Landscape Architecture College Park, MD 301-405-4355 robertsj@umd.edu
Dave Funk Manager, Paint Branch Turfgrass Research Facility University of Maryland College Park, MD 301-403-8195 dfunk@umd.edu
