Tennessee Turfgrass - February / March 2014

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

The Official Publication of the Tennessee Turfgrass Association, the Tennessee Valley Sports Turf Managers Association and the Tennessee Golf Course Superintendents Association

SEVEN FACTS TO

BREATHE LIFE INTO YOUR BUSINESS FOR LAWN CARE OPERATORS You Aerate Your Turf, But What About Your Ponds?

Also Inside! Highlights from TTA’s 2014 Turfgrass Conference & Tradeshow

The Official Publication of the Tennessee Turfgrass Association, Tennessee Valley Sports Turf Managers Association and the Tennessee Golf Course Superintendents Association

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

FEATURED ARTICLES

16 20 22 28

Recent Event — Highlights from TTA’s 2014 Conference & Tradeshow

TTA Award Winner — Joe Hill, TTA’s 2013 Professional of the Year

Cover Story — Seven Facts to Breathe Life into Your Business for Lawn Care Operators

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Water Feature — You Aerate Your Turf, But What About Your Ponds?

DEPARTMENTS From the TTA President, Paul Carter, CGCS

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8

From the TVSTMA President, T.J. Derrick

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From the ETGCSA President, Jeff Rumph, CGCS

12

News from the TTA

14

Calendar of Events

32

Index of Advertisers

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TENNESSEE TURFGRASS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

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FROM THE TTA PRESIDENT

Paul L. Carter

Looking Back, LOOKING AHEAD I sit here writing my first letter as president of the Tennessee Turfgrass Association, I am honored and humbled. Greater men than I have held this position, and I hope I can follow in their footsteps and continue to move the Association forward.

Our 48th Annual Conference and Tradeshow was held on January 6–8 of this year at the Cool Springs Marriott. For those of you who braved the bitter cold to attend, I want to personally thank you.

Although the weather was harsh outside, Dr. Jim Brosnan of The University of Tennessee put together an extremely interesting and diverse collection of speakers, and he did an amazing juggling act with the presentation schedule as travel conditions caused some of the speakers to be delayed.

Our schedule changed this year from a noon start on the first day to a morning start. This was done to provide more edu-

As

IO THE MISS

cation and recertification points on the first day, hopefully allowing more members to attend, and I believe the move was very successful, as the meeting room for the opening session was nearly full.

My sincere appreciation goes to our vendors who braved the storm to present their goods and services on the tradeshow floor. Without you and your support, our conference would not be successful, and we are extremely grateful. Our new schedule caused a gap in the time between the tradeshow floor being open, and I want you to know we are aware of the issue and will correct it in the future.

The conference and tradeshow doesn’t just happen though. Mr. Jim Uden and Ms. Shelia Finney put in multiple hours preparing the registrations, name tags, scholarships and awards, and making sure all the “i”s were dotted and all the “t”s were crossed to make our conference run smoothly.

I would like to recognize Mr. Bob McCurdy for his leadership of the Association over the past two years. Bob has shown great resolve and professionalism in all of his endeavors with the association and has quietly shown me new and different ways of dealing with issues as they come up. Our association is on the right track.

We welcome three new members to the TTA board of directors: Mr. Mickey Lovett, Mr. Tim Long and Mr. Scott Freund. These gentlemen, along with the others listed on page 12, volunteer their time and energy to make our association better, and their dedication and passion are invaluable.

I thank you for the opportunity to serve, and I welcome any comments and/ or suggestions.

Paul L. Carter, CGCS 2014–2015 President

N of the TE NN ESSEE TUR FG RA SS A S S O C I AT I O

To promote the turfgrass industry through education, scholarship and research.

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TENNESSEE TURFGRASS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 Email TTA at: tnturfgrassassn@aol.com

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FROM THE TVSTMA PRESIDENT

T.J. Derrick The Official Publication of the Tennessee Turfgrass Association, the Tennessee Valley Sports Turf Managers Association and the Tennessee Golf Course Superintendents Association

Opportunities

2014 start of a new year presents new goals and opportunities to move our Tennessee Valley Sports Turf Managers Association forward. As I reflect on the last two years that I have been involved with TVSTMA, we have had many opportunities to educate our members, as well as share information from different municipalities and organizations.

I want to thank Wayne Treadway for his commitment as president over the last two years and for continuing to try to grow this valuable organization. He has continued the success of our association, and we look forward to his continued involvement with TVSTMA. As we move forward, I would like to welcome to the TVSTMA board of directors Waldo Terrell as our Commercial Vice President for 2014. He comes with an outstanding resume, and we look forward to his contributions this year.

In what has become the norm, the TTA Annual Conference again was a huge success, and we would like to thank TTA for its continued support of our organization.

We look forward to what 2014 will bring with both organizations, and I know that with one another’s help, we can continue

The

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to have success. A special thanks to all TVSTMA members who attended the conference this year.

As we move forward into this new year, I would like to let everyone know our agenda for 2014. The schedules of events are:

March with our East TN Field Day July with our Middle TN Field Day November with our West TN Field Day Exact times and locations are being finalized at this time, but we will be sure that you have plenty of notice so you can make arrangements to attend. We have a few places that have offered their facilities for use, and for that we are very appreciative.

As you can see, we are very excited about what 2014 can be for TVSTMA, and we look forward to seeing each of you this year!

T.J. Derrick 2014–2015 TVSTMA President

TENNESSEE TURFGRASS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 Email TTA at: tnturfgrassassn@aol.com

Tennessee Turfgrass is the official publication of The Tennessee Turfgrass Association 400 Franklin Road Franklin, Tennessee 37069 (615) 591-8286 tnturfgrassassn@aol.com www.ttaonline.org Published by Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 790-3718 Fax (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedge communications.com Editor Dr. James Brosnan TTA OFFICERS President Paul Carter, CGCS Bear Trace at Harrison Bay (423) 344-6374 Vice President Theo Lankford Nashville Sports Leagues (615) 799-8664 Secretary/Treasurer Bill Marbet Southern Athletic Fields (931) 380-0023 Past President Bob McCurdy McCurdy Farms (731) 692-3515 Executive Secretary Jim Uden Tennessee Turfgrass Assn.

(615) 591-8286 TTA 2014 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bob Elliott Scott Freund Luke Hankins Cal Hill Joe Hill Timothy Long Mickey Lovett Mitch Parker Jason Pooler Jason Sanderson Sean VanHoose Doug Ward TTA ADVISORY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Bill Blackburn Dr. Jim Brosnan Dr. Brandon Horvath Lynn Ray Jeff Rumph, CGCS Dr. Tom Samples Dr. John Sorochan Dr. Wes Totten

FROM THE ETGCSA PRESIDENT

Jeff Rumph

News from the ETGCSA 23rd Annual ETGCSA Scholarship and Research Tournament was held on October 28, 2013, at Chattanooga Golf and Country Club. Superintendent Jeff Hollister was our host.

After the tournament, scholarships were awarded to:

The

• Michael Medley, The University of Tennessee, $1,000

• Cory Yurisic, The University of Tennessee, $1,000

• Mark Folis, The University of Tennessee, $500

ETGCSA would like to extend a pair of congratulations to our own Paul Carter, CGCS, of The Bear Trace Golf Course at Harrison Bay in Chattanooga.

Paul was elected as President of TTA in January 2014 and was then given the GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders Award in February 2014 at the Golf Industry Show in Orlando. We can all be very proud of his leadership.

ETGCSA 2014 Meeting Schedule April 8 UT Turf Research Facility & UT Golf Practice Facility Knoxville, TN

May 6 Champion Hills G.C. Chattanooga, TN

June 9 Wind River Golf Club Lenoir City, TN

July 8 Millstone Golf Course Morristown

August 5 Cattails at Meadowview Golf Course Kingsport, TN

November 3 Scholarship & Research Tournament Fox Den Country Club Knoxville, TN 12

TENNESSEE TURFGRASS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 Email TTA at: tnturfgrassassn@aol.com

NEWS FROM THE TTA

Announcing TTA’s OFFICERS & DIRECTORS for 2014 Directors

PRESIDENT

Bob Elliott

Mickey Lovett

Ewing Irrigation Company Nashville, TN (615) 244-8870 belliott@ewing1.com

Harrell’s Fertilizer 1110 Brentwood Street Paris, TN 38242 (731) 333-6189 mlovett@harrells.com

Bear Trace at Harrison Bay Harrison, TN (423) 344-6374 paul.carter@tn.gov

Scott Freund VICE PRESIDENT

Theo Lankford Nashville Sports Leagues Fairview, TN (615) 799-8664 theo@nashvillesports leagues.com SECRETARY/TREASURER

Bill Marbet Southern Athletic Fields Columbia, TN (931) 380-0023 bill@mulemix.com PAST PRESIDENT

Bob McCurdy McCurdy Farms Dyer, TN (731) 692-3515 mccurdyb@bellsouth.net

Richland Country Club Nashville, TN (615) 370-0600 sfreund@richlandcc.com

Luke Hankins Windyke Country Club Memphis, TN (901) 754-6602 luke@windyke.com

Cal Hill Winfield Solutions Memphis, TN (901) 412-0121 cchill@landolakes.com

Joe Hill WinField Solutions Maryville, TN (865) 567-4210 kjhill0802@gmail.com

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Jim Uden

Timothy Long

Tennessee Turfgrass Assn.

400 Franklin Road Franklin, TN 37069 (615) 591-8286 Fax: (615) 790-8600 tnturfgrass@aol.com

Smith Turf & Irrigation 12600 Broken Saddle Road Knoxville, TN 37934 (615) 726-8811 timothy.long@smithturf.com

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Bill Blackburn Smith Turf & Irrigation Co. Nashville, TN (615) 726-8811 bill.blackburn@smithturf.com

Dr. Jim Brosnan

Officers Paul Carter, CGCS

TTA Advisory Members of the Board

Mitch Parker Ladd’s Memphis, TN (901) 324-8801 mparker@bobladd.com

Jason Pooler

The University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN (865) 974-8603 jbrosnan@utk.edu

Dr. Brandon Horvath The University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN (865) 974-2975 bhorvath@utk.edu

Lynn Ray Golf Management Group Brentwood, TN (615) 373-9400 lraygmg@raskinco.com

Tri-Turf Sod Farms, Inc. Paris, TN (731) 642-3092 triturfsodfarms@ bellsouth.net

Jeff Rumph, CGCS

Jason Sanderson

Dr. Tom Samples

Cherokee Country Club Knoxville, TN (865) 588-2208 jsanderson1907@ bellsouth.net

University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN (865) 974-2595 tsamples@utk.edu

Sean VanHoose

University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN (865) 974-7324 sorochan@utk.edu

Stonehenge Golf Club Fairfield Glade, TN (931) 510-7138 svanhoose@fairfieldglade.cc

Doug Ward Belle Meade Country Club Nashville, TN (615) 292-6752 dougw@comcast.com

TENNESSEE TURFGRASS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 Email TTA at: tnturfgrassassn@aol.com

Gatlinburg Country Club Gatlinburg, TN (865) 453-3638 fourlakebums@msn.com

Dr. John Sorochan

Dr. Wes Totten The University of Tennessee at Martin Martin, TN (731) 881-7936 wtotten@utm.edu

RECENT EVENT

HIGHLIGHTS FROM TTA’S 48TH ANNUAL

CONFERENCE AND

TRADESHOW

Kudos to TTA’s Award Winners for 2013!

Professional of the Year

Pesident’s Award

Joe Hill

Jason Pooler

Environmental Stewardship Award

WinField Solutions • Maryville, TN (with Paul Carter, right)

Tri-Turf Sod Farms, Inc. • Paris, TN (with Bob McCurdy, right)

Superintendent: Jim Thomas, CGCS

Private Golf Course of the Year

Public Golf Course of the Year

Humbolt Golf & Country Club

Stonehenge Golf Club

Municipal Sports Field of the Year

Superintendent: Paul Webb Medina, TN (with Jason Sanderson, right)

Superintendent: Sean VanHoose, CGCS Fairfield Glade, TN (with Jason Sanderson, right)

City of Franklin Parks

High School Sports Field of the Year

Collegiate Sports Field of the Year

Professional Sports Field of the Year

Fairview High School

Chattanooga State Comm. College

AT&T Field / Chattanooga Lookouts

Coach: Chris Hughes Fairview, TN (with Theo Lankford, right)

Field Manager: Casey Neal Chattanooga, TN (with Theo Lankford, right)

Head Groundskeeper: Brandon Moore Chattanooga, TN (with Theo Lankford, right)

Memphis, TN (with Jason Sanderson, right)

Athletic Foreman: Paige Cruse Franklin, TN • (with Theo Lankford, right)

TENNESSEE TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION • TENNESSEE VALLEY SPORTS TURF MANAGERS ASSOCIATION • TENNESSEE GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION

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RECENT EVENT A Very Special Thanks to Our Trade Show Exhibitors Advanced Turf Solutions Agrium Advanced Technologies BASF BWI Davey Tree Experts Dickens Supply DryJect of Tennessee Ewing Irrigation FMC Golf Links, Inc. Grassroots, Inc. Greenville Landscapes Greenville Turf & Tractor Growth Products Harrell’s Helena Chemicals Huntsville Tractor Jackson Sand John Bouchard & Sons JRM, Inc. Keeling Company

Knox Fertilizer Ladd’s Mid Tenn Turf Modern Turf New Life Turf Nufarm ProSolutions Really Innovations, LLC Redexim Regal Chemical SePRO Sigma Organics Smith Turf & Irrigation Sur-Line Turf Syngenta Tenbarge Seed Company TGCSA The Hogan Company The Turfgrass Group Tri-Turf Sod Farms

The following companies had committed to the tradeshow but were unable to attend due to weather Champion Turf Farms Evergreen Turf Covers

Liles and Tippit Standard Golf

Congratulations to TTA’s Scholarship Winners!

Ernest Hardison Memorial Scholarship Mark Follis The University of Tennessee (with Paul Carter, left)

Legacy Scholarship Lindsay Luckett The University of Tennessee Daughter of TTA Member Phil Luckett (with Paul Carter, left)

TTA AWARD WINNERS

TTA Member Spotlight on

JOE HILL,

TTA’s 2013 Professional of the Year

By Jeff Rumph, CGCS, Gatlinburg Country Club, and Liz Nutter, Leading Edge Communications (publisher of Tennessee Turfgrass)

the recent TTA Annual Conference and Tradeshow in January, a long-time friend and supporter of the turf industry was honored for his 25 years of dedication and commitment to helping turfgrass managers across East and Middle Tennessee. Joe Hill, formerly with ProSolutions and now a consultant with WinField Solutions, was awarded TTA’s highest honor — Professional of the Year.

Prior to 1988, Joe had served as a farm consultant with the Ralston Purina Company. That year, Terra International asked him to become the company’s turf and ornamental sales representative. “I’m a great believer in divine providence,” Joe comments, “and I believe that was one of the best things that ever happened to me, being assigned to be that salesman.”

Since then, Joe has been an active member of Tennessee’s turfgrass business.

Although he had no degree in turfgrass or horticulture, Joe made it a point to learn as much as he could, as quickly as he could, in order to best assist his customers.

Through a few corporate acquisitions and divisions, Terra International changed to ProSource One and then to ProSolutions. Although the company’s name changed a few times, Joe never changed his way of doing business. Joe Hill didn’t work on building a customer

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Joe Hill, with (left to right) granddaughter Cobi, daughter Juli and wife Lisa.

base — he worked on forming relationships. It was this philosophy that made him successful.

A member of TTA since 1990, Joe has served on the TTA board since 2011. He has also served on the board of directors of the East Tennessee GCSA since 1998 and on the board of the Middle Tennessee Nursery Association for 14 years.

In addition to his industry service, Joe is deeply involved with church and charitable efforts. After the 9/11 attacks in New York, he worked with the Salvation Army for two weeks at Ground Zero. He also made five trips to New Orleans to help rebuild homes after Hurricane Katrina.

And, with his wife Lisa, Joe created

TENNESSEE TURFGRASS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 Email TTA at: tnturfgrassassn@aol.com

the Brandon Vick memorial scholarship fund, named in honor of his late stepson, benefiting turf students at Walters State Community College.

Although Joe retired from ProSolutions in 2012, he returned to the industry last year as a consultant, working with Cal Hill of WinField Solutions. Clearly, he was as reluctant to leave the industry as much as the industry was reluctant to let him go. “I’ve said about a thousand times that I’ve had the best job that anyone could ever have,” says Joe. “Over the past 20-plus years, I’ve had as good a life as anybody could ever have, working a job that I truly loved to do, with people that I truly loved to do it with.”

COVER STORY

SEVEN FACTS TO

BREATHE LIFE INTO YOUR BUSINESS FOR LAWN CARE OPERATORS

By Bill McBean, Author and General Manager, McBean Partners

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TENNESSEE TURFGRASS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 Email TTA at: tnturfgrassassn@aol.com

ust as there are facts of life that affect us personally, there are facts of business life that affect us as entrepreneurs. Below, Bill McBean shares what he has learned over his successful career to help you avoid common mistakes and steer your lawn/landscape company in the direction you want it to go.

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Doomed from the start. If you’re an entrepreneur or an entrepreneur-hopeful, it’s probably difficult to keep those four words from causing you to second-guess your every move as you plan and run your business. They become especially hard to ignore when you consider the fact that less than 30% of businesses last more than 10 years, and most failures happen within the first few years of operation. The truth is, many things could go wrong: an ill-conceived business idea, poor planning, lack of capital, ineffective leadership and more.

In the high-stakes world of running a business, those are the facts.

But there are other important facts about business ownership — facts that could help you avoid the mistakes and pitfalls that trip up so many others, and help you to go on to achieve the success you’ve dreamed of. I call them the Facts of Business Life. After many decades of running my own successful businesses, and learning how other successful owners have created success, I have come to the conclusion that these facts are the seven essential concepts needed to create a successful business life.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There are no guarantees for entrepreneurs. Adding to the challenge, each business is one of

a kind in terms of its constraints and how it competes and operates. What you can do, though, is tilt the odds in your favor.

If you’re ready to build a strong, lasting foundation for your business, here’s an overview of my tried-and-true seven Facts of Business Life.

FACT 1 If you don’t lead, no one will follow.

At first, this statement seems mindnumbingly obvious. But often, “leadership” is one of those words that are thrown around by people who haven’t given much thought to what it looks like in action. Good business leadership begins with defining the destination and direction of your company and deciding how the business should look and operate when it arrives. But it doesn’t stop there. It also involves developing and continuously improving on a set of skills in order to move your business from where it is today to where you want it to be tomorrow.

What’s important to understand is that without effective leadership, your managers or employees have no idea what is important to you, what to manage or what success and failure look like.

In other words, in order to have effective employees, your business first must have effective leadership, which includes defining success and failure based on the eventual destination.

Another important aspect of being a good leader is developing a company

Good business leadership begins with defining the destination and direction of your company and deciding how the business should look and operate when it arrives.

TTA • TVSTMA • TGCSA

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COVER STORY culture that is expectations-based and that rewards those who meet and exceed those expectations. The good news about leadership is that the most important aspects can be learned, and it’s essential that owners do so.

FACT 2 If you don’t control it, you don’t own it.

Control is the owner’s management reality. If you don’t control your company by defining key tasks and dictating how they must be handled, and “inspect what you expect,” then you don’t truly “own” the business because all you are is a spectator watching others play with your money.

There are two overriding or macro concepts that successful owners understand over their unsuccessful competitors. First, great procedures and processes need controls, and these in turn create great employees. This happens because procedures and processes operate the business, and employees operate the processes. This is one of those business basics that owners must understand to be successful.

Secondly, don’t stop at pointing out what should be done and how. Clearly state and emphasize that there will be consequences when standard operating procedures and processes aren’t followed. If you don’t do this, you’ll be “leading” a group of individuals who follow their own rules and judgment, rather than a cohesive company working toward a common goal.

Once again, this is one of those business basics that owners can’t ignore.

FACT 3 Protecting your company’s assets should be your first priority.

Were you surprised because this fact didn’t instruct you to first protect your company’s sales, profits and growth?

If so, you’re not alone. But the truth is, assets — which include both tangible and intangible assets — are what power sales, profits and growth.

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Usually, owners and soon-to-be owners understand the need for insurance on assets like their buildings and equipment.

In fact, bankers insist on insuring specific assets for which they lend money (like facilities and equipment) and sometimes even insuring an owner’s life. However, successful owners don’t stop at protecting obvious assets. They understand the importance of every asset because assets represent invested cash, which should be managed to produce exceptional and maximized profits.

Ignore this business fact, and your company will under-perform, if it can even survive the continual asset write-offs and write-downs, customer abandonment and employee indifference. I believe that protecting both tangible and intangible assets is one of the most underrated and underappreciated ownership issues today and, if mismanaged, can be one of the most damaging. The key is to understand what

TENNESSEE TURFGRASS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 Email TTA at: tnturfgrassassn@aol.com

all of your company’s assets are, and then guard them closely and work to maximize the profits they represent. If you don’t, they will haunt your business and cause financial pain when you least expect it or want it.

FACT 4 Planning is about preparing for the future, not predicting it.

Nobody knows what tomorrow, next week or next year will bring for your business. But you can make educated guesses based on the most current, accurate information available as well as your own past experiences, and this should be an ongoing process. Effective planning is a mix of science (gathering pertinent information) and art (taking that information and turning it into a plan that will move your

COVER STORY business from “here” to “there” over a specific time period).

Being able to plan better than your competitors can give you a significant competitive edge in the market. Ford Motor Company is a great example. In 2008 and 2009, its competitors, GM and Chrysler, ran out of cash and needed taxpayer bailouts to avoid bankruptcy. But not Ford. Years prior to the credit crunch, Ford began to restructure its debt and raised billions as it continually added to cash reserves. Was this luck or good planning? Industry insiders will say good planning. The point is Ford knew, as you

should, that planning is important because it focuses you on what’s important and it prepares you for what lies ahead.

FACT 5 If you don’t market your business, you won’t have one.

Maybe working to market and advertise your services or products isn’t your cup of tea. Or maybe you believe your offerings are so great that they should speak for themselves. If so, too bad — you’re

going to have to do it anyway. The bottom line is that if people don’t know about your services, you won’t be successful.

Granted, new business owners especially are nervous about marketing because money is already so tight at this stage. Again, though, very little good will happen if marketing isn’t done. You must make the necessary effort to connect consumers to your company. When you do, you’ll begin to see marketing as the investment it actually is, rather than the expense that less-successful competitors think it is.

FACT 6 The bottom line is that if people don’t know about your services, you won’t be successful.

The marketplace is a war zone.

Every company has competitors, and if it doesn’t and it’s successful, it soon will.

Successful owners know they must fight not only to win market share but also to retain it. You must develop a warrior mentality and maintain it for as long as you’re at the head of your business.

That’s because selling and sales in any industry is serious business. It’s take or be taken from. If that isn’t a business war zone, then I don’t know what is. In other words, to be successful and remain that way, you must continually focus on the market, react to it and fight for what you believe should be yours. If you don’t, your competition will win the war. Great marketing must be followed up by having your company “on its game” in order to capture every customer your marketing attracts.

FACT 7 You don’t just have to know the business you’re in; you have to know business.

Yes, of course you need to know the inner workings and nuances of your particular industry if you want to be successful. But you also need to understand the various aspects of business as it is more broadly defined — such as accounting, finance, business law, personnel issues and more 26

TENNESSEE TURFGRASS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 Email TTA at: tnturfgrassassn@aol.com

CONTINUED — and how all of these impact each other and the decisions you make.

Having tunnel or limited vision as far as business knowledge is concerned is akin to dropping out of high school. It limits your possibilities for success and how great your success could be. At the end of the day, what is most important is not how much you know, but what you know and what you do with that knowledge. For example, it’s important to know what’s going on in your market, but it is just as important to know what to do with that information and how you can translate it into more sales and gross and net

profits, which is something that can’t be done with limited business knowledge.

And remember, it’s your responsibility to make sure what you’re learning is correct and relevant.

Final thoughts Ultimately, I don’t believe that any entrepreneur can succeed — or at least reach his or her full potential — without knowing, understanding and applying these seven Facts of Business Life. It’s equally important to understand how these facts are interrelated. For instance, being able to develop strategic plans or market your

It’s your responsibility to make sure what you’re learning is correct and relevant.

product will mean little if you don’t have a good grasp of business in general. I promise, though, if you commit yourself to understanding these facts while being prepared for their implementation to change as your business goes through its inevitable life cycle, you’ll create a bestodds scenario for success.

About the author: Bill McBean is the author of The Facts of Business Life: What Every Successful Business Owner Knows That You Don’t. He is currently general partner of McBean Partners, a familyowned investment company. A successful business owner many times over and a trusted mentor to entrepreneurs, he is the first author to define the five levels through which every successful business evolves — Ownership and Opportunity, Creating Your Company’s DNA, From Survival to Success, Maintaining Success and Moving On When It’s Time to Go.

TENNESSEE TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION • TENNESSEE VALLEY SPORTS TURF MANAGERS ASSOCIATION • TENNESSEE GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION

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WATER FEATURE

agement

de Lake Man

ris, Forestry

By Brad Har

Biologist & A

ist, SOLitu quatic Special

aeration is an integral part of a successful turf and integrated pest management (IPM) program. Golf course superintendents and turf care specialists have firsthand knowledge of how adequate turf aeration is beneficial in the short term, as well as in the long term, for a healthy stand of turf. Similarly, having oxygen adequately circulated throughout your pond’s water column will contribute to a healthy and balanced aquatic ecosystem.

Just as the roots of the turfgrass on your greens, fairways and tee boxes need adequate air exchange, beneficial bacteria occurring naturally in ponds and lakes also need oxygen to thrive. Aeration specifically benefits your water body by eliminating thermal stratification, preventing fish kills, reducing the nutrient load and eliminating foul odors from non-beneficial bacteria.

Turf

Potential problems caused by a lack of aeration One condition that can affect the health of your lake or pond is called thermal stratification. When this occurs, it can lead to dissolved oxygen (DO) fluctuations in the water column that can be detrimental to aquatic life and the pond ecosystem. Thermal stratification of a pond or lake in the summer is a naturally occurring process where the top layer of warmer water (epilimnion) forms above a layer of cooler water (hypolimnion). The cooler layer of water is unexposed to atmospheric air and essentially suffocates the bottom half of the pond. As the oxygen depletes, ammonia and nitrite levels increase, and within a few months, many ponds reduce their living space by 50 percent.

Thermal stratification can also occur in the winter.

Stratification can be mitigated at any point in the year with the addition of aeration. Adequate aeration circulates the pond’s water column, creating a uniform temperature and water density, from the top to the bottom of the pond. This, in turn, allows oxygen to enter the water column by way of the atmosphere at the pond’s surface and be circulated to the bottom of the pond, increasing the dissolved oxygen concentration in the water column.

Have you or another superintendent you know ever experienced a fish kill?

It is a shocking symptom of an unhealthy pond ecosystem and undoubtedly raises a lot of questions. Fish kills occur naturally when a pond without proper aeration becomes stratified and then the upper and lower layers are suddenly mixed. This is typically caused by a heavy rain event or high winds that mix the lower oxygen-deficient layer with the upper layer. When this happens, it lowers the overall dissolved oxygen concentration in the upper layer where the fish are living in the warmer months and causes a widespread fish kill. Proper aeration year-round will eliminate the chances of a pond stratifying and prevent the dissolved oxygen from lowering to lethal levels.

If you have a problematic pond on your course that regularly has algae and/ or aquatic weed problems, you may have been advised that the pond requires aeration to help promote the “good” or beneficial bacteria. Beneficial bacteria are naturally found in lakes and ponds and are responsible for breaking down organic matter being introduced into the water body and for metabolizing excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus already available in the water column.

Organic matter can consist of grass clippings, leaves, limbs, sediment and waste created by aquatic life. Organic material is loaded with phosphorous and nitrogen that feed algae blooms and aquatic weed infestations. The majority of this nutrient-loaded organic material can be found in the sediment and

lower layer of a stratified pond, where there is little to no oxygen and the breakdown of the organic material will be slow to non-existent. Beneficial bacteria need oxygen to be productive and to break down the existing nutrient and organic load. The slower these beneficial bacteria are at breaking down the organic load will directly result in more nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen becoming available to the algae and aquatic weeds in your pond.

When a pond is adequately aerated, the beneficial bacteria are very productive, thus reducing the nutrient load faster and resulting in less phosphorous and nitrogen available to the algae and aquatic weeds found in your pond. By encouraging these natural processes through proper aeration, you can typically reduce the amount and frequency of algaecide and aquatic herbicide treatments that might otherwise be required to maintain your water body.

Many pond owners find that there is a long-term cost savings in reducing aquatic weed and algae treatments by adding aeration. In addition to aeration, your lake or pond management company might recommend adding additional beneficial bacteria to give a troublesome pond the boost that it needs to maintain a healthy water quality.

Aeration is also a solution to a foul “rotten egg” odor coming from your pond. This type of odor is caused by nonbeneficial bacteria in the pond that thrive in anoxic (no oxygen) environments.

These anoxic-loving bacteria create hydrogen sulfide gas as a by-product.

Getting oxygenated water into these areas will eliminate the production of this gas and improve the beneficial bacterial production and balance. The introduced dissolved oxygen to the water and sediment will help the beneficial bacteria outcompete the anoxic, foul-odorproducing bacteria. This will improve the decomposition rate of the organic material and get rid of that “rotten egg” smell.

TENNESSEE TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION • TENNESSEE VALLEY SPORTS TURF MANAGERS ASSOCIATION • TENNESSEE GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION

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WATER FEATURE

Photo 1. A North Carolina golf course pond covered with filamentous algae.

Types of aeration Depending on your pond’s characteristics, there are two types of aeration to consider: a fountain surface aerator or a submersed bottom diffused aeration system. While both are great sources of aeration for your pond, the depths, shape and size of the water body will play a significant role in determining the best type and size of the aeration system you will need.

Generally, floating fountain surface aerators aerate more efficiently in shallower water (with depths of three feet or less), while submersed aeration systems will be more effective in deeper ponds (eight feet or more).

For the ponds that fall in the threeto-eight-feet range, other factors such as the pond shape, symmetry or size could determine the best option.

Floating fountain surface aerators are ideal for symmetrical ponds, while a submersed aeration system or multiple surface aerators are required for nonsymmetrical ponds. The size of the

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Photo 2. The same pond, now healthy due to proper aeration from installed aeration (not shown in photo).

pond will determine the size of the unit or system. Consult with your local lake and pond management company when deciding which will be a good fit for your pond, and remember that you can always use both for optimal results.

Although planning and budgeting does not always allow for the immediate installation of an aeration system, be aware that if you install it during the summer months, you may need a graduated schedule in the beginning to avoid mixing a stratified pond too quickly and causing a fish kill. Be sure to acclimate your pond slowly by running the system or unit for just a few hours each day, and gradually increase the run time over a period of two weeks. Once the water has been adequately mixed, the system can and should be run 24 hours per day.

An effective integrated pest management program is critical to the balance and health of your lakes or ponds. Aeration is the backbone of an

TENNESSEE TURFGRASS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 Email TTA at: tnturfgrassassn@aol.com

effective lake or pond IPM strategy, and it will greatly improve water quality and the long-term health of any water body. The sooner an aeration system or unit is installed in a pond, the sooner the pond will benefit. Don’t wait… there is never a bad time to aerate. You know how important aeration is to your turf, so be sure to include it in your pond.

Brad Harris is a Forestry Biologist & Aquatic Specialist with SOLitude Lake Management and can be reached at bharris@solitudelake.com. SOLitude Lake Management is committed to providing full-service lake, pond and fisheries management services that improve water quality, preserve natural resources and reduce our environmental footprint. Learn more at www.solitudelakemanagement.com.

The Tennessee 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, Tennessee Turfgrass Magazine, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or 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 ©2014 by the Tennessee Turfgrass Association. Tennessee Turfgrass is published bimonthly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of the Tennessee Turfgrass Association. Third-class postage is paid at Nashville, TN. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: Tennessee Turfgrass allows reprinting of material. Permission requests should be directed to the Tennessee Turfgrass Association. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information.

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TTA • TVSTMA • TGCSA

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

DIGITAL MARKETPLACE

March TBD TVSTMA East TN Field Day

June 9 ETGCSA Meeting

April 8 Herbicide Resistance Field Day

July 8 ETGCSA Meeting

(Hosted by UT Extension and ETGCSA) East TN Research & Education Center/ Plant Sciences Unit Knoxville, TN

April 22 MTGCSA Meeting

Wind River Golf Club Lenoir City, TN

Millstone Golf Club Morristown, TN

July 29 – August 1 TPI Summer Convention & Field Days Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA

Old Hickory Country Club Old Hickory, TN

September 11 UT Turfgrass & Ornamental Field Day

April 26–28 ASIC National Conference

East TN Research & Education Center/ Plant Sciences Unit Knoxville, TN

(American Society of Irrigation Consultants) Portland, OR

May 6 ETGCSA Meeting Champions Club at Hampton Creek Ooltewah, TN

May 19th MTGCSA Meeting Old Fort Golf Course Murfreesboro, TN

Scan the QR code: Download your favorite QR reader to your phone, and scan the code to learn more about these companies.

October 22–25 School of Grounds Management and Green Industry Expo Galt House Hotel and Kentucky Expo Center Louisville, KY

January 2015 49th Annual TTA Conference and Trade Show Marriott Cool Springs Franklin, TN

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS Barenbrug USA .................................................... 34 www.barusa.com Bayer ...................................................................... 9 www.bayerprocentral.com Buy Sod ................................................................ 33 www.buysod.com BWI Companies ................................................... 11 www.bwicompanies.com Covermaster, Inc. ................................................. 27 www.covermaster.com Greenville Turf & Tractor, Inc. ............................. 13 www.JohnDeere.com JRM, Inc ............................................................... 21 www.jrmonline.com

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John Deere Landscapes......................................... 5 www.johndeerelandscapes.com Kesmac Brouwer / Huntsville Tractor & Equipment .......................... 15 www.kesmac.com Lebanon Turf ...................................................... 2, 3 Mid Tenn Turf, Inc. ....................................... 26, 32 www.midtennturf.com Modern Turf, Inc. ................................................. 12 www.modernturf.com NewLife Turf, Inc. ................................................ 19 www.newlifeturf.com Select Source ....................................................... 31 www.selectsourcellc.net

TENNESSEE TURFGRASS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 Email TTA at: tnturfgrassassn@aol.com

Sigma Organics, Inc. ............................................ 31 www.sigmaturf.com Smith Seed Services ............................................ 32 www.smithseed.com Sur Line Turf......................................................... 11 www.surlineturf.com The Turfgrass Group ........................................ 7, 25 www.theturfgrassgroup.com Tri-Turf Sod Farms ............................................... 32 www.triturfsod.com Turf Mountain Sod ............................................... 31 www.turfmountain.com Turfgrass of Tennessee ....................................... 24 Winstead Turf ........................................................ 4 www.winsteadturffarms.com