Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council | November/December 2010
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18 14 Upcoming Event VTC Annual Conference and Tradeshow Continues to Buck the Trend!
18 Cover Story
Winter Management and Recovery Tips for Athletic Fields 22 Applied Research FreeHand… A New Herbicide for Landscape Maintenance
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22 DEPARTMENTS 6 President’s Message
from Melissa Reynolds
8 Director’s Corner
from Tom Tracy, Ph.D.
10 Editor’s Perspective
from Mark Vaughn, CGCS
12 VTF Report
from Betty Parker
26 Turfgrass Calendar 26 Index of Advertisers
President’s Message
Planning & Participating
Melissa Reynolds VTC President
The
Virginia Turfgrass Conference Program you see in this issue of the Virginia Turfgrass Journal is the result of a number of individuals dedicating many hours of behind-the-scenes work. These individuals and the organizations they represent do not want to be spotlighted for their efforts on the behalf of the Council. They desire success for the turfgrass industry, even if that success means laboring unrecognized. Well, in this column, I intend to recognize these workers and their respective organizations for their dedicated planning and participation efforts. Did I mention they are volunteers? Planning for the 2011 Conference commenced in earnest two weeks after the 2010 Conference conclusion. Several of us met in Richmond to review and study the submitted conference evaluations and comments received. Mike Goatley provided the group with four pages of constructive input from his Virginia Tech colleagues regarding conference planning and operations. Mark Graser of the Richmond Professional Grounds Management Society shared input from this organization. Frank Flannagan, Belmont Golf Course superintendent and VTC vice president, provided input from his many years of experience in the golf industry and field of parks/recreation. During February and March, Tom Tracy and others consulted with people across the state, getting their input. By the end of March, a “straw man” conference program was developed. At this time, the draft program had many “gaps,” which would then be filled in at what has become the defining conference-planning event — the spring planning session. Implemented by the VTC two years ago, this spring planning session is now billed as a “Prime Time” activity to roll-up-the-sleeves and hammer out the education portion of this conference. Many industry folks dedicated their time, thoughts and skills in this session, at the cost of being away from their paying jobs (relying on their employees and co-workers to pick up the slack) to participate in this planning. At the risk of committing the sin of omission (forgetting a participant’s name), allow me to list organizations represented at that planning session: this meeting was hosted by Eric Spurlock (superintendent, Hermitage Country Club) who, along with Dave Norman, represented the Virginia Golf Course Superintendents Association in presenting their ideas and comments solicited from this membership; Gil Grattan, Rick Viancour, Patrick Connelly, Rick Owens, Steve Slominsky and I represented the VTC (as well as our industry businesses); Vince Henderson represented both the VTC and the VSTMA, serving as a board member and president, respectively; Erik Frazier represented the Old Dominion Golf Course Superintendents Association, giving ideas for the Conference’s Monday class; Virginia Tech was represented by Mike Goatley, Rod Youngman and Whitnee Askew, sharing their expertise in conference planning. After the spring planning session, Tom Tracy and Mike Goatley spent two months finalizing the conference program, contacting speakers and finalizing class topics. This year’s upcoming 2011 Conference is the direct result of all the many hours by the above-named individuals (and others) this past winter and spring. And the process begins again this coming January on the last day of the Conference (Thursday). Please plan on participating in that evaluation meeting for the health and success of Conference 2012!
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Virginia Turfgrass Journal is the official publication of The Virginia Turfgrass Council P.O. Box 5989 Virginia Beach, VA 23471 Office: (757) 464-1004 Fax: (757) 282-2693 vaturf@verizon.net PUBLISHED BY Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 790-3718 Fax: (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedgecommunications.com EDITOR Mark Vaughn, CGCS VTC OFFICERS President Melissa Reynolds Dura Turf Service Corp. (804) 233-4972 Vice President Frank Flannagan Belmont Golf Course (804) 501-5993 Treasurer Brian Vincel, CGCS Spring Creek Golf Club (434) 566-2580 Past President Rick Viancour, CGCS Golden Horseshoe Golf Club (757) 220-7489 VTC DIRECTORS Patrick Connelly Gil Grattan Vince Henderson Jeff Holliday, CGCS Rick Owens, CGCS Steve Slominski Steve Smith VTC ADVISORY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Mike Goatley, Ph.D. (Chair) Shawn Askew, Ph.D. Jeffrey Derr, Ph.D. Erik Ervin, Ph.D. Rajandra Waghray, Ph.D. Rod Youngman, Ph.D. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/ DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS Tom Tracy, Ph.D. (757) 681-6065 VIRGINIA TURFGRASS FOUNDATION Betty Parker (757) 574-9061
Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council
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Director’s Corner
WE DO NOT NEED TO APOLOGIZE For Protecting the Environment
Tom Tracy, Ph.D. VTC Executive Director
S
cience weighs in on the side of turfgrass. When put to rigorous, unbiased analysis, properly maintained turf has repeatedly — in university study after university study — shown to be healthy for the environment. I have two thick notebooks brimming with studies and articles that show the benefits of turfgrass. Soon, I will need to expand to a third notebook. While most of the information in these notebooks is dated from 2005, one study from 1990 was conducted on a Chesapeake Bay Foundation farm by The University of Maryland. The author of that study, who is now at The University of Georgia, discovered that nutrients properly applied to turfgrass do not harm groundwater. Researchers at The University of Florida have published their findings in a Cooperative Extension handout. Their findings will soon be in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The research was conducted in response to fertilizer-application blackout periods that now exist throughout Florida. These blackouts were imposed quickly and emotionally. Now, science is showing the questionable benefits of banning all fertilizer applications during certain times of year. Cornell University scientists examine the value of turfgrass used for cosmetic purposes. Too often, people who are opposed to our industry raise the proverbial flag that turfgrass should be allowed only for sports activities and that every other use harms the environment. Such flag waving has led to bans on pesticides and fertilizers on turfgrass that is grown for cosmetic use. Well, researchers show that turfgrass grown for so-called “cosmetic” use does indeed have tremendous environmental benefits. I do not have space to discuss other great research articles, including several by Dr. Wayne Kussow at The University of Wisconsin. You may recall that Madison, Wisconsin, enacted fertilizer restrictions without relying on science. Now, researchers from their own state are questioning the effectiveness of those restrictions. Key phrases that appear time and time again in scientific literature are that fertilizer must be applied properly and that turfgrass must be properly maintained. Please stop anyone you know who is not properly caring for turfgrass. Stop them if they are leaving fertilizer on impervious surfaces (sidewalks, streets, etc.), maintaining a warm-season turfgrass as they would a cool-season one or applying a “weed/feed” product without having the proper license. Science is on the side of the benefits of properly maintained turfgrass. Let us keep doing the right thing. We do not need to apologize for practices that enhance and protect the environment.
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Editor’s Perspective
Sitting on a Goldmine
The Mark Vaughn, CGCS Virginia Turfgrass Journal Editor
other night, I was half listening, half snoozing through the “Nightly Business Report” on PBS. Some reporter was standing next to one of those ugly, belching things we used to have a lot of in this country but are rapidly donating to the Chinese. I think they call them manufacturing facilities. Anyway, as the toxic fumes rose into the sky (actually, I think it was just water vapor, but shot from the right angle and filtered by the sun, it looks demonic!), she railed against the trading of carbon credits. Hmm… carbon. Where HAVE I heard that term before? That’s when it hit me. I ran to the bookshelf and ripped down my copy of Turfgrass Science and Culture (first edition) by Dr. James B. Beard. There it was, on page 408. Trembling, I read the words that I now realize will change the golf world forever! “The plant derives carbon mainly from atmospheric carbon dioxide!” My heart raced as I turned to page 45. Figure 2-11 (in all its Holy Grail of glory): The schematic diagram of the general assimilation processes and sinks required for normal growth of turfgrasses! With a big whoop, I tossed the book into the air and made a mad dash for my desktop. The seconds it took to close my Video Poker game seemed like an eternity, but Google finally popped up on the screen. Now the universe was at my fingertips. I nervously typed in “carbon offsets” and clicked my mouse. Results 1-10 of about 1.4m popped up in .23 seconds! There it was, in the first reference: “Carbon offsetting is the act of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.” A scroll down the page revealed organizations that were in the business of “trading” carbon credits. Whaaa… you mean you can actually sell… that people will actually buy??? Further investigation revealed that this is currently “one of the fastest-growing segments in financial services in the City of London, with a market now worth 30 billion Euros, but which could grow to one TRILLION Euros within a decade.” The Washington Post estimates the U.S. market at $55 million but growing fast and unregulated. It reports that the House of Representatives recently spent $89,000 on credits traded through the Chicago Climate Exchange, where “greenhouse gas credits are traded like pork bellies.” Ha! Brilliant! What a country, and other well-worn phrases. Doesn’t this just make you feel warm and fuzzy about capitalism? So, my fellow Turfies, we — the stepchildren of the golf industry for so many years — now hold its very survival in our hands. After I reveal the secret to you, you’ll be able to walk, no STRUT, boldly through the FRONT door of the club, past the smirking GM, and step on the pro’s Foot Joys on your way to the Men’s Locker Room, where you will proclaim the golf recession officially OVER! No more questions of why the greens are not stimping 13. No more having your capital budget slashed because they need another food locker to serve the 20 people that eat at the club on a Saturday night. No more golf course personnel reductions because the server/customer ratio in the dining room needs to be 1:1. Your picture will be the one on the wall in the Boardroom. Are you ready to be the savior, the Einstein, of your little universe? Okay, listen closely: the way I figure it, you/I are sitting on 3.8 billion little carbon-eating machines on our 100 or so acres of turf. Throw in another 50 acres of trees, a few ponds and a fairly sizeable lake and… are you getting the picture? Even at a lousy penny each, those little grass plants are worth 37 million U.S. greenbacks!!! Throw in the heat-reducing, noise-abating, dust/dirt-filtering, runoff-reducing, etc., etc., capabilities of these littleplants-that-could, and who ya think looks good to the Friends of the Bay now? I still have a few details of the plan to work out. We are talking about perennial plants here, so I’m guessing these babies could produce renewable credits, no? Then, there needs to be a clearing house, a “brokerage” if you will, specific to our industry. I mean, come on — it’s not TRUE CAPITALISM without a middle man taking his FAIR SHARE of the profits. I think Vaughn & Vaughn has a rather old-money, Wall Street-ish roll to it, heh?
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VTF Report
Another Great
FIELD DAY! Betty Parker VTF Manager
The
Virginia Turfgrass Foundation would like to thank all those who attended Field Days at Virginia Tech, August 31 and September 1, in Blacksburg. Once again, the weather was perfect for showcasing and explaining some of the research that is being done at Virginia Tech that impacts Virginia’s turfgrass industry. A special thanks to the sponsors whose contributions made this fabulous event possible: Woodward Turf Farms, Inc. Agrium Advanced Technologies Cleary Chemical Specialized Turf Equipment Co. Pennington Seed Syngenta Environmental Services Thanks also for our wonderful lunch provided by: Quali-Pro
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Our Board Is Growing Have you ever wondered… • What the VTF does behind those closed doors for hours during the conference? • How the VTF differs from the VTC? • Where all that money goes that the VTF takes in from your donations? If you have, we’d love to talk to you! We are expanding our VTF board from the current seven-member board to one that would include nine members. Currently, the sevenmember VTF board is made up of: • Three Ex-officio Directors: the president, vice president and the immediate past president of the Virginia Turfgrass Council • Four directors from the general turfgrass industry, elected by the board each year in January The board tries very hard to represent all aspects of our industry by having golf course superintendents, vendors, sports turf managers and sod producers. The directors serve four-year terms, and officers are elected each year at the annual conference meeting. If you know of someone that you feel would be an asset to the VTF board, please call the VTF office (Betty Parker, at 757-574-9061) or email us at thevtf@juno.com. We can answer questions or send you more information upon request.
Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council
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Upcoming Event
VTC Annual Conference and Tradeshow Continues to Buck the Trend! By Liz Nutter, Managing Editor, Leading Edge Communications, Publisher of the Virginia Turfgrass Journal
For
many of the country’s turfgrass associations, both state and national, the past few years have brought times of anxiety — even angst, some might say — particularly concerning the groups’ annual conferences. For most, the dour economy has driven down both attendee registrations and tradeshow booth sales. The Virginia Turfgrass Council (VTC),
however, has defied that trend, posting increased attendance and booth sales at its annual conference for the past three years in a row. The reasons for the VTC’s success are many, says executive director Tom Tracy, Ph.D.. “Perhaps the most important factor in our conference’s continued growth was the decision by our board of directors to move the event from Richmond to Fredericksburg in 2006,” he says.
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“Although Richmond was more centrally located for many of our members, the move to the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center not only provided a fresh venue for those who had tired of various hassles we faced in Richmond, but it also allowed us to expand into a more regional show. Since Fredericksburg is within a fourhour drive of much of the MidAtlantic, we now attract a substantial
contingent of turf professionals not only from across Virginia but also from Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.” The event’s growing attendance — this past year alone saw a 20% increase over 2009 — is also enticing more exhibitors to the tradeshow portion of the VTC’s conference. “We now attract vendors from as far away as California,” Tracy notes. “And for our 2011 conference, we’re already on track for another sold-out tradeshow, despite the continued economic difficulties many turfgrass suppliers are facing. That’s likely because we devote so many hours of our conference to trade-show-only time, so that attendees need not choose between attending high-quality educational sessions and visiting vendors on the trade-show floor. Clearly, our vendors feel that their presence at our show yields a valuable return on their investment since they have direct face-to-face
access to so many of the region’s key buyers of their products.” The move to a more regional attendance has also given impetus to the VTC’s slotting of more nationally known speakers for the conference’s educational program. While the program continues to rely heavily on turfgrass researchers from Virginia Tech, this year’s program will also feature presentations from Drs. Bruce Martin and Lambert McCarty (both from Clemson University), Dr. David Shetlar (Ohio State University) and Dr. Roch Gaussoin (University of Nebraska), as well as Darin Bevard and Keith Happ, from the United States Golf Association. As a special treat, Mark Prieur (of the Ontario Golf Superintendents Association) is slated to relate his experiences with Canada’s increasing regulations concerning fertilizer and pesticide use, an issue of growing concern to many American turf managers.
As always, the VTC conference’s educational program this year includes dedicated tracks for golfcourse maintenance, sports-field management, sod production and lawncare/landscaping (many with GCSAA and STMA recertification credits). The event also offers classes for applicators needing pesticide certification and recertification, another major draw for conference attendees. The VTC’s 51st Annual Turf & Landscape Conference and Tradeshow will be held at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center, January 17–20, 2011. For attendee and vendor convenience, the VTC has a dedicated website where registration forms, the entire educational program and the tradeshow floor layout can be found. For this information and more, visit www.turfconference.org.
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Upcoming Event continued
PROGRAM for the VTC’s 51st Annual TURF & LANDSCAPE CONFERENCE AND TRADESHOW January 17–20, 2011 | Fredericksburg, VA | Fredericksburg Conference & Expo Center
MONDAY, JANUARY 17, 2011 21ST CENTURY LEADERSHIP 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Class Sponsored by the Old Dominion Golf Course Superintendents Association Morning Sessions The Challenge of Leadership Leading in Today’s MultiGenerational Workplace Afternoon Sessions Communicating With Others Coaching Skills
TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2011 MORNING SEMINARS 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Take your pick of topics for each Session. Session One 8:15 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Maintaining Quality of Bentgrass Greens Through Disease Control Programs Bruce Martin, Ph.D., Clemson University Organic Matter Dilution: Project at Independence Erik Ervin, Ph.D., Virginia Tech Everyday Tips to Manage Lawn Diseases David McCall, Virginia Tech Session Two 9:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. a. Killing the Last 10%: New Techniques for Poa Control on Putting Greens b. A Taste of the Orient: New Herbicides on the Way for Putting Greens c. Dealing with Moss on Greens Shawn Askew, Ph.D., Virginia Tech
Masked Chafer Research & Annual Bluegrass Weevil Update Rod Youngman, Ph.D., Virginia Tech New Products for Turfgrass Professionals Bert McCarty, Ph.D., Clemson University Session Three 10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Nematode Biology and Management Bruce Martin, Ph.D., Clemson University Overseeding Bermudagrass Jeff Derr, Ph.D., and Adam Nichols, Virginia Tech Capitalizing on the Strengths of Bermudagrass Mike Goatley Jr., Ph.D., Virginia Tech Session Four 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Fine-Tuning Your Foliar Nutrition Program Roch Gaussoin, Ph.D., University of Nebraska–Lincoln New Products for Turfgrass Professionals Bert McCarty, Ph.D., Clemson University Lessons from Ontario: Coping with Pesticide Regulations Mark Prieur, Ontario GCSA LUNCH (on your own) 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. TRADESHOW 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. VTC SOCIAL HOUR 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Informal Year in Review and recognition of scholarship winners.
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2011 FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. TRADESHOW & LUNCH 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. VTC ANNUAL MEETING AND GENERAL SESSION 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. CONCURRENT EDUCATIONAL TRACKS 2:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Golf Track VGCSA Annual Meeting Travels with Terry: Equipment Maintenance Gleanings Terry Buchen, CGCS, Golf Agronomy International 2010: The Year in Review Darin Bevard and Keith Happ, USGA Lawn/Landscape Track Managing the Top 20 Landscape Insects and Mites with and without Pesticides David Shetlar, Ph.D., Ohio State University Yellow Nutsedge Management in Lawns and Ornamental Beds Jeff Derr, Ph.D., Virginia Tech Impact of Mowing and Fertilization on Brown Patch and Weed Encroachment in Tall Fescue Matt Cutulle, Virginia Tech Training Managers and Technical Employees at the Same Time Bruce Sheppard, Weed Man
Sports Track One More Look at Ryegrass Overseeding Roch Gaussoin, Ph.D., University of Nebraska–Lincoln MSMA Update Shawn Askew, Ph.D., Virginia Tech Maximizing Performance of Insect-Control Products in Turfgrass David Shetlar, Ph.D., Ohio State University Sod Track MSMA Update Shawn Askew, Ph.D., Virginia Tech Impact of Mowing and Fertilization on Brown Patch and Weed Encroachment in Tall Fescue Matt Cutulle, Virginia Tech Using Biosolids for Sod Production Derik Cataldi, Virginia Tech Complying with Worker Protection Standards when Harvesting Sod Micah Raub, Virginia Office of Pesticide Service
THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2011 INITIAL PESTICIDE CERTIFICATION REVIEW SESSION FOR CORE EXAM 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PESTICIDE RECERTIFICATION 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. INITIAL CERTIFICATION EXAM 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. CONFERENCE ADJOURNS 3:00 p.m.
TO REGISTER: (1) Mail or fax the registration form accompanying this Journal or (2) Visit the website and register on-line (www.turfconference.org)
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Cover Story
By Michael Goatley, Ph.D., Turfgrass Specialist, Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech
E
very spring, turf managers are faced with the dilemma of providing safe, aesthetically pleasing athletic fields when turfgrasses are not actively growing. Sports field managers essentially must wait for consistently warm weather before grasses resume active growth. While Mother Nature dictates most aspects of field-recovery potential, you can still take numerous steps to optimize the chances of providing the best and safest playing conditions possible after the fall playing season is completed. Nick McKenna, graduate research assistant and one of our sports turf managers at Virginia Tech, developed an Extension publication of this title a few years ago. You can find the complete article, which goes into extensive detail on fertility and cultural management strategies for winter recovery, at www.ext.vt.edu. While it is somewhat late to implement many of these ideas, it cannot hurt to review
fall 2010 in preparation for another busy 2011 season.
Off-season is “plan season” As you review the field-use characteristics of fall 2010, what will/can you do differently next year to make your field better and safer for the athletes? Did play on wet fields cause extensive damage at any point in the season? Do you have photos to “remind” your constituents of what happened? Are there changes in your strategies for fall fertilization, aeration, etc., that you wish to implement in 2011? Quite simply, without attention, most fields will be in the same condition in the spring as they were left in the fall, so taking the time and effort to improve and/ or restore playing conditions now will certainly promote better playing conditions next spring. The off-season is also a perfect time to closely evaluate the safety and functionality of your fields and
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facilities. The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) has developed a safety checklist that can be found on their website at www.stma.org; use this as the framework to design your own. The key is to develop a thorough list of items, evaluate them on a frequent basis and fix problems as quickly as they arise. Also, be sure to keep records of all repairs. A new trend in sports field management is the use of an athleticfield usage index such as the Stoma’s Playing Condition Index (PCI), available at www.stma.org. The PCI combines data gathered on hours of actual use with rankings of turf density, etc., into a standardized scale. The values developed indicate if a field is being overused for the resources that are available. This can help you quantify and document the things that make your field look good or bad and better enable you to justify the need for additional resources or fields to administrators.
Soil testing Although it is too late in the year to address most nutrient-management issues, one thing that you can do in the winter is conduct a soil test to determine if your field’s pH is suitable for optimal turf growth. Now is a great time to apply lime (if needed) so that the chemical reactions take place before the active growing period of the spring arrives. It is recommended that sandy soils (either native or modified) should be tested on a yearly basis, and heavier textured, native soils at least every three years.
Cultural programs As a rule of thumb, hollow-tine core the field immediately following the last scheduled event in the fall, and then top-dress (when feasible). Ideally, we prefer to core aerate only during periods of optimal growth potential, but far too often, athletic fields are being heavily used during that period. So, you must weigh the benefits and concerns of “dormant” aeration events. Is the soil so tightly compacted that grass does not grow? If so, what do you have to lose with a coring event? Although the potential for winter damage could be possibly increased, I have not observed an increase in winter injury from offseason coring, even on bermudagrass fields. The biggest concern is probably related to field-playability conditions for spring sports — can a smooth, safe surface be provided? Using covers (detailed later) to promote winter growth and development can certainly make late-season coring a more viable option. Topdressing applications of 1/4" to 3/8" depth of medium-to-coarse sand can also be a highly beneficial late-season practice. This extends the effectiveness of core-aeration holes and slowly changes soil texture to provide better drainage and resistance to compaction. However, the improvements from sand topdressing will be realized only by committing to the program for at
Photo 1. Late-season topdressing helps to level the playing field, fill in low spots and aids in winter protection for the turf.
Photo 2. Late-winter cover responses of a Kentucky bluegrass athletic field to various turf-blanket sources.
least four years. Dragging the topdressing and/or cores across the field will also help level the playing surface, fill divots and enhance the turf’s cold tolerance. Another beneficial topdressing on native soil fields is an application of quality compost. For several years, this was a standard practice at the old Blacksburg High School foot-
ball field, with an application of composted horse manure being made the week before Christmas. Core aeration, compost application, spot seeding/sodding and using turf blankets always restored what was usually a “bad” playing surface from late-season football into a very desirable playing surface for the start of the soccer season in late winter. Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council
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Cover Stor y continued
Compost has very low nutritional value, but its benefits go beyond feeding the turf, since it improves soil structure and nourishes soil microorganisms. As with sand topdressing (and both can be applied during fall renovation efforts), as little as 1/4" to 3/8" depths work well. The effectiveness of compost is further increased when applied in conjunction with core aeration.
Sod installations Sod is often the only solution to repairing heavily damaged areas of athletic fields, such as worn sidelines, goalmouths and the area between the hashes. The key to success (for either cool-season turf or bermudagrass) is to install the sod before the soil freezes, since sod installations require some degree of soil preparation to promote grass rooting. At that same time, it also is appropriate to level and/or grade that portion of the field. Although the calendar might indicate that the date is well past ideal growing conditions for the turf, if the sod producer can cut and deliver sod, then sod can be successfully installed, as long as the soil is not frozen. Bermudagrass sod overseeded with perennial ryegrass will most certainly root over the winter months. Experience has shown that even though the sod may not root completely in the fall, given minimal winter traffic (and if a turf blanket can be applied), sod installations will be successful and will improve field safety and playability. Another opportunity during the off-season is to use a sod cutter in the winter to repair the lips around skinned areas of baseball fields. Remove the sod, scrape away excess soil and/or add additional soil, and replace the sod in a way that restores a smooth transition from skin to grass.
Turf covers/blankets Research has shown that breathable covers and grow blankets can be used to sustain color for at least four to six weeks in the fall and
Photo 3. A split PVC pipe on the bottom of this box blade allows for snow removal without affecting the crumb-rubber infill.
accelerate spring greening by one to two months. Covers can also enhance seedling development and sod installation in the winter on newly planted or renovated fields and help protect the turf from frost/freezing damage. If you cover your turf, regularly inspect it underneath, especially during warmer-than-normal conditions, to monitor turf growth and disease pressure. Depending on environmental conditions and the source of cover selected, a fungicide treatment might even be necessary on cool-season or ryegrass-overseeded fields that are covered longterm. Remember that the turf will respond to the “artificial” climate created by the cover, so it is possible (sometimes even likely) to see warm-season pests. There is one more often-overlooked benefit of turf blankets — traffic management! Covers are a great tool in keeping people OFF your field over the winter months in order to prevent further wear and tear during the slow growing periods.
Pest management Except during the use of turf covers, pest concerns in the late fall and winter months should be minimal. If past history indicates high pest pressure (e.g., spring dead spot on
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bermudagrass or excessive Poa annua weed pressure), those pests must be addressed with timely applications of pesticides prior to the pest’s development. Remember, though, that some pesticides might negatively affect the establishment and development of grasses; in particular, consider how preemergent herbicides might prevent seed germination, both now and again next spring. Pesticides are not a substitute for appropriate management strategies. Be sure to carefully read and follow the labels with any pesticide treatment.
Snow removal on synthetic turf One key advantage to synthetic turf is how quickly it can be prepared for play after a snow event, with one very important management consideration in snow removal that can save the integrity of a million-dollar rubber-infill system: don’t push the rubber out of the field when you remove the snow with your box blade! Virginia Tech sports field managers secure a split piece of PVC pipe to the bottom of the snowplow blade in order to keep from pushing the crumb-rubber infill out of the turf when pushing the snow, and this effectively maintains the integrity of the rubber infill within the carpet pile.
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Applied Research
By Jeffrey Derr, Ph.D., Weed Scientist, Hampton Roads AREC, Virginia Tech
C
urrently, there are limited options for weed control in landscape ornamentals, especially for plantings of annual bedding plants and perennials. One new chemical that has been introduced recently for the nursery and landscape industries is dimethenamid, sold in a sprayable form as Tower and in a combination granular formulation as FreeHand. FreeHand contains 1% pendimethalin (the active ingredient in Pendulum), as well as 0.75% dimethenamid. I have been evaluating these two herbicides for several years in a range of ornamental species, but I have focused prima-
rily on annual bedding plants and perennials.
How these herbicides work Dimethenamid is in the same herbicide class as metolachlor, an emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulation sold in the nursery industry as Pennant Magnum. These preemergence herbicides need to be applied prior to weed germination or applied with a postemergence herbicide if emerged weeds are present. As an EC formulation, Tower contains an oil solvent, with the potential for burning of tender new leaves
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if applied under hot, humid conditions. In general, granular products tend to be safer in nursery crops since they limit the potential for leaf uptake. FreeHand, the granular form, therefore has the best fit for use in landscape beds and is the product I will focus on in this article. The two herbicides in Freehand have different modes of action and a different weed-control spectrum, so there are advantages in combining dimethenamid and pendimethalin into a granular product. The use rate for FreeHand is 100 to 200 pounds product per acre, which corresponds to 2.3 to 4.6 pounds per 1,000 square feet.
Photo 1. Tolerance of bedding plants to FreeHand was determined in research trials.
Weed control In my trials, FreeHand has provided excellent preemergence control of spotted spurge, often referred to as prostrate spurge, a common weed in flowerbeds. Freehand also controls other annual broadleaf weeds, such as carpetweed, common chickweed and henbit. FreeHand may suppress (but not provide complete control of) composite weeds like eclipta, common groundsel, tasselflower and sowthistle. It has effectively controlled annual grasses, like crabgrass, goosegrass and annual bluegrass. Of special interest is Freehand’s excellent control of annual sedges like fragrant flatsedge and rice flatsedge, as well as suppression/ control of yellow nutsedge, a perennial weed that is a major landscape bed problem. FreeHand, however, will not control perennial grass or broadleaf weeds such as bermudagrass or poison ivy.
Bedding plants tolerance In one study, I applied FreeHand at varying rates to gazania, marigold, vinca, lanceleaf coreopsis, geranium and coleus. These six bedding-plant species appear to have good tolerance to FreeHand at the 100 lb./ acre rate, but some reduction in flowering occurs at 4 times that rate (400 lbs./A) in marigold, gazania and vinca. The 400 lb./acre rate is
twice the maximum use rate. Ideally, we would like to see desired plants tolerate at least twice, and ideally four times, the use rate, so that is why I test at rates above the maximum use rate. In another trial, I treated impatiens, alyssum, petunia, vinca, geranium and zinnia. Vinca, geranium, petunia and zinnia have acceptable tolerance to FreeHand. Flowering in impatiens, however, decreases as the FreeHand rate increases. Additional data is need on alyssum, although it appears to respond like impatiens.
Perennial plant tolerance In one study, I applied FreeHand to black-eyed Susan, purple coneflower, pinchusion flower, verbena, coreopsis, lantana, sedum, ice plant, daylily and dianthus. At the 150 pounds per acre rate of FreeHand, a typical use rate, I observed no injury to any of these species. When I applied 300 and 600 pounds FreeHand per acre, I did observe slight injury in purple coneflower and in pinchusion flower, but no injury was seen in the other species. So, it appears that all of these species have good tolerance to FreeHand at the labeled rate. In another trial, I treated purple coneflower, columbine, gaura, clematis, butterfly milkweed,
pinchusion flower, blanket flower, Nepeta, Shasta daisy, astilbe, caladium and primrose. As in the previous trial, I observed slight injury in purple coneflower only when I applied higher-than-labeled rates of FreeHand. I saw a similar pattern in columbine. When I applied Freehand at 150 pounds per acre, I saw no injury in purple coneflower, columbine, gaura or clematis. At 41 days after treatment, all herbicides appeared to reduce flowering in purple coneflower and gaura, while no adverse impact on clematis flowering was seen. Total flower count in purple coneflower appeared to decrease as the FreeHand rate increased. Slight injury to butterfly milkweed was seen at the highest rate of FreeHand, but lower rates did not cause injury. There was a trend towards lower butterfly milkweed flowering at the two higher rates of FreeHand. In my trial this year, FreeHand caused no reductions in plant stand for either scaevola or butterfly milkweed. At the two lower rates of FreeHand, no injury or reductions in flowering were noted for either species. The highest rate of FreeHand did not injure scaevola or reduce the number of flower clusters, but they appeared to cause a reduction in flower quality (smaller flower size) at 14 days after the second application (this effect was not seen two weeks later). The highest rate of FreeHand appeared to cause slight injury in butterfly milkweed but caused no reductions in flowering. Caladium appears to be very tolerant to Freehand. I observed no injury, even when applied at rates higher than the use rates, when making applications either before or after emergence of caladium. In another of my trials at the station, I did not see injury in blanket flower, Nepeta, astilbe, Shasta daisy or primrose at 150 pounds of FreeHand per acre. Slight injury (11% to 15%) was observed in pinchusion flower at 34 days after Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council
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Applied Research continued
treatment, but the injury decreased by 50 days after treatment. Slight injury (7%) was seen in blanket flower at the three-times FreeHand rate at 34 DAT, with no injury seen at 50 days after treatment. No injury was seen in primrose or Nepeta. No reduction in flowering or plant stand was noted with any FreeHand rate in pinchusion flower, blanket flower, primrose or Nepeta. Little to no injury was seen in astilbe or Shasta daisy.
Conclusion Based on the research I have conducted, Freehand appears to be an effective herbicide for control of annual grasses, annual sedges, yellow nutsedge and certain annual broadleaf weeds in landscape beds. Most of the bedding plants tested tolerated FreeHand at 100 lb./A, although higher rates may cause some decline in flowering. Similarly,
Photo 2. FreeHand controls annual sedges and yellow nutsedge.
perennials also have very good tolerance to FreeHand at 100 lb./acre, although higher rates may cause some injury in certain species. If you prefer to use the 150 or 200 lb./acre rate, test FreeHand
24 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL November/December 2010 www.vaturf.org
in small areas first. Increasing the application rate will improve broadleaf weed control and lengthen soil residual control, but it may reduce flower count in certain ornamental species.
Index of Advertisers
Calendar of Events
Turf Industry Events December 13–15 Turfgrass Short Course Charlottesville, VA
December 15–17 Turfgrass Short Course Hampton Roads AREC Virginia Beach, VA
January 11–15, 2011 STMA Annual Conference (Sports Turf Managers Assn.) Austin, TX
January 17–20, 2011 January 31– VTC 51st Annual Turf & February 4, 2011 Landscape Conference and Trade Show Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center Fredericksburg, VA
TPI Midwinter Conference (Turfgrass Producers International) Orlando, FL
January 25, 2011
February 7–11, 2011
Virginia Irrigation Association Dinner Meeting Topic: Unity and Team Building Virginia Beach, VA
Golf Industry Show Orlando, Florida
Bayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 www.bayerprocentral.com Camp Chemical Corp. . . . . . 13 Collins Wharf Sod Farm . . . . . 7 www.collinswharfsod.com Dura Turf Service Corp. . . Inside Back Cover E & S Soil and Peat . . . . . . . . 26 www.eandssoil.com East Coast Sod & Seed . . . . . 17 www.eastcoastsod.com Harrell’s Custom Fertilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover www.harrells.com Kesmac Inc. . . Inside Front Cover www.kesmac.com Luck Stone Specialty Products . . . . . . . . . 13 www.luckstone.com Mid-Atlantic Sports Turf . . . . . 7 Modern Turf, Inc. . . . . . . . . . 17 www.modernturf.com Oakwood Sod Farm, Inc. . . . . 7 www.oakwoodsod.com Quali-Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 www.quali-pro.com Southern States Cooperative . . 21 www.southernstates.com Texas Sod Leasing . . . . . . . . . 21 www.texassod.com The Turfgrass Group . . . . . 5, 25 www.theturfgrassgroup.com United Turf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 www.unitedturfinc.com Wood Bay Turf Technologies . . 24 www.woodbayturftech.com
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