Eric Watkins, PhD, and other scientists at the University of Minnesota are looking at the potential of developing prairie junegrass cultivars for use as low-input turf. Watkins expects that the long-term project will continue for at least another 5 to 10 years before breeders will have developed a new cultivar that can maintain good turf quality with minimal inputs.
The term "snowbirds" is no longer appropriate, as it seems that most golfers live and play golf year-round in the Desert Southwest, or only leave for short periods of time. To meet the demands and expectations of summer golfers, facilities have had to modify their practices to provide good playing conditions throughout the year, not just during the winter season when the golf course is overseeded.
Golf courses, soccer fields, baseball diamonds and spacious business lawns all have one thing in common: someone has to take care of them. Usually that someone has training in turf management, and Muscatine Community College is now providing that training. The college's new Turf Management Certificate program is an extension of MCC's well-established horticulture program.
Though seeding might still be successfully done yet this fall with significant inputs and precautions, poor establishment and/or winterkill should practically be expected if seeding is still attempted this fall. Winterkill of all turfgrass plants can be through desiccation in dry windy areas, crown hydration in poorly drained areas, and/or direct low-temperature kill with dramatic temperature drops to extreme cold in the fall or winter.
We have produced a free mobile app to aid in the proper calibration of spraying equipment. You can find more information about the app at the following Clemson University webpage:
Researchers from the University of Central Missouri and Purdue University have proven through two separate studies that using H2O Excel, an all-natural water conservation agent developed by Brookside Agra, significantly reduces the amount of water, energy and fertilizer needed to grow healthy crops and turf.
Del Mar has begun an expansion of its turf course, widening the strip to accommodate more horses in an effort to host a future Breeders' Cup. The seaside track says the project is expected to cost just under $5 million. The new course will accommodate 14 horses from the current 10-horse maximum, and the turns will be softened to make it safer for horses and riders. It will be widened 80 feet from the current 63-foot width on the straightaways, and it will consist of 10-1/2 acres of grass compared to 7.7 on the existing course.
This is a question I get posed to me frequently this time of year. The short answer? As long as the ground is not frozen and sod can be harvested and installed without damaging the rootzone.
According to Eastchester Schools Superintendent Walter Moran III, he and Athletic Director Jason Karol found that the connecting seams, which run along the width of the field in 5-yard intervals, have begin to lift, posing a safety hazard for students and community members.
In celebration of their 80th anniversary and the invention of the impact sprinkler, Rain Bird has joined The Groundwater Foundation in celebrating Green Sites in 2013. As part of this celebration and their sponsorship in 2013, Rain Bird is giving away $2,000 in product to one of the first 80 new or renewing sites in 2013 to continue groundwater protection efforts at their site.
