Alabama Turf Times - Spring 2019

Spring 2019

AU Victory: A Bent Grass Success Story How to Best Use Diagnostic and Soil Lab Services

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Spring 2019

Top Features Recent Events — 8 Deep South Turf Expo

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Road Shows

ATA Member Spotlight — 14 Dennis Weber Cover Story — 16 AU Victory:

A Bent Grass Success Story

Turf Tips — 20 How to Best Use Diagnostic And Soil Lab Services

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Departments 6

From the President’s Pen

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ATA Annual Sponsors

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Introduction to #TheTurfZone

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Calendar of Events

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Advertiser Index

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www.AlaTurfgrass.org 4

The Alabama Turfgrass Association serves its members in the industry through education, promotion and representation.

The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, or its board of directors, Alabama Turf Times, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as Alabama Turfgrass Association members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this quarterly publication. Copyright © 2019 by the Alabama Turfgrass Association. Alabama Turf Times is published quarterly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of the Alabama Turfgrass Association. Third-class postage is paid at Jefferson City, MO. Printed in the U.S.A. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertion please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 790-3718, www.LeadingEdgeCommunications.com

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From the President’s Pen >>>

Let’s Have A

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2019!

reetings and salutations! Hopefully, everyone had a very Merry Christmas and has had a great start to 2019. Before we get too far along, I cannot help but think about the end of 2018, and what a great success the Deep South Trade Show has been. A huge thanks to all of our vendors that sponsor it, as well as all of the other Alabama Turfgrass Association Events. ATA could not do the things that it does without you.

Speaking of our sponsors, there was a decent turn out this year for the clay shooting at Lower Wetumpka in December. This event showed our sponsors a little love before the end of the year. We hope we can continue to grow this event in the coming years and I would encourage everyone to attend.

The ATA Board met in early December for our yearly planning session, and we are very excited about the calendar of events for the coming year. The Road Shows are highly popular and concluded with the last one in Birmingham on February 27th. A special thanks to Dr. Dave Han, Dr. Jim Jacobi, and Melanie Bonds for getting the schedule of speakers together.

The Lawn and Landscape Workshop in Decatur at the Ingalls Center will have taken place by the time you receive this publication. This is a great program which takes place once every two years. Thank you to Heath Puckett, CGCS and Paul Floyd for allowing us to use one of their facilities. After that, all of our members that are golfers need to be at FarmLinks on March 25th for the Poa Annua.

Hopefully, the weather will cooperate as we try to raise money for our friends in Turf Research.

We have tried a fishing tournament in the late summer/fall for the Mole Cricket Classic but it has not worked the previous two years. We have some ideas for a change to this event and will keep you posted on what those changes will be for 2019.

Thank you to the Board for your dedication to the ATA and mostly for having to put up with me for a year as President. Again, please thank our sponsors for all that they do when you see them or, better yet, use them for your purchases.

A reminder, everyone should be preparing for the weather to change to spring temperatures, now let’s have a great 2019.

Kim Byram

2019 ATA Annual Sponsors Gold • Bayer Environmental Science • Beard Equipment Company • Greenville Turf & Tractor • Harrell’s, Inc. • Jacobsen • Jerry Pate Turf & Irrigation • Simplot, Inc.

Silver • BWI Companies • Dow Agrosciences • Ewing • Residex • SiteOne Landscape Supply • Syngenta

Bronze • AGRI-AFC, LLC • Agromax • Aquatrols • BASF • Diamond R Fertilizers • Humphries Turf Supply

Kim Byram

• Nufarm, Inc.

2019 ATA President

• PBI-Gordon • Southern States Turf • Sur-Line Turf • Walker Mowers

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Alabama Turf Times is the official publication of the: Alabama Turfgrass Association P.O. Box 70 Auburn, Alabama 36831 Tel: (334) 821-3000 Fax: (334) 821-3800 Email: mailbox@alaturfgrass.org www.alaturfgrass.org Published by: Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, Tennessee 37064 Tel: (615) 790-3718 Fax: (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedge communications.com Executive Director Melanie Bonds Alabama Turf Times Editor James Horton EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President Kim Byram University of Alabama

Vice President Deven Peek

Full Bloom Landscapes, LLC

Secretary/Treasurer Joe Collins, CSFM Samford University

Past President Tres’ Wilkinson South Dallas Turf

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Golf Tim Etheridge Dothan Country Club

Industry Scott Wanzor PBI-Gordon

Institution David White

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Lawn Care Darrel Arnold

Heritage Lawn & Tree Care

Park & Recreation Heath Puckett City of Decator

At Large Ben Anderson

Arrowhead Country Club

Tony Culberson Bayer, Inc.

Ben Williams

City of Alabaster

Auburn University (334) 844-3980 handavi@auburn.edu

Jim Jacobi, Ph.D.

Alabama Cooperative Extension System (205) 879-6964, Ext. 19 jacobjc@auburn.edu

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EX OFFICIO/EDUCATION ADVISORS David Han, Ph.D.

Southern Specialty Equipment, Inc.

Recent Events >>>

The Deep South Turf Expo –

Deep Roots in the Turf Industry With a Focus on the Future!

Tres Wilkinson passes the torch to Kim Byram, incoming ATA president

A busy trade show floor

By Melanie Bonds, ATA Executive Director

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Spr ing 2019

In

the fourth year since its inception, the Deep South Turf Expo is coalescing into a permanent fixture on the Mississippi Coast. Biloxi is a destination site with plenty of space for our Expo to grow at the Convention Center, and the Beau Rivage offers us an excellent host hotel. Additionally, we have recourse to several excellent golf courses and sports fields in the area.

In 2018, the Expo dates proved a bit of a challenge, but the DSTE Board is seeking the best week in the future and hopes to get things on track with a permanent date for future Expos.

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While Biloxi offers excellent opportunities to play – golf and gaming to mention a few – the crux of the Expo has been and always will be a great education program. Planning for last year’s educational program was intense as always, and we have been fortunate to have a committee of some of the most respected names in the turf industry, dedicated to finding us the best programs in the industry.

Dr. Scott McElroy (Auburn University) headed up the committee last year and began confirming speakers immediately after January 1st, 2018. Our education

committee, Drs. Scott McElroy (Auburn University), Bryan Unruh (University of Florida), and Jay McCurdy (Mississippi State University) put their heads together to hammer out a rough schedule early last year, and planning is already underway for the 2019 Expo. We want to welcome Dr. Dave Han (Auburn University), who will rotate on the education committee for 2019. Different ideas are bounced around with university colleagues to help determine what expertise best fits the topics important to discuss. We do encourage everyone to take a few

l-r: standing: Ben Anderson, Tim Etheridge, Ben Williams, Heath Puckett, CGCS, Tony Culberson, Dr. James Jacobi l-r: sitting: Deven Peek, Joe Collins, CSFM, Kim Byram, Tres Wilkinson, Scott Wanzor

Education Session

and made for a highly entertaining and effective presentation.

Following the keynote presentations was a lunch sponsored by Simplot and the trade show opened. The focus at the trade show was on our exhibitors and sponsors and they were wellrepresented this year. Not only was this an opportunity to see the latest offerings by a host of different companies, but also it was a great time to network with old friends and make new contacts. Kim Byram, President of the Alabama Turfgrass Association said he had made it his mission this year to personally greet and thank every exhibitor. What he didn’t allow for was the time it took to greet old friends on the tradeshow floor!

The grand finale was the Trade Show Reception sponsored by Jerry Pate Turf and Irrigation again this year. Thank you! We also want to thank Harrell’s for sponsoring a band to add to the ambiance at the reception, Regal for providing some fun contests on the trade show floor, and Bayer for providing a charging station as a convenience to the attendees!

While our first-class education program and our trade show are the heart and soul of the DSTE, the extracurricular activities provide an opportunity to network and relax. Since our golf tournament at The Preserve filled up last year, the Board decided to add a second, two-day Best Ball Tournament in 2018. This tournament began on

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minutes to fill out our online survey so we can be sure we are addressing our attendees’ needs. Stay tuned for developments on the 2019 program!

At the 2018 Expo in November, we were fortunate to have BASF, Inc. sponsor our Keynote Speaker, Pat Jones. Pat, a veteran industry journalist, brought his crystal ball along and made a few predictions about the future of the turf world. His comments were insightful and spiced with humor.

Another aspect of the keynote this year was a round table discussion between Dr. Scott McElroy, Dr. Jay McCurdy and Dr. Gerald Henry on weed management which was very wellreceived. This allowed the audience to join in with questions and comments

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Spr ing 2019

Recent Events >>> Continued

Monday at The Preserve with a Fish Fry dinner. On Tuesday the Best Ball Tournament moved to Fallen Oak, while the Preserve hosted the Scramble. We were blessed with fine days for golf on the beautiful courses. Many thanks to John Deere Golf, Beard Equipment and Greenville Turf and Tractor for sponsoring the Best Ball Tournament and the Fish Fry. Also, we thank AmeriTurf who sponsored the Scramble Tournament again this year. We also appreciate Redox who provided the drink sponsorship! We are especially grateful to our hosts. Superintendents Stephen Miles, CGCS and Jeremy Stevens, and PGA Professional Chris Champagne have worked tirelessly with us on the Scramble Tournament for several years now, and this year Matt Hughes welcomed us at Fallen Oak as another great venue in the golf tournaments.

Other activities were held simultaneously on Tuesday. Keaire Edwards again hosted a sports field tour of Biloxi that included the Gulfport Sports Complex, Goldin Park and MGM Park, home of the Biloxi Shuckers. The Trap and Skeet Tournament was repeated this year at the Coastal Rifle and Pistol Club for the marksmen in our midst.

We thank Corteva-Dow for sponsoring the shoot. Net Connection, Inc. came onboard this year to sponsor a great Past Presidents’ Reception for all the hosting organizations which include the Alabama GCSA, the Alabama Turfgrass Association, the Gulf Coast GCSA, the Louisiana/Mississippi GCSA and the Mississippi Turfgrass Association. Southern States also stepped up to sponsor a Breakfast for our Deep South Turf Expo Board.

An important component of the Expo is the opportunity for our host organizations to hold their Annual Business meetings and elections. We have scrambled to find the most opportune time for the meetings and following the trade show on Wednesday seems to be a good fit.

Thanks to everyone who supported the 2018 Deep South Turf Expo and made it a success!

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Thank You 2018 Sponsors

Please visit www.DeepSouthTurfExpo.org for information coming soon about plans for next year’s educational schedule and events.

Exhibitor Registration is open. v

Recent Events >>> Continued

Shifting the Spotlight to the

2019 ATA Road Shows

The

Road Show program is an ever-popular hit with our membership.

Once again, this year, Drs. Dave Han and Jim Jacobi did a great job lining up the education. Our presenters were Jim Harris, Adam Boyd, Dave Held, Ph.D., and Dave Han, Ph.D. of Auburn University, and Dr. Jim Jacobi, Alabama Cooperative Extension Specialist.

We thank Scott Wanzor of PBI Gordon who loyally attends all the Road Shows each year and sponsors lunch and an “Infomercial� of timely interest. Our vendor support at each of the Shows was strong again this year. The Road Shows are an opportunity for our membership not only to profit from continuing education and a chance to get CEU credits from a range of states, but an opportunity to network with your favorite vendors and hear the latest on their products and equipment as well. v

Loxley Road Show

Jon Nabors of the Alabama Green Industry Training Center and Dr. Dave Han of Auburn University

Glenn Hedden, host of the Loxley Road Show

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Montgomery Road Show

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Montgomery Road Show

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ATA Member Spotlight >>>

Dennis Weber Reflections on a Career Well Spent

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Spr ing 2019

In

1991 Dennis Weber was working as a Superintendent at Wade Hampton Golf Club in Cashiers, North Carolina. He answered an ad for the superintendent’s position at Wynlakes Country Club in Montgomery and spent the next twenty-seven years there until his retirement in October of 2018. The longevity of Dennis’ position there was due to the Jim Wilson family, who built and own Wynlakes. Dennis says, “They have been an absolute joy to work for. I can’t imagine working for a better owner. They simply want the best for our members and they provide the means to deliver the best.”

Dennis feels working under the kind of conditions provided by the Wilsons has become a rarity in today’s environment. “There is an ever-increasing instability with the golf course superintendent’s position. Golf course management companies have cost many great superintendents their jobs, including their way of life and their family’s way of life. It’s sad.”

Things have changed a great deal since Dennis graduated from Ohio State in 1976 with an Associate of Turfgrass degree. He had previously spent two years studying accounting, but a summer job working for his cousin, Larry Weber, led to a change. Larry, superintendent at Inverrary Country Club in Lauderhill, Florida, was a mentor to Dennis and got him started on the career of his lifetime.

Dennis also worked at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, while in college. “It was an awesome golf course with so much history. My other favorite is Old Marsh Golf Club in Palm Beach County, Florida. I worked with Pete Dye during the planning, construction, grow-in, and maintenance of Old Marsh, which was built around and among some huge wetland areas which were federally protected. Best experience ever.”

Dennis is happy to pass along some wisdom to new golf course superintendents: “Thoroughly check out

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Dennis and his wife, Karen

everything before taking a job, including the owners/ employers finances, their commitment to fixing problems, their willingness to purchase needed equipment, and make sure you know who you will answer to in the organization. Also, make certain your family will be happy with the new situation.”

Dennis has been married to his wife, Karen, for 38 years. Karen is a horticulturist/gardener and “the best partner, mother, and grandmother ever!” Their daughter Emily has a daughter and two boys with her husband.

They live in Birmingham and Emily is a travel agent.

Their daughter Lizzie and her husband have one boy and another due in May. They live in Silver Springs, Maryland.

Lizzie travels the world working for a large non-profit organization based in Washington D.C. Their son Bob and his wife live in Ohio and have a baby due, also in May. Bob is in the commercial construction business. Apart from spending time with his family, and Dennis hopes to do more of that now that he is retired, he enjoys following college sports and building and fixing things around the house. He also helps out with his church doing maintenance.

In summing up Dennis says, “I feel very happy and blessed to have had the career I did. I was fortunate to work for some interesting people: Jack Nicklaus for eight years, Pete Dye for two years, and Tom Fazio for two years. All my jobs were great learning experiences that helped me grow and appreciate the job at Wynlakes I’ve held for the last 27 years. “This was the job I, by far, enjoyed the most, because I could grow with my family and my job. We were able to put down roots and make many lifelong friends. I don’t think I would have changed a thing if we had to do it over.”

Dennis has been a strong supporter of the Alabama Turfgrass Association and we will miss him, but hope he enjoys his retirement! v

Welcome New Members >>>

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Cover Story >>>

AU Victory:

A Bent Grass Success Story

By Ian Thompson, originally published in Thompson Tees Off

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Spr ing 2019

I

have two children who attend Auburn University, but their choice of college has no bearing on this story. It is a nice side-note though, that when I told them about AU Victory, they both at first thought I was talking about the football team’s latest W! No, this is a victory for golf courses in the heat of the south desiring to use bent grass on their putting surfaces.

It has been a true success story on the greens at the aptly-named Bent Brook, a course of 30 years, which stands adjacent to I-459 near Bessemer, along with recent converts Shoal Creek, Vestavia CC and others across the state and further afield.

If the words “a truly heat-tolerant bent grass” seem a contraction, AU Victory is here to prove doubters wrong.

Before I impart the in-depth thoughts of long-time Bent Brook superintendent Johnny Perry, along with Lee McLemore, AU graduate and course superintendent since 1987 over both courses and the always immaculate grounds at The Country Club of Birmingham, allow me to visit a story written about the advent of this resilient strain of bent grass, published three years ago by Auburn University’s agriculture department, but still highly relevant today...

The story of AU Victory as told by Auburn University’s agriculture department The new variety — the first bent grass released by the university’s turfgrass

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research team — could be the perfect solution for golf course superintendents looking for a bent grass putting surface that will thrive in the high humidity and heat that characterizes many areas where such putting greens are featured.

Edzard van Santen, a professor in the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences who specializes in plant breeding and genetics, said AU Victory is a survivor of collections made from putting greens during prolonged summer droughts. He describes his approach to developing AU Victory as part “tough love” and part “survival of the fittest.”

“In Alabama, bent grass is grown mostly in the northern third of the state, but some golf courses don’t have their own water sources, relying instead on municipal water systems,” van Santen said. “When weather conditions turned dry during the summers of 1999 and 2000, some cities cut off the golf courses’ water supplies to help conserve water. As a result, some of the greens couldn’t be watered.”

Seeing an opportunity, van Santen salvaged surviving plugs from otherwise decimated greens. Approximately 300 individual plugs were collected, grown in a greenhouse and transplanted to a field at Auburn University’s Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center in Belle Mina. That’s when a two-year period of tough love began.

“I asked the folks in north Alabama to mow them occasionally but to

otherwise forget about them. If they don’t survive, then that’ll be the end of the project.”

But some — about half of them — did survive, so van Santen initiated a collaborative effort with Virginia Lehman, a private turfgrass breeder in Oregon. She eliminated 50 of the entries based on appearance and turf quality.

“Seed production for cool-season grasses such as bent grass must occur in Oregon or a similar climate,” van Santen said. “We can’t produce the seed here because the weather’s too hot, and the seed matures too late.

Oregon has nice, mild winters, and the grass lives on residual soil moisture during the summer due to a lack of rainfall, resulting in excellent seed quality.”

Seed harvested from the 100 remaining entries was used to establish plots at Auburn, plots that were rated for color, turf quality and disease tolerance.

“In late May of 2004, we began withholding all fungicide applications from the evaluation trial, and we minimized supplemental irrigation. Very little disease was noted throughout the summer, but in October of 2004, a severe dollar-spot infestation occurred, allowing us to distinguish our entries from commercial comparisons.”

Plugs from selected entries then were sent to Oregon to establish breeder-seed nurseries, which were harvested for seed in 2005 and 2006.

Beginning in fall 2005, these two experimental populations were tested in various trials at Auburn and used

Long-time Country Club of Birmingham head superintendent Lee McLemore is a highly respected voice in golf course conditioning and maintenance.

Long-time Bent Brook golf course superintendent Johnny Perry has seen great results with AU Victory bent grass.

Other favorable characteristics of AU Victory include quick establishment, even at low seeding rates, and good color and turf quality during late-summer stress periods. It also has shown the ability to recover quickly following aeration.

Van Santen says he and other researchers are already working on the second and third generations of AU Victory.

“Plant breeding is a trans-generational enterprise,” he said. “We’re not striving for perfection, but incremental improvements.”

AU Victory is marketed through the Alabama Crop Improvement Association in Headland.

Funding for this research was partially provided by the Alabama Turfgrass Research Foundation. Also, the Alabama Golf Association believes strongly in improving the surface the game is played on and is a major partner of the ATRF.

last to be watered and looked after, but it still thrived. I was intrigued.”

In conversations with Jimmy Lee III, the visionary owner of Bent Brook, Perry became more and more convinced AU Victory was the way to go.

“Having Mr. Lee’s trust, commitment and vision for the course has allowed us to have the success we have had,” Perry noted. “He has always backed me in my decisions and did so again this time.”

Having 27 holes, they could close a nine and leave the other two open.

First to get the new greens was the Graveyard nine in summer 2014, reopening the following May. That fall it was the turn of the Windmill nine to close, but it was a lot quicker reopening that December as Perry and his team became more comfortable with the new grass.

Finally, the Brook closed in early 2016, reopening that June.

“I was unsure about opening them that summer. We’d had a significant tornado in February that did a lot of damage and I wasn’t certain the new greens were ready for the heat and humidity. Sure, they had some limited stress, but always bounced back stronger than before. We had a lot of play and it was a real eye opener how well they did.”

Owen Coulson and Rex Davis, the course superintendents at Vestavia CC and Shoal Creek respectively, came to visit in the heat of August 2016.

What Perry showed them convinced them both that AU Victory was the

Fast forward to the current day...

Bent Brook did indeed rebuild all 27 of their greens and Perry is a strong believer in AU Victory. After all, he sees the proof every day.

“In 2010 we’d had some issues with our greens. It was time to start looking at what was out there. We reseeded one of our practice putting greens in thirds of A1, L93 and AU Victory bent grasses. The AU Victory was always the

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Al abam a T ur f Ti me s > >> Spri ng 2019

on nursery greens at the Country Club of Birmingham and at Grand National in Opelika.

In consultation with industry professionals, van Santen chose one experimental population for advancement, and a foundation seed field was established in Oregon in fall 2009. Foundation seed was harvested in 2010 and 2011, and commercial seed multiplication was initiated in 2014.

AU Victory already has proven to be a hit in Alabama, where it has been used to renovate the greens at Southern Gayles Golf Course in Athens. The Deer Run Golf Course in Moulton has nine greens seeded to AU Victory after it provided the solution for a problem green there. In addition, Bent Brook Golf Course in Birmingham is in the process of renovating all 27 greens with AU Victory.

“Bent grass is desirable for golfers because it helps the ball run true and fast, but managing it can be a challenge,” van Santen said. “The big difference we see in AU Victory compared to other bent grass varieties is root mass. It has many more roots, and they are deeper than in other cultivars.

That’s the direct result of tough selection for drought resistance.

“The other advantage is that it has a higher shoot density,” he said. “That’s not unique, because all modern varieties that have come out of other breeding programs share that characteristic. If you have adequate bent grass shoot density, you have fewer weed problems.”

Dr. Edzard van Santen has led the research and development of AU Victory bent grass.

Cover Story >>> Continued

right grass for their ongoing course renovations.

“I pulled a plug from one of the greens and the root structure was nine to 10 inches long! It blew their minds how healthy these new greens were.”

The following June, Bent Brook hosted the State Amateur, the Alabama Golf Association’s top championship.

“We double cut and rolled the greens and they were firm, fast (12 on the Stimpmeter) and, most importantly,

Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Spr ing 2019

The first green on the Windmill nine at Bent Brook 20 days after seeding with AU Victory.

healthy. I heard many positive comments from the players and the AGA.” Perry noted that while, of course, he and his team keep a close eye on the greens in the summer, he does not stress over them.

A very healthy AU Victory root sample taken at Bent Brook during hot summer conditions.

Left to Right: Melanie Bonds (Alabama Golf Course Superintendents Association, Alabama Turfgrass Association), Derrell Curry (Alabama Golf Association), Lee McLemore, CGCS (Alabama Turfgrass Research Foundation), Andy Priest (Alabama Golf Association), and Tricia Roberts (Alabama Turfgrass Research Foundation). The AGA presented the Alabama Turfgrass Research Foundation a check for $11,435 toward ongoing research.

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“It has enabled us to focus on other course projects instead of having to have so much of our manpower devoted to the greens.”

Perry has a deep love for and knowledge of Bent Brook. He started out as original course superintendent Todd Sloan’s assistant, before taking on the head role in 1999.

“I think it is very cool (pardon the pun) that AU Victory does so well in the Alabama summer climate while it has been installed at three Birminghamarea courses with three very different micro-climates: the elevation of Vestavia; the wide open countryside of Bent Brook; and within the valley of Oak Mountain and Double Oak Mountain at Shoal Creek.”

McLemore, while not having AU Victory on the greens on either the East or West Courses at the Country Club of Birmingham, has also seen firsthand the success of this bent grass.

“We planted the first test plots on a nursery green in 2005. The AU Victory plots would look similar to the other bent grass plots for most of the year.

However, when conditions would get nasty (high heat and humidity, little to no water), AU Victory always stood out.”

McLemore said AU Victory consistently out-performed the other bent grasses for three years.

“When it came time to redo the greens on the West in 2008, I wanted to use AU Victory, but the seed wasn’t ready to release. We ended up using an A1/A4 mix, which I have been pleased with.

“I must say that AU Victory puts up with ‘tough love’ better than any other bent grass I’ve experienced. Little to no disease and superb heat tolerance is a great combination.”

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What does the future hold?

Turf Tips >>>

How to Best Use

Diagnostic and Soil Lab Services

By Dave Han, Ph.D. and Jim Jacobi, Ph.D.

Getting the most out of your soil testing Soil testing is vital to successfully growing any plant. Turfgrasses are no exceptions. But turfgrasses grow very differently to most other crops, so sampling and implementing recommendations are different in turfgrasses from most crops. Here is how to get the best information and benefit out of your soil testing for turfgrass.

How turfgrasses make soil testing a bit more complicated The main difference between turfgrass and row crops or vegetable gardens is that turf is perennial. Because it is not replanted every year, there is no time when lime or fertilizers can be incorporated into the soil throughout the entire rootzone. Turfgrass also covers the ground completely, ideally leaving no bare soil showing, so any lime applied to the top

of the turf must work its way through the thatch to even reach soil, then move down through the soil profile. This means that changes in soil pH due to lime applications, for example, happen very slowly in soils growing continuous turfgrass. A good rule of thumb is that most turfgrass roots are in the top three inches or so of the soil, though of course there are exceptions both ways. It can take months or even years for lime to work its way down that far into the soil profile. If lime is applied to soil under turfgrass on a regular basis, a large difference in pH over very small changes in depth can build up over time. This can have a big influence on the way the grass grows. We will return to this issue later.

Collecting a good sample The whole point of soil testing is to give growers (in this case, turf managers) the information they need to make sure that the soil will support the healthiest plants possible. For

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Turf Tips >>> Continued

this reason, it is essential to understand how turfgrasses use the soil, especially where their roots are and how deep to sample. As previously mentioned, most turfgrass roots are in the top few inches of the soil. For this reason, it’s not necessary to collect a 6- or 8-inch deep sample for most turfgrass applications. In fact, this can backfire. When soil the turfgrass is not using is mixed in with soil where roots are growing, the soil test results might not accurately reflect the nutrients that the grass can actually get and use from the soil where it is growing. Conversely, a sample that is too shallow might also give skewed results. The basic idea is always to sample soil that the roots are actually growing in, or where you want roots to be growing in the case of a new establishment.

There are many guides to taking a soil sample, including those from Alabama Extension (see Home Soil Testing: Taking Sample http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0006-A/ index2.tmpl or The Basis of Soil Testing in Alabama https:// www.aces.edu/anr/soillab/forms/documents/ay-324A.pdf).

The key is to make sure you are testing representative samples. If the area (lawn, putting green, field, or whatever it may be) to be tested is known to have uniform soil, then simply collecting 12–20 individual samples of the proper depth, mixing the soil together then sending in a pint of that mixture will do. If there are obvious differences (including, but not limited to differences in soil type, texture, drainage, etc), then samples (again, composites of 12-20 subsamples of the proper depth) should be pulled from each distinct area. For large areas, grid sampling can be employed. If a problem is suspected in a given area due to poor grass growth, then be sure to send in samples from both the good and the bad areas.

Finally, if the grass is having problems at the soil surface — for example, stolons are not pegging down properly, or root growth near the top of the soil is not good — then it is a good idea to send in samples subdivided by depth. Take soil’s cores and divide them into the top 1/2 inch, then the next 1/2 inch, etc. This is more difficult and time consuming to sample, but it can provide some valuable insight that a bulk sample of the top 3–4 inches can’t. Remember that lime applied to the surface takes a long time to work its way down and this can lead to a pH gradient by depth. It is entirely possible for a turf that has been limed in the past to have a bulk pH in the top 3 inches of 6.5 (great for grass growth) but for the top 1/2 inch to be 7.7 (this will inhibit rooting of stolons)! Subdividing by small units of depth or taking very shallow samples can pinpoint problems like this.

Proper soil testing can help you get the information you need to identify and correct soil problems. Taking the time to think about how to get the best sample will pay off in the long run.

Submitting a sample for problem diagnosis The first step to controlling disease and insect problems of turfgrass is an accurate diagnosis. When you can’t diagnose

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the problem or need a second opinion, consider submitting a sample to a diagnostic lab. Just remember, the quality of the turf sample and supporting background information is key to getting an accurate result from a diagnostic lab.

To diagnose turfgrass problems, we need at least a 6-inch square by 3-inch deep piece of turf. Golf course cup cutter plugs also are good, especially when sampling greens and tees. If the symptoms are variable across an area, include more than one sample when possible. Take the sample from the outer border between the healthy and diseased turf, where 2/3 of the sample is diseased and 1/3 is healthy. Don’t take a sample from dead or bare areas. And always make sure to take the sample before any fungicides or other chemical treatments have been applied. Fungicide applications, especially systemic fungicides, made before taking the sample can make the isolation and identification of fungal pathogens tough, masking the true cause of the problem.

Submit the sample as soon as possible, if you can’t mail or deliver the sample that day, keep it in a cool location out of direct sunlight. Wrap the soil and roots in aluminum foil to keep the sample intact. Do not place the sample in a plastic bag or add water or wet paper towels which encourage secondary non-pathogenic fungi and bacteria. Pack the sample in newspaper or other packing materials so the sample won’t shift or tumble in the box. Make sure to mail samples so they will arrive by Friday. A sample that sits for 2–3 days before getting to the lab on Monday, may arrive at the lab in poor condition, making it unusable for diagnosis.

Nearly all diagnostic labs have a submission form that should be filled out providing all the necessary information on the timing of the symptoms, recent weather, cultural practices (aerification, topdressing, etc.), and any other unusual problems or events that have occurred, such as an irrigation leak. Also list all fertilizers and pesticides, especially fungicides, applied in the last 30 days. Provide as much information as possible when filling out the submission form. The more information provided with the sample, the more accurate the diagnosis and control recommendations will be.

Don’t forget to send 2–3 digital pictures along with the sample as they are always helpful when diagnosing disease and insect problems. Include digital images that clearly show the pattern of damage and the appearance of the surrounding healthy turfgrass. Include pictures from varying distances.

In most cases, pictures from 5 feet or more are best. If the damage seems related to site topography or shade patterns include a wide angle or ‘landscape’ image. Seeing a picture of the whole area can often help better understand the problem. Close up shots of less than a few feet typically are not needed, unless it’s something that might not be seen after shipping. And always check the images to make sure they are in focus.

Hopefully, these tips will help you make better use of diagnostic services and get the most out of those times when you need some help diagnosing a problem or need a second opinion. v

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SERvING TUSCAlOOSA, BIRMINGhAM, CENTRAl AlABAMA & SURROUNdING STATES.

Intro to TheTurfZone >>>

Welcome to

We

are excited to introduce TheTurfZone, a new resource for education, events and products to help your business grow and thrive.

TheTurfZone is a one-stop digital platform where you can get all the latest news and research from our Alabama Turf Team as well as turfgrass managers and researchers in our region and beyond. You’ll find the digital edition of Alabama Turf Times, a monthly podcast, our calendar of events and much more. This is a great resource for busy, on-the-go turf professionals and we hope you’ll take advantage of this great new member benefit! v

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Index of Advertisers >>>

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Calendar of Events >>>

March 13

October 1 – 3

ATA Lawn and Landscape Workshop

Deep South Turf Expo Mississippi Coast Convention Center Biloxi, MS

Ingalls Center Decatur, AL

March 25

October 2

Education by Thomas M. Eden, III Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

Mississippi Coast Convention Center Biloxi, MS

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December (date TBA)

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Regions Tradition Tournament

ATA Annual Business Meeting

Sponsor Appreciation Sporting Clay Shoot

Progressive Turf Equipment Inc...........24 www.progressiveturfequip.com RD Murphy, LLC....................................... 19 www.rdmurphy.com Regal Chemical Company........................3 www.regalchem.com Riebeling Farms, Inc................................ 19 Smith Seed Services................................ 15 www.smithseed.com South Dallas Turf Farm.......................... 23 www.SouthDallasTurf.com Southeast Turf Maintenance.................26 www.southeastturf.com Southern Specialty Equipment................7 www.ssequip.net Sur-Line Turf, Inc.......................................7 www.surlineturf.com Syngenta................................................... 15 www.greencastonline.com

Southeast Turf utilizes the best deep aerification equipment available today to address any type of turf aerification need, including Deep Drill and Drill & Fill.

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Digital Marketplace Scan the QR code: Download your favorite QR reader to your phone and scan the code to learn more about this company.

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Target Speciality Products.....Back Cover www.target-specialty.com The Turfgrass Group...Inside Front Cover www.theturfgrassgroup.com TriEst Ag Group, Inc................................ 13 www.hendrixanddail.com Trimax Mowing Systems........................ 21 www.trimaxmowers.com Weed Man................................................26 www.weedmanfranchise.com

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