Arkansas Turfgrass - Winter 2021

T H E A R KA N S A S T U R F G RA S S A S S O C I AT I O N M AG AZ I N E • W I N T E R 2021

WINTER I S CO M I N G:

Protect your Putting Greens!

ATA CONFERENCE PLUS

RETURNS TO HOT SPRINGS

January 27 – 28, 2022

T H E A R K A N S A S T U R F G RA S S A S S O C I AT I O N M AG A Z I N E CO N T E N T S • W I N T E R 2021

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FEATURES 6 Cover Story — Don’t Miss the ATA Annual Conference!

January 27–28, 2022

DEPARTMENTS 10

Feature —

Winter is Coming: Protect your Putting Greens!

4 President’s Message 5 News from ATA 5 University of Arkansas Turf Team

9 Index of Advertisers

For turf news & updates, follow T W I T T E R . C O M / T H E T U R F Z O N E Find this issue, Podcasts, Events and More: T H E T U R F Z O N E . C O M 2 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • Winter 2021

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P R E S I D E N T ’S M E S S AG E

We’re

Arkansas Turfgrass Association P.O. Box 185 • Bryant, AR 72089 Tel: 501-860-0187 Published by: Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street, Suite 200 Franklin, TN 37064 Tel: 615-790-3718 Email: info@leadingedge communications.com

Richard Covert ATA President

B A C K! Ah,

winter. A time for hunkering down and letting nature reset itself as she does every year. This season is so needed in our industry, as it gives us a moment to breathe and take a rest from the growing season. Also, how ‘bout those Hogs?!? Bowl eligible for the first time since 2016!

Woo Pig Sooie!

I was so excited to write this letter, because I’m so happy to announce that we are back IN PERSON for our 2022 Arkansas Turfgrass Association Conference!

We are beyond ready to see everyone again, and have our trade show and talks.

We have made some changes to the meeting this year, and I want to discuss those in a little bit more detail here. One of the main changes is that our trade show is only going to be one day this year. It will be from 7:30–4:30 on the 27th, with some new vendors there as well as our usuals.

Another change is we will not be having a lunch banquet this year. We are going to do the awards at the kickoff to the conference, and there will be time for lunch on your own before the afternoon sessions. Remember to nominate your organization! There are 3 categories: Field of the Year, Golf Course of the Year, and Turf Site of the Year. You could win prizes and fame!

The last item we are excited about is the theme for this year. We will of course be covering the topics related to pesticide recertification, but after that we have some workshops scheduled. The theme for both of these is “The Future of Turfgrass Education” and one session is a round-table with turf experts and schools that have started turfgrass training or certification courses, and the second is a “Train the Trainer” event with GCSAA. Both will be outstanding, and it is an issue that affects everyone in our industry. We will also be offering professional development points for GCSAA. We can’t wait to see you all in Hot Springs in January 2022! Stay safe and healthy. Happy Holidays!

Richard Covert ATA President

ATA OFFICERS Richard Covert, President Baptist Health Systems Richard.covert@baptist-health.org Kyle Sanders, Immediate Past President Sanders Ground Essentials 501-315-9395 kylesanders@sandersground.com Jeff Haskins, Treasurer Paragould Country Club 870-780-5883 Ja1116@earthlink.net Shelby Hanson Executive Director sgouche@uark.edu Pat Berger, Director Emeritus University of Arkansas • 479-575-6887 pberger@uark.edu Charlie Bowen, Director Emeritus Arkansas Hydroseed • 501-315-7333 charliebowen@yahoo.com Seth Dunlap Arkansas State Plant Board seth.dunlap@agriculture.arkansas.gov 501-225-1598 Mark Brown Nabholz • 501-749-7459 rmbrown2@ualr.edu Rodney Fisher Life Member, Founding Member Agra Turf, Inc. • 501-268-7036 agrarod@yahoo.com Ron Fisher Agra Turf, Inc. • 501-268-7036 agraron@yahoo.com Steve Ibbotson Conway Parks & Rec. • 501-328-4173 Steve.ibbotson@cityofconway.org Josh Landreth Ace of Blades • 479-530-7001 aceofblades@cox.net Mark Mowrey, Director Emeritus Oaklawn • 501-538-1600 bntgrns@yahoo.com Guy Oyler Jerry Pate Turf & Irrigation goyler@jerrypate.com • 501-317-5980 Rodger Pevehouse Life Member Michael Rush Rush Lawn Care • 501-279-8980 mrush@rushlawn.com Ricky Self Cypress Creek r.self@yahoo.com • 501-605-8000

4 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • Winter 2021

U N I V E R S I TY O F A R KA N S A S T U R F T E A M Mike Richardson, Ph.D. Professor 479-575-2860 mricha@uark.edu John Boyd, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor Cooperative Extension Service Little Rock 501-671-2224 Jwb019@uark.edu

N E W S F RO M ATA

Meet new board member, Josh Landreth — Newly Appointed Vice President Josh is the owner of Ace of Blades for the last 16 years. He loves the flexibility he has of owning his own business, and has a rare skill set: He loves to crunch numbers and budgets! Josh is married and has 2 boys who he loves to hike and fish with.

JOSH LANDRETH

(accepting the 2018 ATA Turf Site of the Year for Cross Church Pinnacle Hills in Rogers, Arkansas)

John H. McCalla Jr. Program Technician III 479-575-5033 jmccall@uark.edu Eric DeBoer Program Technician / Ph.D. Student ejdeboer@uark.edu Rhiannon de la Rosa – M.S. Student Daniel O’Brien – Ph.D. Student Thomas Walton – M.S. Student

Winter 2021

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U P CO M I N G E V E N T

WE HAVE BLOCKS OF ROOMS RESERVED at the EMBASSY SUITES IN HOT SPRINGS, and the HOTEL HOT SPRINGS TO B O O K T H E E M B A S S Y S U I T E S: Call 501-321-4430 and mention the Arkansas Turfgrass Association block.

TO B O O K T H E H OT E L H OT S P R I N G S: Call 877-623-6697 and mention the Arkansas Turfgrass Association block.

ATA CO N F E R E N C E

J A N U A RY 27 – 28, 2022 HOT SPRINGS, AR T H U R S D AY – J A N U A RY 27, 2022 ( Moderator: Daniel O’Brien ) S TA RT

FINISH

D E S C R I PT I O N

7:30

8:30

Trade Show / Breakfast

SPEAKER

TO P I C

8:30

9:00

9:00

9:30

CO M M E N T S

Welcome to 2022 ATA

Kyle Sanders, Mike Richardson

Announcements, Awards, & Fisher Tribute

Update from AR Dept. Ag

Seth Dunlap

Regulations

5 Laws & Regulations

David Held

Insecticides from LCO perspective

1 Safety

9:30

10:00

Session 1

10:00

10:45

Break / Visit Trade Show

10:45

11:15

Session 2

Brian Schwartz

Turfgrass breeding update (include scouting)

2 IPM

11:15

11:45

Session 3

Jason Davis

Equipment calibration

3 Application equipment/methods

11:45

1:00

Lunch (on your own) & Visit Trade Show

1:00

1:30

Session 4

Zac Reicher

TBD (practical calibration offered)

3 Calibration

1:00

2:15

Trade Show

2:15

2:45

Session 5

Julie Holt

Environmental Benefits of Turfgrass

4 Environmental

2:45

3:00

Break

3:00

4:15

Workshop 1

4:15

4:30

Break

4:30

5:30

Workshop 2

Set up for Workshop 1 Panel (O’Brien moderator) ~10 minutes speaker presentation; moderator/audience questions

Future of Turfgrass Education

Set up for Workshop 2 Shelia Finney (GCSAA First Green)

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

6 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • Winter 2021

Chuck Cross, Michelle Buchanan, Mike Richardson, Julie Holt, Shelia Finney

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U P CO M I N G E V E N T

ATA CO N F E R E N C E

J A N U A RY 27 – 28, 2022 • HOT SPRINGS, AR F R I D AY – J A N U A RY 28, 2022 – G O L F S E S S I O N ( Moderator: TBD ) S TA RT

FINISH

D E S C R I PT I O N

SPEAKER

TO P I C

8:15

9:00

Jay Randolph

Native / prairie restoration

9:00

9:45

Brian Schwartz

Putting green breeding update

9:45

10:00

10:00

10:45

Thomas Walton

Zoysia putting greens

10:45

11:30

Zac Reicher

Golf soil issues

CO M M E N T S

Break

F R I D AY – J A N U A RY 28, 2022 – LAW N & LA N D S CA P E S E S S I O N ( Moderator: TBD ) S TA RT

FINISH

8:15

9:00

9:00

9:45

9:45

10:00

10:00

10:45

10:45

11:30

D E S C R I PT I O N

SPEAKER

TO P I C

Mike Richardson (Rhiannon De La Rosa?)

TBD

David Held

Endophytes in turfgrass

CO M M E N T S

Break (*Combine with Parks & Sports Turf Group for 10:00 & 10:45 Sessions)

F R I D AY – J A N U A RY 28, 2022 – PA R K S & S P O RT S T U R F S E S S I O N ( Moderator: TBD ) S TA RT

FINISH

SPEAKER

TO P I C

8:15

9:00

D E S C R I PT I O N

Eric DeBoer

Cultural Management Practices

9:00

9:45

Ed Norton

Renovation / construction projects

9:45

10:00

10:00

10:45

Chuck Cross*

Ashdown HS Turf Program

10:45

11:30

Michelle Buchanan*

NorthArk. College Turf Program

CO M M E N T S

Break

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8 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • Winter 2021

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INDEX OF A DV E RT I S E R S Agra Turf, Inc.............................................. 15 www.agrainc.com Beam Clay................................................... 15 www.BEAMCLAY.com ChemTrade Turf, LLC....................................7 chemtradeturf.com Dave’s Sale and Service............................ 15 www.turfeagle.com Geoponics Corporation................Back Cover www.geoponicscorp.com Greene County Fertilizer Co........................9 www.greenecountyfert.com Jackson Sand..................................................9 www.jacksonsand.com Kesmac...........................................................3 www.brouwerkesmac.com KWMI / K & W Products, Inc.................... 11 www.KWMIequipment.com Leading Edge Communications................ 15 www.LeadingEdgeCommunications.com Modern Turf, Inc............................................5 www.modernturf.com Progressive Turf Equipment Inc............... 13 www.progressiveturfequip.com The Sod Store............................................. 13 sodpartners.com

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The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Arkansas Turfgrass Association, its staff, or its board of directors, Arkansas Turfgrass, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as Arkansas 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 © 2021 by the Arkansas Turfgrass Association. Arkansas Turfgrass is published quarterly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of the Arkansas 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.

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COV E R S TO RY

Winter is Coming:

PROTECT YOUR PUTTING

GREENS!

By Thomas Walton, MS Student and Mike Richardson, Ph.D, University of Arkansas

W

idespread record low temperatures were experienced throughout much of Arkansas and the surrounding region in the late winter of 2021. At the Drake Field weather station, just south of Fayetteville, -20 °F was recorded on the morning of February 16th! However, it was not just the extreme temperatures that caused many warm season turfgrass managers to lose sleep, but it was the sustained amount of time temperatures remained below freezing. For a 10-day period from February 9th through the 19th, the air temperature did not exceed 32 °F. Sounds like a pretty good recipe for winterkill! One small silver lining during the cold February was a small blanket of snow during the middle of the cold stretch, a total of about 7 inches from February 14–17, correlating with the record low temperatures. Unfortunately, significant winterkill was reported throughout Arkansas and the surrounding region, particularly in Oklahoma and Texas. Many golf courses in north Texas with ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens do not own protective covers because winterkill has historically not been a concern, were hit the hardest.

Numerous golf courses required complete reestablishment of putting greens and large acreage of fairways, tees, and collars.

Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, host of the Senior PGA Championship in the spring, had to quickly resod more than four acres of short-cut bermudagrass in preparation for the tournament, with most damage occurring on north facing slopes (MacLeod, 2021).

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

10 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • Winter 2021

U P CO M I N G E V E N T • continued

We have been conducting field trials at the University of Arkansas over the past two winters with a goal of improving management strategies used to protect ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens. The use of protective covers has been a tried-andtrue strategy to prevent winterkill and covers are often deployed when the temperatures begin to reach the mid to low 20’s. A recent field trial conducted at the University of Arkansas determined that greens could be covered when there are predicted low temperatures of 15 °F with no reduction in winter survival (DeBoer et al., 2019). Unfortunately, golf courses in the region can still experience winterkill underneath protective covers. A frequent observation of winterkill underneath covers is a rippling pattern of healthy grass and enhanced survival in the thick, stitched seams. These observations suggest that the air underneath the cover is providing additional insulation (think double-pane windows). Therefore, the goal of this trial was to investigate a few potential materials to create an air gap by placing the materials on the putting green and pulling the covers over the top. A similar trial was conducted in Canada in 1999 on annual bluegrass putting greens, although an impermeable cover was used rather than the typical permeable covers used to protect bermudagrass putting greens. Air gap treatments consisting of straw, curled wood shavings, and 2 inches of air space around a wood frame were tested and provided warmer minimum soil temperatures and less temperature variation than covers alone (Dionne et al., 1999). Although the use of an air gap sounds promising, air gaps have not demonstrated protection against winterkill of ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens during an adverse winter or enhanced spring green-up so it is important to test potential materials to determine if air gaps are worth the investment.

This field trial was conducted on our ultradwarf bermudagrass putting green during the winters of 2019–20 and 2020–21. The putting green includes the three most popular ultradwarf cultivars of ‘TifEagle’, ‘MiniVerde’, and ‘Champion’. Three different air gap materials were assessed including a straw material, synthetic batting, and drainage pipe, which were compared to a cover alone and uncovered control. The cost and physical properties of each treatment are described in Table 1. Soil temperature was continuously monitored at a 1-inch depth and spring green-up was assessed visually and using digital image analysis to determine the percentage of green coverage throughout the spring. In order to keep the trial relevant to golf course superintendents, the putting green was managed with the typical cultural practices found on golf courses throughout the region and was covered when the predicted low temperature was expected to drop below -20 °F. Covers were removed when the temperature was predicted to be above 50 °F to simulate a golf course being open for play for golfers.

The winter of 2019–20 was relatively mild and no winterkill was observed, but the 2020–21 winter provided a good test of these products. As mentioned previously, February was a very cold month in Fayetteville and the corresponding 1-inch soil temperatures of each treatment are shown in figure 1.

The soil temperature in the uncovered controls fell to an average temperature of 19 °F. One method of determining cold hardiness of different grasses is laboratory testing which determines the temperature at which more than 50% of the grass is killed by the low temperatures. For ultradwarf bermudagrasses, this ranges between 19–23 °F (Anderson et al. 2002; Gopinath et al. 2021).

12 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • Winter 2021

TABLE 1: Description of cover treatment materials.

COV E R T R E AT M E N T

P H Y S I CA L P RO P E RT I E S A N D CO S T

UNCOVERED

NONE

COVER ALONE Black, woven polypropylene covers (Xton Inc. Florence, AL)

Thickness: 0.2 in Weight: 0.02 lb ft-2 Cost: $7,406 A

COVER PLUS STRAW Erosion control mat (A.M. Leonard Horticultural Tool and Supply Co., Piqua, OH)

Thickness: 1.6 in Weight: 0.16 lb ft-2 Cost: $8,700 A

COVER PLUS BAT TING Polyester (polyethylene terephthalate) batting (Hendrix Batting, High Point, NC)

Thickness: 1 in Weight: 0.06 lb ft-2 Cost: $4,897 A

COVER PLUS PIPE Polyethylene drainage pipe with a 15-cm diameter split in half lengthways and placed 2-m apart (Advanced Drainage Systems, Hilliard, OH)

Thickness: 3 in Weight: 0.06 lb ft-2 Cost: $8,700 A

FIGURE 1: The minimum daily 1-inch soil temperature from February 8–28th in Fayetteville, AR for each treatment tested in the trial.

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Winter 2021

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U P CO M I N G E V E N T • continued FIGURE 2: Drone image taken on April 15 during spring green-up. Note the widespread winterkill on the uncovered controls and similarity in green-up between air gap treatments and covers alone.

For superintendents with built-in soil temperature sensors (i.e.

Spio, Toro Turf Guards, etc.), these temperatures can give you an idea about when to be concerned about winterkill and further explain our observations this past spring. Widespread winterkill was observed on all the uncovered controls, regardless of cultivar (Figure 2). At times, the straw and batting material provided significantly warmer soil temperatures than the cover alone, however, did not provide any enhancement in spring green-up. If you take a closer look at figure 1, you can see that during our coldest stretch of the year, the cover alone was performing very similarly to all the air gap treatments and even outperformed the cover plus pipe treatment. All covered treatments maintained temperatures around 30 °F, safely out of the range of the soil temperature values previously discussed. At this time, we do not recommend the widespread use of air gaps on ultradwarf bermudagrass because of the high purchasing cost (Table 1), labor required for installation, and annual degradation of materials such as straw. If you have ample pine needles stockpiled from pine trees, you might avoid the up-front purchasing cost, however, it requires much more labor to apply and remove pine straw than the materials we tested (O’Brien, 2017).

Based on our results, we are not currently recommending widespread use of air gaps, but that’s not to say we don’t see the potential value of an air gap. Shaded portions of putting greens, north facing slopes, and areas exposed to the wind could benefit from the use of air gaps. One interesting observation made during this trial was that we did see a soil temperature enhancement which correlated with the snowfall we experienced. The lowest soil temperature for all treatments occurred on February 14th, however, the air temperature continued to drop and record low

14 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • Winter 2021

temperature were experienced two days later, on February 16th.

This suggests that the snow did provide some insulation and produced a “natural air gap” and likely prevented more widespread winterkill in areas which were not protected by covers such as fairways and tees. Virginia Tech University has conducted a similar study and had positive results with the use of double covers, so be sure not to throw out your old covers when it comes time to replace them as these could prove to be valuable tools for problem greens (Booth et al., 2020)! •

— REFERENCES — Booth, J., J. M. Goatley, D. S. McCall, and S. D. Askew. 2019. Impact of woven polypropylene covering strategies on bermudagrass canopy temperatures. Agron. Abr. p. 119519.

DeBoer, E.J., M.D. Richardson, J.H. McCalla, and D.E. Karcher. 2019.

Reducing ultradwarf bermudagrass putting green winter injury with covers and wetting agents. Crop, Forage, and Turfgrass Management 5:190019.

Dionne, J., P.-A. Dubé, M. Laganiére, and Y. Desjardins. 1999. Golf green soil and crown-level temperatures under winter protective covers.

Agron. J. 91:227-233.

Gopinath, L, J.Q. Moss, Y. Wu. 2021. Quantifying freeze tolerance of hybrid bermudagrasses adapted for golf course putting greens. Hor. Sci. 56(4): 478-480.

O’Brien, P. 2017. Stop the Cold with a “Dead Air Gap”. USGA. Far Hills, NJ. Feb. 3: 1-3

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