Arkansas Turfgrass - Summer 2019

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 • S u mm e r 2019

Cleaning up Emerged Crabgrass Postemergent Control Options

Save the Date for University of Arkansas Field Day, July 24th, 2019 Plus, Member Spotlight on ATA Vice President Richard Covert

A BreAkThrouGh In SuSTAInABIlITy

“ While researching TifTuf TM, i was impressed by the cultivar’s tolerance to adverse conditions, particu- larly drought, low fertility, traffic and cool weather. in the trial work i conducted, TifTuf TM was the first cultivar to green up in the spring, the last to go dormant during drought conditions and the most tolerant to traffic. Other notable characteristics of TifTuf TM include fine leaf texture and high turf density, as well as aggressive growth and establish- ment rates.”

Alec Kowalewski, Ph.D., Oregon State University

As water restrictions tighten in many drought-stricken areas of the U.S., golf course superintendents, sports turf managers, property owners and sod producers increasingly value drought-tolerant turfgrass. Selected for its superior drought and wear tolerance, TiFTUF™ has been rigorously developed and tested for more than two decades by a team of researchers led by Dr. Wayne Hanna and Dr. Brian Schwartz at UGA’s Tifton Campus.

TiFTUF™ was bred in 1992, as one of 27,700 experimental bermudagrass genotypes. in 1999, ninety of the most promising genotypes were planted under a rainout shelter and evaluated through 2001 under deficit irrigation.

Under this drought stress, TiFTUF™ (tested as experimental name DT-1) maintained its quality and green color the longest. in 2011 continuing drought study testing established that TiFTUF™ requires 38% less water than Tifway. Since then, TiFTUF™ has been further tested in 19 drought-stress trials, 2 sports field wear tolerance trials and 4 irrigated, non-stress trials at The University of Georgia, The University of Florida, North Carolina State University, Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M University as part of the Federal Specialty Crop research initiative (SCri) grant. it has now been determined that TiFTUF™ will become the University research standard by which all drought tolerance will be determined. in 2013, TiFTUF™ was entered into the National Turfgrass evaluation Program (NTeP) bermudagrass trials where it is being evaluated in 20 locations across the United States until 2017. NTeP results from 2014 reveal that TiFTUF™ scored the highest quality ratings in the following test locations: North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma and California.

TiFTUF™ also ranked in the highest statistical group for quality in Alabama, Georgia, indiana, Kansas, Kentucky and Missouri.

Fine textured and dense, TiFTUF™ exhibits several additional stellar qualities, including superior wear tolerance, early spring greenup, excellent fall color retention and extremely rapid grow-in. if you’re seeking a truly superior turfgrass for performance, aesthetics and sustainability, you’ve just found it.

“ With its combination of drought tolerance, aggressive growth and superior fall color, it has a great place in the industry.”

Grady Miller, Ph.D., North Carolina State University “ it also survives winters in Kansas. With 94% survival, it is no different than Latitude 36 TM, Yukon, Patriot TM and Riviera.”

Jared Hoyle, Ph.D., Kansas State University “ TifTuf TM performed very well on our large-scale Linear Gradient irrigation System at the university of florida. it maintained good quality with signif- icantly less water compared to the other commer- cially produced cultivars.”

J. Bryan Unruh, Ph.D., University of Florida “ We found evidence that TifTuf TM used less water than Tifway 419 and TifSport. it’s just a very tough and drought-tolerant grass. As soon as it quits raining, TifTuf TM is still performing well, unlike others that can start to fail.”

Brian Schwartz, Ph.D., University of Georgia “ With today’s extreme environmental conditions, there has never been a greater need for a superior drought- and wear-tolerant grass like TifTuf TM. its aggressive grow-in under cold and drought conditions makes TifTuf TM the environmentally and financially successful turfgrass choice. This rigorously tested grass that maintains its color and quality will create the most sustainable, environmentally friendly lawns, sports fields and golf courses around the world.”

Ken Morrow, Co-Founder of The Turfgrass Group

USDA drought-tolerance trial (left to right): TiFTUF™, Latitude 36™ and Celebration™.

Engineering Better Turfgrass One Blade At A Time

For more information on licensing opportunities, please contact: The Turfgrass Group, Inc. (770) 207-1500 or (770) 710-8139 www.THeTUrFGrASSGrOUP.com

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 Co n t e n t s • S u mm e r 2019

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8

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Features

8 Cover Story –

C leaning up Emerged Crabgrass: Postemergent Control Options

Departments 11

S ave the Date for University of Arkansas Field Day, July 24th, 2019

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4 • A r k a n sas T urf g rass • Summer 2019

Upcoming Event –

Member Spotlight –

A TA Vice President, Richard Covert

6 President’s Message 7 Index of Advertisers 7 University of Arkansas Turf Team

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(501) 375-0749

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Arkansas Turfgrass Association P.O. Box 185 Bryant, AR 72089 Tel: 501-860-0187

P r e s i d e n t ’s M e s s ag e

Prime Season By

Kyle Sanders, ATA President

the time you read this I hope that spring has finally arrived here in the Natural State. I am looking forward to blue skies, birds singing, warmer temperatures, and the smell of fresh cut grass. With all the crazy weather we have experienced during the last 12 months it makes me wonder what other weather-related challenges that turfgrass managers in our state will face over the next few months as we all enter our prime season of the year.

Looking ahead and trying to forecast what challenges lie ahead can be difficult yet looking back you will always have 20/20 vision. This is true about all aspects of life and managing grass. So, what is the takeaway? Did you achieve the results you wanted with your turf last season? If not, have you identified the cause or causes and are you planning on changing something in your management program?

Remember that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If your turf only survived through the year instead of thriving, you may need to step back and tweak something that you are currently doing in preparation of growing a healthier stand of turf.

If you experienced any setbacks last year, small changes such as trying a new herbicide, fungicide, or insecticide for better control could be the answer. Or maybe you believe that with better timed growth regulator applications, better nutrient management, or even changing mowing heights might be the answer you are looking for. Whatever the answer for your particular problem or situation, rest assured that you are not the only person who has dealing with that or has experienced that kind of problem before.

I believe that is why being a part of this association is a crucial factor in your success — so that hopefully we can learn from each other, not only from our mistakes but also our accomplishments as well, so that each of us raises the bar for turf management in our state.

As President of the Arkansas Turfgrass Association, I am truly honored to work with the exceptional talent on our Board and further with all of you that are a part of our association.

Recently our ATA board met, and we reviewed all the comments and suggestions that you left on the surveys from this past year’s ATA Conference and Tradeshow.

We are already in planning mode for next year’s Conference and Tradeshow, and we have used your comments to improve our annual show.

Next up on the horizon is the University of Arkansas Field Day in July and our Members Only event at Bass Pro in Little Rock in October. The commitment that our Board of Directors puts forth is to continuously grow the Association and continue our commitment to our membership. I thank them for their devotion to continuous improvement and meeting the needs of our turfgrass managers across the state.

I would appreciate hearing from you and encourage you to reach out to me at KyleSanders@SandersGround.com if you have any questions or ideas that you would like to see happen to improve our association or conference.

Kyle Sanders ATA President

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Published by: Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, TN 37064 Tel: 615-790-3718 Email: info@leadingedge communications.com ATA Officers Kyle Sanders, President Sanders Ground Essentials 501-315-9395 kylesanders@sandersground.com Richard Covert, Vice President Baptist Health Systems Richard.covert@baptist-health.org Jeff Haskins, Treasurer Paragould Country Club 870-780-5883 Ja1116@earthlink.net Mary Beth Rogers, Executive Secretary 501-860-0187 arkturfgrassassn@att.net Doug Karcher, Ph.D., Education Chair University of Arkansas • 479-575-5723 karcher@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 Mark Mowrey, Director Emeritus Oaklawn • 501-538-1600 bntgrns@yahoo.com Mark Brown UALR • 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 Michael Rush Rush Lawn Care • 501-279-8980 mrush@rushlawn.com Andrew Simpson Arkansas State Plant Board 501-225-1598 Andrew.simpson@ agriculture.arkansas.gov Bill Tippit 501-258-8676 Bill.tippit@sbcglobal.net

A dv e rt i s e r I n d e x Agra Turf, Inc.................................................7 www.agrainc.com CoverSports USA........................................ 12 www.coversports.com Leading Edge Communications................ 15 www.LeadingEdgeCommunications.com PBI Gordon Corporation............................ 10 www.pbigordon.com Progressive Turf Equipment Inc............... 13 www.progressiveturfequip.com R.W. Distributors..........................Back Cover www.exmark.com Smith Seed Services.....................................7 www.smithseed.com The Turfgrass Group....... Inside Front Cover www.theturfgrassgroup.com

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 Doug Karcher Professor 479-575-5723 karcher@uark.edu

John H. McCalla Jr. Program Technician III 479-575-5033 jmccall@uark.edu

Mike Richardson Professor 479-575-2860 mricha@uark.edu

Daniel P. O’Brien Program Technician/ M.S. Student 479-575-2603 dpo001@uark.edu

John Boyd Visiting Assistant Professor Cooperative Extension Service Little Rock 479-575-2354 Jwb019@uark.edu

Tyler Carr M.S. Student Eric DeBoer Ph.D. Student

Matthew Bertucci Research Scientist 479-575-3979 bertucci@uark.edu

Trimax Mowing Systems..............................3 www.trimaxmowers.com Winrock Grass Farm Inc................................5 www.winrockgrassfarm.com

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 direc- tors, 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 © 2019 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 man- uscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display 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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Cell: 501 230-7303 Business: 501 268-7036 Ext: 107 Fax: 501 268-0606 Ordering: 800 467-8873

Email: agrarod@yahoo.com

Summer 2019

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A r ka n sas T urf g rass • 7

Cov e r Sto ry

Cleaning up

Emerged Crabgrass:

Postemergent Crabgrass Control Options

By Matthew Bertucci Ph.D., Research Scientist, University of Arkansas School of Crop, Soil and Environmental Science

All

turfgrass professionals recognize the unwelcome sight of crabgrass emerging through a managed turf site. Crabgrass is undesirable due to its coarse leaf texture, pale green color, and reduced traffic tolerance. It is a summer annual weed that germinates in the spring (usually when soil temperatures reach 53 to 58°F), grows vegetatively over the summer and sets seed in the late summer and fall. Crabgrass is most vulnerable and easiest to control as seeds germinate; thus, preemergent herbicide applications in late February or early March are the most common and effective strategy for control of crabgrass.

However, sometimes the pesky crabgrass emerges despite preemergent herbicide applications!

There are several reasons why a preemergent herbicide application could fail to control crabgrass. Oftentimes, a failure in weed control is simply a result of herbicides being improperly applied. A careful inspection of weed incidence and distribution across the treated site might reveal the specific problem. Is the crabgrass emerging in a strip as wide as the sprayer’s swath? That’s good evidence that an applicator missed a pass. Is a narrow band repeating across the property? Perhaps a nozzle was clogged or a narrow skip occurred between passes. In the worst cases, crabgrass may have emerged across the entire site. That could be due to a mistimed application of preemergence herbicides (after crabgrass emergence), lack of activation of the herbicide from irrigation or timely rainfall, or a mistake when measuring and mixing products. One final scenario is that the preemergent herbicide performed as expected, but the residual activity has diminished with time, allowing a late-season flush of crabgrass. It is important to understand why a

8 • A r k a n sas T urf g rass • Summer 2019

preemergent herbicide application failed so the same mistake can be avoided in the future.

Regardless of how crabgrass managed to invade a turf site, the good news is that postemergent control of crabgrass is possible. As a general rule, smaller crabgrass plants are easier to control than larger plants. Larger crabgrass plants that have begun to tiller may require sequential postemergent applications to achieve complete control. Specific herbicide recommendations and rates are dependent on the site restrictions and turfgrass species. A list of chemicals and products that offer postemergent crabgrass control is listed below: • Asulam (Asulox® or Asulam) is labeled for sod farms only, specifically for use in St. Augustinegrass and ‘Tifway’ 419 bermudagrass only. No surfactant is required for application. Do not apply to stressed or freshly mowed turf.

• Celsius® (thiencarbazone, + iodosulfuron + dicamba) controls grasses and broadleaf weeds in warm-season turf types in commercial and residential sites. Celsius only controls young crabgrass and may require sequential applications.

• Dithiopyr (Dimension®) is labeled for preemergent control of crabgrass in established warm and cool season turf.

However, it can be applied for postemergence control of young crabgrass seedlings and offer residual control following application.

• Mesotrione (Lucto™, Slipstream™, Tenacity®) offers contact and residual weed control in turf. Mesotrione can cause severe injury to actively growing bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, creeping bentgrass, and other turfgrass species.

Postemergent control of crabgrass will require sequential applications at two-week intervals.

• MSMA (Target® or MSMA) can offer postemergence control of crabgrass but is only labeled for sod production and use on golf courses. Be sure to check the label for instructions.

• Pinoxaden (Manuscript®) is a newly registered herbicide labeled for use in bermudagrass and zoysiagrass, and also for St. Augustinegrass in sod production only. The label requires that the product must be applied with a methylated seed oil surfactant.

• Quinclorac* (Drive®, Drive® XLR8, and others) — is a staple postemergent crabgrass product labeled for use in many environments. It is labeled for use in a wide range of turfgrass species; however, St. Augustinegrass, centipedegrass, and bahiagrass are sensitive to quinclorac and will likely be injured by applications. *Note that many popular products contain quinclorac for crabgrass control plus other active ingredients for control of additional weed species. Some examples include Onetime® (quinclorac + MCPP + dicamba); Q4® (quinclorac + sulfentrazone + 2,4-D + dicamba); SquareOne® (carfentrazone + quinclorac); Solitare® (sulfentrazone + quinclorac). These products all offer postemergence crabgrass control, but quinclorac is the only active ingredient within those formulations that works on crabgrass.

• Topramezone (Pylex™) is a similar mode of action to mesotrione and offers similar control of crabgrass, requiring sequential applications at three-week intervals. A major difference is that topramezone is labeled for use in creeping bentgrass, unlike mesotrione.

• Sethoxydim (Segment®) offers broad spectrum control of annual and perennial grass weeds. Sethoxydim is only for

use in centipedegrass or fine fescue. It will harm or kill other turfgrass species!

Some key points to remember: Don’t make the same mistake twice. If a mistake was made during applications of preemergent herbicides, correct that mistake to avoid the necessity of postemergent applications in subsequent seasons.

Hit them when they’re small. Postemergent herbicides will have greater success on young, actively growing plants than mature, fully-tillered crabgrass.

Be careful not to harm your turf. Applying postemergence herbicides when temperatures are above 85°F may cause unacceptable turf injury. If possible, consider delaying postemergence treatments on particularly hot days.

The label is the LAW. Always read and follow label instructions when applying herbicides. It outlines how to safely, effectively, and legally apply products.

Use of specific trade names is for convenience to readers and does not represent any specific endorsement by authors.

Feel free to contact Dr. Matthew Bertucci for concerns or questions at bertucci@uark.edu or via twitter @BertucciUARK. Additional information can be found in MP521 — Turfgrass Weed Control and MP44 — Recommended Chemicals for Weed and Brush Control. •

Summer 2019

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A r ka n sas T urf g rass • 9

U p co m i n g Ev e n t

Save the Date for

University of Arkansas

Field Day

1

Structure damage from storms that caused 2018’s Field Day to be cancelled

2

Dr. Karcher leads an educational session

3

Foam batting will be discussed as a cover strategy

July 24, 2019

M

any of you are aware that the University of Arkansas Turfgrass Field Day, which was scheduled for July 2018, was cancelled because of a freak storm at our facility that destroyed several key structures associated with our program (Photo 1). Normally, we are on an every other year schedule, but have decided to host Field Day in 2019 due to last year’s cancellation.

This year’s event will be held at the UofA Turfgrass Research Center in Fayetteville on July 24, 2019. As in the past, we will have research and education tours that are focused on either golf course management (Photo 2), lawn and landscape, or sports fields. A number of the projects and demonstrations that were scheduled for last year will be back on the schedule this year, but we will have some changes due to either research projects finishing last year or new projects starting this year.

On the golf side, we will feature research regarding cover strategies such as creating air gaps under covers (Photo 3) for ultradwarf winter protection, the use of drones on a golf course, the latest in wetting agent research, fungicide programs for golf course turf and native plants that can be used in natural areas on the golf course, and several other topics of interest.

The sports turf group will have a great opportunity to visit Razorback Stadium and learn about the conversion of the field back to natural grass. The field will be planted to Tahoma 31 and Pat Berger (Director of Sports Turf Operations) will provide insight and details of the project and the progress towards the first game. In addition, there will be

Summer 2019

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A r ka n sas T urf g rass • 11

U p co m i n g Ev e n t • continued

TriMax Mowing System will be demonstrated

12 • A r k a n sas T urf g rass • Summer 2019

4

demonstrations of the Trimax mowing system (Photo 4) and fraise mowers for athletic field maintenance.

The lawn care group will get to learn about herbicide programs for annual grass control, best management practices for using fungicides and insecticides, how plant growth regulators can fit into your program, and the latest research on water use of cool-season lawns. Each program will be packed with great information and it is always our goal for every attendee to walk away with some ideas that can help manage their turf more effectively.

One thing that we are going to do differently this year is offer some short, specialized “afternoon programs” for those that may be interested in seeing some additional research or demonstrations of some unique, new equipment. Although these are still under development, there will likely be a “weed walk” tour with Drs. Boyd and Bertucci, equipment demonstrations and some specialized sports field management content for high school coaches who attend.

As we have done in the past, participation in this event will serve as pesticide recertification for the Arkansas State Plant Board and GCSAA education credits will also be awarded. Pesticide CEUs for surrounding states are also available if attendees need those. We will start the day with

continued

• U p co m i n g Ev e n t

a trade show and breakfast at 7:30 am, do field tours from 9:00–11:30 am, and then enjoy a delicious, catered lunch.

Afternoon sessions, including classes required for pesticide recertification credit, will commence right after lunch.

This year, our guest speaker will be Mr. Lee Butler from North Carolina State University (Photo 5). Lee runs the turfgrass disease diagnostic lab at NCSU and is also a prolific researcher in the area of turf disease control. He will be giving several talks during the day on disease diagnostics and fungicide programming and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

If you have any questions about the field day, do not hesitate to contact us!! If you are not currently on our listserve account, please email Doug Karcher and he can get you added. As field day gets closer, that will be our primary means of communicating all the details. We will also be communicating regularly via Twitter, so follow either of us if you would prefer to get information from that source.

We hope to see you in Fayetteville!! • Mike Richardson mricha@uark.edu @Arkansasturf

Doug Karcher karcher@uark.edu @uarkturf

5

Lee Butler of NCSU will lead disease diagnostic and fungicide programming talks

Summer 2019

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A r ka n sas T urf g rass • 13

Member Spotlight on ATA Vice President

Richard Covert

Manicured outdoor space at Baptist Health, where Richard is Grounds System Manager

R

ichard Covert shares his time and expertise with our association in his position as Vice President, and he is the Grounds System Manager at Baptist Health. We sat down with Richard for a Q&A on his career, the association, and some surprising facts.

Anything outdoors

What was your first job?

Keanu Reeves

Peavey Electronics. I built electric guitars and sound boards.

If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?

What do you do in your free time?

Kathmandu, Nepal

14 • A r k a n sas T urf g rass • Summer 2019

Tell us about your family?

I’ve been married for 23 years, and I have two sons, ages 17 and 13.

Who would you choose to switch places with for one day?

What is one item you cannot live without?

Definitely my Bible. It’s been around the world with me.

What’s an interesting fact about you that most people don’t know?

I have met most all of the hair bands from the 1980’s.

Who has been the most influential person in your career?

Greg Clark of Baptist Health. I would not be where I am without him.

Why did you get involved with ATA? I’m a service-oriented person. I love this industry and the fact that I can surround myself with professors and turfgrass professionals from all over Arkansas — I couldn’t pass that up.

How has your involvement with ATA influenced your career?

Having the privilege to not only be on the Board but also serve as the VP is definitely something to be proud of.

As VP, how will you keep ATA relevant to members?

We will strive to be more hands-on in the coming years. By this we mean more workshops and other learning opportunities. We have already started a turfgrass magazine to better communicate with our members.

What will you focus on as VP in future years?

Our focus should always be on being a source for education for our industry and how best to deliver that.

What skills do you think ATA can help our members cultivate?

Recent feedback from trade show attendees suggests a number of different things that are relevant to them.

One is hands-on training — whether it’s small engine repair or how to landscape an account they just got. Future leaning opportunities will have handson and financial classes so our members can charge the right amount and also be competitive. •

ATA thanks Richard for his contribution to the association as VP. You can reach him at: richard.covert@baptist-health.org

Summer 2019

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A r ka n sas T urf g rass • 15

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