Mississippi Turfgrass - Spring 2019

Celebrating

60

Years

Serving the green industry Spring 2019

The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine

Common Problems

of Mississippi Sports Fields Turf Talk:

Bermudagrass Decline Highlights from MTA Hospitality Night at GCSSA & GIS

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Spring 2019

Contents • The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine Features

8 Recent Event —

MTA Hospitality Night

9 Celebrating 60 Years —

8

MTA’s Diamond Jubilee

10 Cover Story —

Common Problems of Mississippi Sports Fields

14 Turf Talk —

Bermudagrass Decline: Getting to the Root of the Problem Departments

6 From the MTA President

7 News from MTA

7 Index of Advertisers

10

22 Calendar of Events

14 4 • Mississippi Turfgrass • Spring 2019

COMING TOGETHER. Exmark and Z-Spray have united to provide the broadest offering of turf management equipment in the industry.

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VISIT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING EXMARK DEALERS FOR YOUR EXMARK AND Z-SPRAY NEEDS 4 SEASONS EQUIPMENT COMPANY OXFORD • 662-380-5073

FREDERICK’S SALES & SERVICE BRANDON • 601-824-0074

POWERSTROKE EQUIPMENT STARKVILLE • 662-324-1222

4 SEASONS EQUIPMENT COMPANY TUPELO • 662-844-0308

GRAHAM EQUIPMENT COMPANY SENATOBIA • 662-562-8711

STATELINE TURF AND TRACTOR OLIVE BRANCH • 662-895-7174

BIG DELTA HONDA BATESVILLE • 662-578-7000

HARTLEY EQUIPMENT COMPANY GLUCKSTADT • 601-499-0944

From the mta president, Al Osteen

Spring Is Here!

Hello MTA Members, Spring is here, and the smell of freshly cut grass is in the air! I know everyone is excited to see things turning green and the trees blooming and leafing out. Hopefully there are a few less rain days mixed in to allow for spending time outdoors. Just how clean can the shop and equipment get anyway?

MTA is very excited to be looking at new and varied educational opportunities for our members, and we appreciate everyone’s ideas. If there is a topic of interest that you feel would apply to our membership base, please contact any board member or Ms. Linda Wells. Keeping our attendance up at events and retaining membership is critical. We want to enhance the educational offerings so that members look to the MTA for current, as well as innovative, turf and sports field management practices.

Upcoming events include:

June 25th – The Yard Dog Classic

• Mississippi State Golf Course. This is a big fund-raising event for MTA. Fun on the golf course, good food, great prizes, and a cool hat! This is one you don’t want to miss!

• Many come in the night before and gather up for a nice meal together!

August 20th – Research Field Day

• North Farm at Mississippi State University. This is a great educational event.

Breakout sessions for topics related to sod, lawns, sports field, and golf turf management will be offered. There is always an informative session to attend.

• See the latest in research related to new grasses currently being evaluated for an eventual release into the turf industry.

• Also, please come to see demonstrations of the latest and greatest in turf management equipment. The vendors, who we so value and appreciate, will have some demonstrations going on, helping everyone in the industry to see first-hand what these tools can do to improve the product you are providing to your facility or customer.

• Come in the night before and enjoy!

October 1st – 3rd – 2019 Deep South Turf Expo

The Big Show! This event just keeps getting bigger and bigger! Partnering up with other surrounding industry organizations has allowed MTA to take on a leadership role in promoting education and science for this region of the country. It has grown into a true green industry show that vendors and industry professionals are very excited to attend. Tradeshow exhibits, entertainment, golf, access to great food and other fun-filled events are all included. Continuing education and re-certification credits are available as well. It is great to see this show quickly become a successful and important event.

Again, thanks to all that support MTA, including Ms. Linda Wells, Drs. Jay McCurdy and Barry Stewart, those serving on the board, and especially our vendor partners.

Hoping everyone is off to a great start this spring!

Mississippi Turfgrass Association Box 9555 MS State, MS 39762 Office: (662) 325-0517 Fax: (662) 325-2705 www.msturfassociation.org Published by: Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, TN 37064 Office: (615) 790-3718 Fax: (615) 794-4524 info@leadingedgecommunications.com Mississippi Turfgrass Editor James D. McCurdy, Ph.D.

MTA OFFICERS President Al Osteen (601) 214-9907 Vice President Jeremy Tate (662) 209-0023 Secretary/Treasurer Wayne Philley Mississippi State University (662) 325-2728 Past President David Leon Turf & Aquatic Specialties, LLC (601) 529-2458 Administrative Secretary Linda Wells Mississippi State University Box 9555 MS State, MS 39762 Office: (662) 325-0517 Cell: (662) 769-7558 lmw218@pss.msstate.edu

Directors

Paul Battle Battle Sod Farm (662) 661-2040 Keair Edwards City of Gulfport (228) 861-5641 David Jumper Ole Miss Golf Course (662) 915-5181 Justin Lanford Starkville Country Club (662) 822-5806 Rob Webb GreenPoint Ag (601) 594-5798 Reuben Wedgeworth Agri-AFC (601) 498-0750

Faculty Advisors

Al Osteen

Jay McCurdy, Ph.D. (662) 325-2331

6 • Mississippi Turfgrass • Spring 2019

Barry Stewart, Ph.D. (662) 325-2725

News from MTA

MTA Board of Directors

Left to right — Rob Webb, Dr. Barry Stewart, Wayne Philley, Reuben Wedgeworth, Justin Lanford, Linda Wells, Jeremy Tate, Al Osteen, David Jumper.

Not pictured: Dr. Jay McCurdy, Paul Battle, Keair Edwards, David Leon

Advertiser Index

Agra Turf, Inc........................................ 13 www.agrainc.com

R.W. Distributors..................................... 5 www.rwdistributors.com

Bayou Bend Turfgrass........................... 22 www.bayoubendturfgrass.com

RD Murphy, LLC..................................... 13 www.rdmurphy.com

Color-Flex Distance Markers................ 22 www.color-flex.com

Riebeling Farms, Inc............................. 13

CoverSports USA..................................... 9 www.coversports.com Harrell’s LLC............................Back Cover www.harrells.com Humphries Turf Supply............................ 7 www.humphriesturf.com

Simplot Partners..................................... 3 www.simplotpartners.com Southeast Turf Maintenance................. 13 www.southeastturf.com Sur-Line Turf, Inc.................................. 18 www.surlineturf.com

JNT Turf Solutions LLC........................... 12

The Turfgrass Group.....Inside Back Cover www.theturfgrassgroup.com

Leading Edge Communications............ 19 www.LeadingEdgeCommunications.com

Trimax Mowing Systems........................ 15 www.trimaxmowers.com

NewLife Turf, Inc................................... 21 www.newlifeturf.com

Winstead Turf.............. Inside Front Cover www.winsteadturffarms.com

Progressive Turf Equipment Inc........... 20 www.progressiveturfequip.com The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine • 7

Recent Event

Snapshots from the

“Hospitality Night” at the GCSAA Conference & GIS February 6

Left to right—Linda Wells, Amanda Miles and Dr. Barry Stewart ready to register party goers!

MSU Students Left to right—Jacob Marsh, Jake Sorrells, Brandon Livingston

Left to right—Helen & Wayne Philley, Mike Kellum, Dr. Jay McCurdy

8 • Mississippi Turfgrass • Spring 2019

A

nother great event with over 100 in attendance — new friends — old friends — good food and fellowship!

Hospitality Night continues to be a great venue hosted by the MSU Alumni, Alabama GCSA, Gulf Coast GCSA and LA-MS GCSA. As always, we want to thank our loyal sponsors for helping make the night a big success! v

Sponsors – Thank You!!

Celebrating 60 Years

Mississippi Turfgrass Association is Celebrating 60 great years serving the green industry!

In

2019, the MTA marks its Diamond Jubilee — six decades of fostering a vibrant and growing community in Mississippi. Working with green industry professionals to grow their knowledge and provide a means to connect with their peers has been a priority for MTA, and over the years, hundreds of members have benefitted from those efforts.

It is because of those members and individuals willing to share their time and expertise and invest it in the industry that we have enjoyed this success. Thank you to all members, past and present who have made the MTA the great organization it is today! v

MTA Over the Years

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The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine • 9

Cover Story

Common Problems

of Mississippi Sports Fields

By Mr. Michael Richard, Mississippi State University, Turfgrass Extension Associate

A

cross Mississippi, youth of all ages are enjoying America’s greatest past times. There’s no denying that sports are interwoven into the fabric of who we are as a nation. Some of my fondest memories as a child were made on the baseball, football, or soccer field. In my current role, I have the pleasure of visiting high school sports fields across Mississippi. The coaches and field managers I meet have a great passion for providing the best playing surface for their athletes. They juggle several job responsibilities and have limited budgets – making field maintenance a difficult task. In my travels, I

10 • Mississippi Turfgrass • Spring 2019

have noticed some common maintenance practices that are lacking or in need of correction.

Cultivation

Compacted soils may be the biggest constraint to proper turfgrass growth.

Compaction occurs from excessive traffic that compresses soil particles, which restricts water and air movement through the soil profile. Turfgrass roots may be unable to penetrate the soil, which decreases turfgrass resilience to wear. Soil of our sports fields must be physically modified to relieve compaction, either modestly on a yearly basis,

or more aggressively on a less frequent basis. The most effective way to do this is through annual aerification and topdressing. Aerification involves removing or loosening soil to relieve compaction, which improves drainage and increases water and air infiltration to turfgrass roots. This is best accomplished with a hollow tine core-aerifier that pulls soil plugs (Figure 1). Core aerification is most effective in conjunction with sand topdressing. Applying 1/8 to 1/4 inch of coarse sand during or immediately after core removal will fill the holes and help alter soil structure (Figure 2). Sand topdressing

Figure 1

Yearly core aerification relieves soil compaction, improves drainage, and increases air and water infiltration.

Figure 2

Frequent sand topdressing aids turfgrass health and improves field firmness.

aids in making the aerification process last longer. Both of these processes should take place when the turfgrass is actively growing to help it recuperate more quickly.

Mowing

Mowing is the most important, but often most mismanaged, aspect of sports field management. A properly mown sports field promotes lateral turfgrass growth, which increases shoot density and provides a denser turfgrass canopy. Mowing height and frequency directly impact the playability of sports fields. Hybrid bermudagrass

sports fields perform best when mown between roughly 0.75 to 1.0 inches in canopy height. When bermudagrass is mown above these heights it becomes puffy and less wear tolerant (Figure 3).

Correct mowing should never remove more than one third of the leaf blade. For example, if target mowing height is 1 inch, we mow when the grass reaches 1.5 inches. Depending on temperature, fertilization, and irrigation, fields may need to be mown every 2 to 3 days during summer months (an amount that many low-maintenance field managers are not comfortable

Figure 3

Improperly mown hybrid bermudagrass is less tolerant to wear.

with). An easy way to know if your mowing practices are adequate is by checking the turfgrass color. The grass should be green from the soil surface to the tip. Brown stems indicate improper mowing – generally too high and infrequent. Gradually decrease mowing height over the course of two weeks to avoid scalping the turfgrass. Properly aerified and topdressed fields should allow mowing, even when conditions might otherwise be too wet. If fields are not able to be mown during wet conditions, we must raise mowing heights or plan on removing clippings in order to prevent thatch accumulation.

The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine • 11

Cover Story • Continued

Soil Testing/Fertilization

conditions, so sulfur is less commonly recommended. Routine fertilizer applications should also be based on soil test results. Excessive nutrients are wasteful, decrease plant health due to excessive growth, and may be harmful to the environment. Most soil test results provide recommendations for improving pH and for replacing deficient nutrients. Soil tests are provided through Mississippi State University Extension Soil Testing Laboratory.

The cornerstone of any agronomic program is a soil test. When we visit a doctor, they check our vitals to get a baseline of our current health. Analogously, a soil test is a checkup for your field’s soil chemical health. A basic soil test measures pH and nutrient levels.

Soil pH is measured on a 1 to 14 scale, with 1 being highly acidic, 14 being highly alkaline, and 7 being neutral.

Bermudagrass grows best at a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. If the soil test reveals an acidic soil (less than 5.8), limestone should be added to raise pH. Unless soil pH is low, lime is not generally recommended. If soil pH is high, it may be due to some underlying soil characteristics that are not always easy to solve. Sometimes in extreme circumstances, elemental sulfur is applied to acidify excessively alkaline soils, but routine fertilization and topdressing generally counteract alkaline

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nozzles on the boom. Because there are 128 ounces in a gallon, the ounces collected from 1/128th of an acre will equal gallons of solution per acre.

Follow the 10 easy steps below to avoid needless chemical waste, improper application, and potential turf injury.

1. Fill sprayer with water. Use only clean water to calibrate sprayer.

2. Measure the distance (in inches) between nozzles on the spray boom.

If your sprayer has only one nozzle, this number equals the expected spray width. Refer to the chart on the opposite page to obtain a test course distance (in feet).

3. Measure the course distance (in feet) according to the chart and flag it for easy visibility.

4. Drive or walk the test course at an acceptable spraying speed with the sprayer on. Make note of the engine RPMs, and most importantly, record the seconds it takes to travel the measured distance between the two flags. Be sure to take a “moving start” to the beginning flag, and continue moving beyond the ending flag to maintain a uniform speed within the flagged distance.

5. Park the tractor/sprayer, set the brakes, but keep the engine RPMs at the same setting used to drive the test course.

6. To check the uniformity of all nozzles on the boom, collect the spray from each nozzle for exactly 1 minute. If the flow rate of any spray tip is 10 percent greater or less than that of the others, replace it.

Whatever the type of sprayer tips you use, be sure they are all the same type. Make sure strainers are present within the nozzle body, as the absence or presence can significantly impact tip output. Strainers also protect spray tips and prevent clogging.

7. Make any final sprayer pressure adjustments (this will vary with the type of spray tips you use and the gallons per minute you wish to spray through them).

Continued

8. Using a plastic measuring container that is marked in ounces, collect the water sprayed from one nozzle for the same amount of time it took to drive the test course.

9. The amount of water collected in ounces will equal the gallons applied per acre.

10. Last, but not least, be sure to read all product labels for proper application information.

Nozzle spacing and distance for 1/128th acre.

•

Cover Story

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For additional information, you can access the Mississippi State University Extension Publication 2086 – Managing Mississippi Sports Fields online at extension.msstate.edu.

Michael Richard is an Extension Associate at Mississippi State University. He coordinates the Mississippi Sports Field Maintenance Clinics – a MSU Extension program designed to assist low-maintenance sports field managers with providing safe playing surfaces for Mississippi youths. He resides in Starkville, MS with his wife and four children. His hobbies include hunting and RV’ing. v

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The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine • 13

Turf Talk

Bermudagrass Decline:

Getting to the Root of the Problem

Figure 1: Symptoms of bermudagrass decline (BD) on an ultradwarf bermudagrass putting green.

Symptoms of BD occur along the margins of putting surfaces and, in early stages, show a general thinning of the turf. It is common to observe algae growing in thinned areas where canopy density has decreased and can serve as an indicator of BD. Figure 2: Turf loss caused by bermudagrass decline (BD). In this ultradwarf bermudagrass putting green, BD has caused large areas of turf loss. What was once a general thinning has progressed to total loss of turf and is extremely problematic to the superintendent. The current best option to correct this issue is to replace areas of turf loss.

By Matthew Aaron Tucker

B

ermudagrass decline (BD), is caused by the pathogen Gauemannomyces graminis var. graminis. It was first reported by Dr. Monica Elliot, University of Florida, in 1991. BD is a destructive disease of ultradwarf bermudagrass (UDB) putting greens. Symptoms begin as yellowing areas of turf, typically along the margins of putting greens. As the disease progresses, yellowing areas will become thin and in extreme cases, lead to turf loss (Figs. 1 and 2). Turf symptoms of BD become apparent in late summer and may progress into early fall (August – October). If symptoms persist into dormancy, scarring (lack of turf density) may appear during spring green-up. Affected roots of bermudagrass plants appear black and brittle (Fig. 3).

14 • Mississippi Turfgrass • Spring 2019

Figure 3: Ectotrophic root-infecting fungi damage ultradwarf bermudagrass roots. Symptoms consist of black, necrotic roots affected at the crown of the plant. These roots are dysfunctional and restrict the movement of nutrients and water resulting in loss of turf density.

Turf Talk • Continued

G. graminis var. graminis belongs to a group of ectotrophic root-infecting (ERI) fungi made up of soil-borne fungi that colonize the outer surface of roots. These fungi produce dark runner hyphae, growth cessation structures (a structure that is formed when fungal growth has slowed or ceased), and simple or lobed hyphopodia

(infection structure of the fungus).

Twenty-four years after the discovery of G. graminis var. graminis, Phillip Vines, working under the direction of Dr. Maria Tomaso-Peterson in Turgrass Pathology at Mississippi State University, identified and characterized several novel species of ERI fungi that were virulent to UBD.

Species included an undescribed Gauemannomyces sp., Magnaporthiopsis cynodontis, and a novel genera/ species, Candidacolonium cynodontis.

Vines found that in terms of virulence, C. cynodontis was the most virulent to UDB, followed by G. graminis var. graminis, and finally G. sp. and M. cynodontis were weakly virulent to

Figure 4: Greens 12 and 2 located at Mississippi State University Golf Institute and used in this study. Green 12 (left) is symptomatic for bermudagrass decline and shows areas of turf loss along the margin of the green. Green 2 (right) is asymptomatic for bermudagrass decline and shows no areas of visible turf loss on the putting surface.

Figure 5: Shapefiles created using ArcMap for both greens. This image shows areas of interest (AOIs) for both greens using a fishnet grid. Green 12 includes 66 AOIs and green 2 includes 72 AOIs.

Green 12

16 • Mississippi Turfgrass • Spring 2019

Green 2

Continued

UDB. Vine’s work showed these novel ERI fungi form a complex with G. graminis var. graminis and together can potentially cause significant root decline in UDB putting greens.

Moving forward with these results, we conducted site specific sampling on two putting greens to determine if this ERI complex existed, and if so, to

show the spatial distribution of these ERI fungi.

Our Research

Mr. Pat Sneed, Golf Course Superintendent at Mississippi State University Golf Institute (MSUGI), was gracious enough to provide us with two greens to conduct our research. One green was

•

Turf Talk

symptomatic for BD while the other green was asymptomatic (Fig. 4). The first step was to establish a grid in mapping software. Each point location within the grid represented an area of interest (AOI) which covered 30 ft2 (Fig. 5). Soil cores, generated from a summer core aerification, were collected from each area (Fig. 6). Root

Figure 6: Summer core aerification sampling method. Displayed in this image is a summer core aerification organized into areas of interest (AOIs) in green 12.

In order to organize each AOI, the green was aerified and point locations were marked with surveyor’s flags. A 25 ft2 PVC grid was used to differentiate each AOI without overlap into neighboring areas. Cores from each AOI were then collected and taken back to the lab for further processing.

The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine • 17

Turf Talk • Continued

material from each area was processed for total genomic DNA extraction.

To identify the ERI fungi associated with BD and root rot, a method called quantitiatve PCR was used to identify four fungal pathogens and associated root material. As a result, we were able

to determine if these ERI fungi were present in each root sample, and if so, at what proportion of fungal DNA to plant DNA occurred on average per green. This data was then used to create a spatial distribution map of each fungus within both greens.

Results

The ERI fungal complex was identified in many AOIs and tended to be aggregated within each green. All root samples on the symptomatic green had at least one or more ERI fungi identified; whereas the asymptomatic green had AOIs where no ERI fungi were present. M. cynodontis had the greatest frequency of occurrence in both greens; however, it had the lowest ratio of fungal to plant DNA. In the symptomatic green, G. graminis var. graminis occurred in 75% more AOIs than G. sp. with 120 times more fungal DNA than G. sp. In contrast, G. sp. occurred in 50% more AOIs than G. graminis var. graminis in the asymptomatic green; however, the quantity of fungal DNA for both was less than 1:1 fungal to plant DNA ratio. C. cynodontis was more predominant in the asymptomatic green but its fungal to plant DNA ratio was numerically less as compared to the symptomatic green where C. cynodontis occurred in less than 25% of AOIs. These results provided a spatial distribution of the ERI fungi within greens that were both symptomatic and asymptomatic for BD (Figs. 7–9 on pages 20–21). In addition, turf health data was collected for each AOI which included visual turf quality ratings, normalized difference vegetation index ratings, and root architecture.

Future Research and Application

Future research will anlayze results to determine if a significant relationship exists between agronomic factors and each ERI fungus or if there is a pathogen-pathogen interaction that may affect the distribution of these ERI fungi. All in all, a complex of these ERI fungi was identified in both symptomatic and asymptomatic greens. A distribution of fungal presence was determined for each fungus within both greens. An application of this research would be for superintendents to use these methods to sample greens of interest and send the samples to a diagnostic lab to determine ERI fungal distributions. In understanding the distribution 18 • Mississippi Turfgrass • Spring 2019

G sp.

Freq:

Ggg

20%

Freq:

Freq:

Freq:

95%

78%

28%

G sp.

Mc

Freq:

Cc

98%

Freq:

Freq:

Freq:

24%

90%

50%

Mc

Figure 7: Green 12 ectotrophic root-infecting (ERI) fungal distribution maps for each fungus. Each map represents an ERI fungus showing the distribution and frequency within the green symptomatic for bermudagrass decline.

Gauemannomyces sp. (G. sp.), Gaeumannomyces graminis var. graminis (Ggg), Magnaporthiopsis cynodontis (Mc), and Candidacolonium cynodontis (Cc).

of ERI fungi within a green, superintendents can focus on areas where fungal populations are present. This would introduce the option of a spot

20 • Mississippi Turfgrass • Spring 2019

Ggg

Cc

Figure 8: Green 2 ectotrophic root-infecting (ERI) fungal distribution maps for each fungus. Each map represents an ERI fungus showing the distribution and frequency within the asymptomatic green. Gauemannomyces sp. (G. sp.), Gaeumannomyces graminis var. graminis (Ggg), Magnaporthiopsis cynodontis (Mc), and Candidacolonium cynodontis (Cc).

spray fungicide program for greens of interest which will reduce fungicide inputs and promote sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Matthew Aaron Tucker is a graduate research assistant in the department of Biochemistry, Entomology, and Plant Pathology at Mississippi State

Continued

University. He studies under the direction of Dr. Maria Tomaso-Peterson. He received his undergraduate degree in Agronomy and Soils while studying Golf Course and Sports Turf Management. He is an avid sports fan, loves his wife and dog, and is a member of Mississippi State University’s disc golf team.

•

Turf Talk

Ggg G sp.

Mc Cc

References

Elliott, M.L. 1991. Determination of an etiological agent of bermudagrass decline. Phytopathology. 81:1380 –1384.

Vines, P.L. 2015. Evaluation of ultradwarf bermudagrass cultural management practices and identification, characterization, and pathogenicity of ectotrophic root-infecting fungi associated with summer decline of ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens. MS Thesis. Mississippi State University. v

Figure 9: Total distribution maps representative of all four fungi in both the green symptomatic for bermudagrass decline (left) and the asymptomatic green (right). Gauemannomyces graminis var. graminis (Ggg) in yellow, Gauemannomyces sp. (G. sp.) in blue, Magnaporthiopsis cynodontis (Mc) in orange, and Candidacolonium cynodontis (Cc) in purple. Three important conclusions from this information are: 1. A complex of the four ectotrophic root-infecting (ERI) fungi of interest confirms Vines’ research in 2015.

2. The ERI complexes are present in both symptomatic and asymptomatic greens.

3. The green symptomatic for bermudagrass decline (left) showed a greater occurrence of G. graminis var. graminis when compared with the asymptomatic green (right).

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The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine • 21

Upcoming Events

Mark Your Calendar and Save These Dates June 25

Join us for the Mississippi State University Turfgrass Research Field Day

17th Annual Yard Dawg Classic MSU Golf Course Starkville, MS

August 20

Mississippi State Turfgrass Research Field Day Rodney Foil Plant Science Research Center Starkville, MS

This event will feature developments in turf breeding, sod production, cultural management, native grass establishment, and weed/disease control.

October 1–3

Deep South Turf Expo

Attendee registration and vendor sponsorship opportunities will be announced at a later date.

Mississippi Coast Convention Center Biloxi, MS

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Association magazine. Subscriptions are complimentary to MTA members. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, its board of directors, Mississippi Turfgrass, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of

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advertisers, or their identification as MTA members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in any issue of Mississippi Turfgrass.

Copyright © 2019 by the Mississippi Turfgrass Association. Mississippi Turfgrass is published quarterly.

color-flex Distance Markers

Highly visible yet not intrusive Easy installation Safe for crosscut or diagonal mowing Highly resistant, permanent colored flexible material resistant to extreme temperature changes Six-month warranty www.color-flex.com

877-453-3539

22 • Mississippi Turfgrass • Spring 2019

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MorE

Saving you water, saving you money, saving the environment.

The Turfgrass Group, Inc. (770) 207-1500 or (770) 710-8139 www.TifTufBermuda.com

OFTEN IMITATED NEVER DUPLICATED POLYON® Controlled-Release Fertilizer.

Feeding YOUR Success.

POLYON® is a radically different fertilizer concept – one that can deliver radically better growing results for you. The key to the consistent, predictable release of POLYON® fertilizer is all in the exclusive, durable polymer membrane that coats each granule (our proprietary reactive-layer coating, or RLC). During the coating phase of the manufacturing process, a bond is formed with the substrate ensuring consistency and durability in every particle. Choose POLYON® and you will get guaranteed results backed by our POLYGRAPH® Guarantee.

For more information, visit www.harrells.com/polyon or contact your sales representative today!

STEVE KUYRKENDALL Golf- Mississippi skuyrkendall@harrells.com (601) 953-1847

www.harrells.com | 800.282.8007

JAMES BARTLEY Turf & Landscape- Mississippi jbartley@harrells.com (334) 707-5134

BRETT DRINKWINE Golf- Gulf Coast bdrinkwine@harrells.com (251) 689-3288