Virginia Turfgrass Journal - September / October 2016

Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

September/October 2016

What Lies

Virginia Turfgrass Council / P.O. Box 5989 / Virginia Beach, VA 23471 / ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Beneath:

Bathymetry and Its Importance to Turf Managers Seed: What’s in the Numbers?

What Grows There? Identifying Nuisance Fungi that Commonly Occur on Bark Mulches

Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council | September/October 2016

14 14 Cover Story

What Lies Beneath: Bathymetry and Its Importance to Turf Managers

18 Turf Basics

Seed: What’s in the Numbers?

22 Landscape Tips

What Grows There?

Identifying Nuisance Fungi that Commonly Occur on Bark Mulches

18 Departments 6 President’s Message

from Rick Owens, CGCS

8 Director’s Corner

from Tom Tracy, Ph.D.

10 Editor’s Perspective

Mark Vaughn, CGCS

12 VTF Report

from Betty Parker

26 Industry News 28 VTC Membership Benefits and Application

30 Turfgrass Calendar 30 Virginia Tech Turf Team 30 Index of Advertisers

Virginia Turfgrass Council (VTC) 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, Virginia Turfgrass Journal, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or VTC members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this bimonthly publication. Copyright ©2016 by the Virginia Turfgrass Council. Virginia Turfgrass Journal is published bimonthly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of VTC. POSTMASTER: Send change of address notification to VTC, P.O. Box 5989, Virginia Beach, VA 23471. Postage guaranteed. Third-class postage is paid at Nashville, TN. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: Virginia Turfgrass Journal allows reprinting of material published here. Permission requests should be directed to VTC. 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 insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Franklin, TN 37068-0142, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524. Deadlines are the first of the month prior to the following month’s publication. (Example: August 1 for the September issue.)

4 | Virginia Turfgrass Journal September/October 2016 www.vaturf.org

President’s Message

One Long Hot

Summer On

September 12, many of our members enjoyed fellowship, golf and a short presentation from a few members of the Virginia Tech faculty at the annual Bob Ruff Jr. Memorial Research Golf Tournament. The tournament was again a rousing success. The profits are dedicated for turfgrass research at Virginia Tech. Wintergreen Resort Director of Golf Course Maintenance Fred Biggers, Devils Knob Golf Course Superintendent Wallace Haskins and their staff did a fabulous job. The golf course was in excellent shape and the food and drink was superb. Our own Mr. Gil Grattan gave an update on the progress of the Virginia Turfgrass Industry Survey, which is ongoing. A great time was had by all.

Your board met on September 21 and among the many items for discussion was the upcoming Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo, scheduled for January 30 thru February 2, 2017. Please put it on your calendar. The Expo has the largest tradeshow in the region. We also have a superb education program lined up.

This unique combination of two events cannot be found very many places.

Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland faculty combine their talents for the second straight year.

In late February, we will also have a smaller conference without a tradeshow in Virginia Beach called Come to the Bay (see Dr. Tom Tracy’s message on page 8 for more details on that). One other item under discussion is a plan

by Virginia Tech to end the Annual Turfgrass Field Day that has been held in Blacksburg for decades. The reason for this is that attendance has been falling in recent years. Most people have cited reasons for not going as bad time of year, remoteness of Blacksburg to many parts of the state and just being too busy.

The plan on the table is to have multiple field days in different regions of the state and targeted to individual industry segments — for example, a golf-specific field day in Richmond. Feel free to express your opinions on such a change.

I for one am looking forward to the fall season and its cooler temperatures.

More time with family, friends and hobbies like watching college football. It was a long, hot, stressful summer for turfgrass managers. I know I spent many long afternoons babysitting struggling turf. Be sure to take some time off and recharge your batteries. Enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Hope to see everyone at the Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo.

Rick Owens 2016–2017 VTC President

6 | Virginia Turfgrass Journal September/October 2016 www.vaturf.org

Rick Owens 2016–2017 President

Director’s Corner

Two Great Conferences

Coming Up! Two

fantastic conferences are happening in the next few months.

They are in different parts of the state, and they result from different partnerships, but they are both designed for the same great turfgrass industry.

First, the Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo(M-A-T-E) will be held at the end of January in Fredericksburg, Virginia. This conference donates all its profit to local turfgrass research (despite a record-breaking blizzard, last year’s inaugural event donated nearly $20,000!), and it is the result of many hours invested by Virginia Tech, the University of Maryland, the Maryland Turfgrass Council and the Virginia Turfgrass Council. The tradeshow and educational seminars are designed to serve all aspects of the turfgrass industry.

Allow me to single out one individual as an example of the collaboration that exemplifies M-A-T-E. Nick Hamner, the head mechanic at Wintergreen Resort’s golf courses, has worked behind the scenes for three years to develop and expand upon the annual Mechanic’s Seminar. He conducted surveys, solicited input from manufacturers, spoke with fellow mechanics and put together a two-day seminar that is second to none. The Mechanic’s Seminar and all of what you will see at the conference are the result of many hours of behind-the-scenes work by individuals such as Nick.

Next, Come to the Bay will be at the end of February in Virginia Beach in a hotel on the Chesapeake Bay. Like M-A-T-E, this event serves the turfgrass industry and is the result of great partnerships and the hard work of many persons working behind the scenes. Wes Bray (of Lawns and Gardens Plus) is chair of the Come to the Bay Committee, and he has pulled together an exceptional coalition of industry professionals and has encouraged partnerships with the Professional Grounds Management Society of Virginia, Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, Elizabeth River Project and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Separate websites have been created for the Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo and for Come to the Bay: www.turfconference.org and www.cometothebay.org. You may go directly to those sites or access them through the Events page of the main VTC website at www.virginiaturf.org.

Two conferences. Two parts of the state. Same great industry. c

8 | Virginia Turfgrass Journal September/October 2016 www.vaturf.org

Tom Tracy, Ph.D. VTC Executive Director

Virginia Turfgrass Journal is the official publication of The Virginia Turfgrass Council P.O. Box 5989 Virginia Beach, VA 23471 Office: (757) 464-1004 Fax: (757) 282-2693 vaturf@verizon.net Published by Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 790-3718 Fax: (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedgecommunications.com Editor Mark Vaughn, CGCS VTC OFFICERS President Rick Owens, CGCS Laurel Hill Golf Club (703) 674-6934 Vice President Scott Woodward Woodward Turf Farms (540) 727-0020 Treasurer Michael Skelton Culpeper County (540) 727-3412 Past President Fredrick Biggers, CGCS Wintergreen Resort (434) 325-8252 VTC DIRECTORS Steve Glass Tony Montgomery Marc Petrus Jesse Pritchard, CSFM David Smith Rick Viancour, CGCS Jimmy Viars, CGM Craig Zeigler ­ VTC ADVISORY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Mike Goatley, Ph.D. (Chair) Shawn Askew, Ph.D. Jeffrey Derr, Ph.D. Erik Ervin, Ph.D. David McCall Ph.D. Executive Director/ Director of PROGRAMS Tom Tracy, Ph.D. (757) 464-1004 Virginia Turfgrass Foundation Betty Parker (757) 574-9061

Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

|9

Editor’s Perspective

The Ones

Behind the Scene One

Mark Vaughn, CGCS • Virginia Turfgrass Journal Editor

of the great ironies of life is that those most people responsible for the success of others often go unnamed and unnoticed. For example, we are in the midst of one of the most glorious times of year for many. No, not fall but football season. I’ll bet you know the names of your favorite pretty-boy quarterback, running back, wide receiver, et al. You probably know most of the hotshots on defense as well — you know, the boys with the big contracts. Now, name me the guys on the O-line. Yep, just what I thought. Yet we all know the only reason Tom Brady doesn’t get his arms ripped off by the likes of Von Miller is because of the men up front in the trenches.

We’re also in the middle (God help us) of the political season. Although there’s not much in the way of profound oratory coming from presidential candidates this year, it has not always been so. But I’ll bet you a case of Briskway to a bag of Sevin dust there hasn’t been a speech written completely by a politician since ol’ Abe penned the Gettysburg Address.

How about your favorite musician/group? I used to love telling my kids that their new favorite song was actually a remake or a blatant theft of a tune from their ancient dad’s teenage days. And even then, many of the artists associated with those great lyrics never had a hand in writing them.

And let’s face it. As much as we’d like to see ourselves as William Wallace, leading our own band of crazy Scots into the daily battle with Mother Nature, we all know it just doesn’t happen without those great folks around us. Which is why I always feel like a poser when I see the byline “Editor’s Perspective” above my ramblings. I’m no more the editor of this publication than I am the former drummer for Led Zeppelin (man, that would have been great; of course, I’d be dead now — RIP, John Bonham).

If you’ve been paying attention (which I know was very hard to do during the summer of 2016), you realized that this life-changing magazine has not appeared quite as soon as it should have during the past months. And there’s a reason for that. Many of you may not know this, but the REAL editor of this magazine almost left us this year. And I don’t mean decided to take a new job. Because of some wonderful doctors at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and several major miracles, she is still with us and getting better all the time. I know this because she is starting to bug me for my columns again.

No, the person that makes this magazine happen IS redheaded, too, but she’s the one on the left in the photo at the top of this page. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen her picture in this publication. Which is much like the examples mentioned above. And it is ridiculous. So, Liz, put your mug in this edition, please. Yeah, I know I can already hear you giving credit to others, downplaying your role and pooh-poohing the idea. But, trust me — I’ll sleep better at night, and our audience would much rather see your smiling face than mine. C’mon, don’t censor me on this one. Thanks for hanging around. And please don’t scare us like that again. c

10 | Virginia Turfgrass Journal September/October 2016 www.vaturf.org

VTF Report

A Splendid Research Golf

Tournament!

The

cool thin air at the top of the mountain where Devil’s Knob at Wintergreen Resort spreads her fairways, greens and tees was a welcome contrast to the stifling heat of the Battle at Bristol. I left Bristol after a blisteringly hot tailgate and an even less comfortable night with the other 157,000 crazies when Virginia Tech got bruised by Tennessee.

So, it was nice to be among friends at Wintergreen and be part of an event where everyone wins! The 2016 Bob Ruff Memorial Research Golf Tournament was hosted by Fred Biggers and his staff at Wintergreen,

who once again gave all of us a reason to be a proud part of Virginia’s turfgrass industry. It was stunningly beautiful, with the hospitality of a five-star hotel. This is the last of four years it will be hosted at Wintergreen as we entertain other venues and formats.

In addition, we would like to say a big thank you for the many hours logged by Dr. Tom Tracy and the VTC Golf Committee. Dr. David McCall at Virginia Tech was instrumental in securing the lion’s share of teams and sponsors for this event.

He continues to be a valuable asset not only to Virginia Tech’s turf team, but also to Virginia’s turf

LUnch Sponsor

Birdie Sponsors

Syngenta

Dinner Sponsor Southern States

Putting Contest Air2g2 M and M Consulting

Beverage Cart Buy Sod

Hole Sponsors

Harmon Turf Services Nufarm Growth Enhancer Turf Consultants

Double Eagle Sponsors

Bayer Brookmeade Sod Davisson Golf Genesis Turfgrass Harrell’s Innovative Turf Services Intelligro Landscape Supply Luck Ecosystems Revels Tractor SiteOne Landscape Supply Smith Turf & Irrigation Trinity Turf Two Rivers Country Club Virginia Green Woodward Turf Farms

BASF Turfbreeze Fans/Subair Systems

12 | Virginia Turfgrass Journal September/October 2016 www.vaturf.org

Betty B. Parker VTF Manager

industry. We simply would not have a tournament without David’s help.

The meat and potatoes of this fundraiser come from our faithful vendors who, time after time, provide the money to cover meals and drink carts and to fuel research dollars by sponsoring teams and holes. Without these venders, we fail to meet our ultimate goal of raising dollars for turf research.

This tournament has raised more than a quarter million dollars for turfgrass research over the past 38 years. We continue to look at ways to make it even stronger next year and hope you will consider being a part of all the fun we have each year. c

Congratulations to Our Winning Teams!

1st Net Davisson Golf 2nd Net Turf Breeze Fans/Sub Air Systems 3rd Net Woodward Turf Farms 1st Gross Virginia Green 2nd Gross Revels Tractors 3rd Gross BASF

Cover Story

What Lies

Beneath: H

ave you ever experienced a dry season where rain was not in the immediate forecast and you were not absolutely certain that your irrigation ponds held enough water to cover you? As a former assistant golf course superintendent, I remember times when our irrigation lake was extremely low, and our greens could not go one more night without water. I knew that there was a good chance that I’d be hand watering them several times the next day, and each day without rain seemed to require more applied water than the one before. I knew I would soon be staring at mud in the irrigation

lake where water once was.

This is not a situation that any golf course or turf manager wants to find himself (or herself) navigating, yet it seems to happen somewhere in the region every year. Along with the tremendous amount of scientific research, management techniques and cuttingedge pesticides that are available to manage turf, there are strategies and tools that are equally important to ensure that ponds are managed properly and are aesthetically pleasing to your guests, but also to maintain their capacity for one of the turf industry’s most important maintenance tasks: irrigation.

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How bathymetry can help

If you have ever asked yourself, “What is the actual water-storage capacity in my irrigation pond?” or “I wonder how much water I have left to use to water my turf?” you are an ideal candidate for bathymetry. Looking below the water surface is very similar to analyzing a soil test report or evaluating the root system of your greens. Once you determine what lies beneath, you can manage the inputs and surrounding environment to maximize the output.

Bathymetry, which is a study of the three-dimensional volume and bottom contours of a waterbody, can reveal a

Bathymetry and Its Importance to Turf Managers

By Trent Nelson, NCCTP, Aquatic Specialist, SOLitude Lake Management

multitude of information about your irrigation pond. If you’ve ever wondered about your pond’s water-storage capacity and how that changes over the years, a bathymetric study can answer your questions and help prepare you for any short- or long-term maintenance that could be needed to keep your pond in working order.

All ponds and lakes have a natural life span that can be cut short by an abundance of sediment buildup, nuisance algae and aquatic vegetation growth, animal activity, poor management or a combination of these factors.

Poor bank stabilization, improper buffer

management and increased upstream development are the main contributing factors to increased sedimentation. If you observe that your pond’s capacity could possibly be decreasing, a bathymetric study could be an important tool for understanding your situation and being able to properly plan.

A wide array of factors can affect the timing of a bathymetric analysis. You can begin considering bathymetry once your pond has aged and begins to demonstrate decreased capacity. In areas where on-site or upstream development activities are high, this could literally be within a few years of the pond’s

original construction.

To optimally manage a water body, you need to know the surface acreage, water volume and sediment depth. The bathymetry process includes plotting the surface of the water body with GPS technology. Each of the GPS points recorded is correlated to the corresponding depth of the lake or pond at that specific point. Once all the data is colected, a contour map is developed to reflect the relevant depths of the lake. This map will identify shallow water areas as well as deep pools. The bathymetric map can even be used to ensure that irrigation pump inlets are

Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

| 15

Photo

1

Photo

2

This map, modeled from thousands of data points generated by combining GPS and depth measurements, shows the various depths across this golf course pond.

Along with the contour map, the sediment map provides this golf course with important information, such as where concentrations of heavy sediment have accumulated. This information could be extremely valuable for ponds that are also sources for irrigation, ensuring that the irrigation pump is located in an ideal and efficient place.

Cover Story continued

located in the deepest water possible.

And if they need to be moved, the area for optimal relocation is selected based upon your pond’s map.

The problem of sediment

Incoming sediment is one of the biggest problems that any water body faces.

Increased sediment buildup directly correlates to a decrease in total waterholding capacity. In addition, a decrease in depth also accelerates evaporation because shallow water experiences a greater increase in water temperature. Many of these areas of sedimentation at inflow points could be easily maintained annually with some fairly inexpensive shore-based removal, based on the data collected with your bathymetric survey. However, if you do not have good data and act on it, relatively minor problems can become very large and expensive problems to mitigate down the road.

At a time when water is a precious resource, it is important for the turf manager to know the exact holding capacity of an irrigation lake. If there are as-built drawings, topographic maps of the area prior to impoundment or lake design maps available, determining the volume of sediment buildup can easily be completed by using the data from the bathymetric survey. The new bathymetric map will allow you to calculate the current storage capacity, which can be compared with the original capacity and thereby indicate the decrease in overall storage capacity of the lake. This information can also allow you to project forward, using the sedimentation rate derived from this analysis, to predict what will be needed in terms of future dredging so that it can be properly planned and budgeted.

If original designs plans are not available, a sediment probing and analysis will be needed to try to determine the amount of sediment present.

Sediment probing at predetermined intervals per surface acre of water, all recorded with the same GPS technology as the lake mapping, will allow for the production of a detailed map of sediment depths across the lake bottom.

The sediment volume plus the storage capacity from the bathymetric survey equals the total storage capacity available if the sediment is removed.

If bathymetry and sediment analysis reveal that significant sediment accumulation is present, these same maps can be used to develop an action plan.

Many nutrient-remediation options are successful in reversing or diminishing the effects of increased sedimentation.

Proper bank stabilization, buffer plantings and biological augmentation can all combine to slow and even reduce sediment buildup in some instances.

However, if the maximum sediment storage capacity has been reached, which is the accumulation of sediment appropriate for a given pond before it is unable to perform at its original design function, dredging may be needed to return the water body to its original depth. In an ideal situation, a bathymetric study would reveal areas of concern prior to needing an invasive process such as dredging. It is nearly impossible to look at a water body from above the water surface and properly account for the amount of sediment that will need to be removed, where it can be deposited and how much

it will cost. Reputable water-quality management companies will always need the data from a bathymetric study, and possibly sediment probing, to properly assess the situation and make recommendations for returning your irrigation pond back to its original capacity.

You would never begin to spray greens or fertilize the baseball complex without knowing the size of the application area. This is no different than wondering how much water you may or may not have in your irrigation lake.

Without the proper mapping information of your waterbody, pondering how much water is in the lake is the only option available. Just think‌ with proper bathymetric data, you may never have to wonder how much water you have or don’t have, ever again. c Trent Nelson is an experienced aquatic specialist with SOLitude Lake Management and former golf course assistant superintendent. He can be reached at www. solitudelakemanagement.com/contact.

Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

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Turf Basics

Seed: What’s in the Numbers?

Photo 1: Different turfgrass species have different seed size.

By David R. Huff, Ph.D., Professor of Turfgrass Breeding and Genetics, Pennsylvania State University

S

eed serves as a remarkable means of plant propagation, particularly in terms of commercial application of plant material. It ships well, it stores well, and large-scale establishment can be achieved relatively quickly at low cost. In the turfgrass industry, it is most typical that cool-season species are propagated by seed, whereas warmseason turfgrass species are propagated vegetatively through either sprigs or sod. While there are exceptions to this general tendency (i.e., vegetatively propagated cool-season species and seeded warm-season species), for the most part, our industry utilizes seed to establish cool-season turfgrass species like bentgrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescues, while vegetative propagation is commonly utilized for warm-season species like bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass, zoysiagrass and seashore paspalum.

Much has been written about using seed as a means of turfgrass propagation, including the basic importance of various aspects like purchasing, applying and establishing seed; for example, being able to properly understand and utilize the important information contained on a seed label like the calculation of the percent Pure Live Seed (PLS) for comparing the true costs of different seed products (example, see http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/ centers/turf/extension/factsheets/seed).

However, in this article, I would like to present some of the different,

though no less important, aspects of using seed to establish areas of turf. For example, over the years, I have found that most turf managers view their seed as an individual cultivar or variety, in that all the seed in a bag, of say ‘Penncross’ creeping bentgrass, is genetically all the same. The truth is that each individual seed gives rise to a genetically unique individual plant. By genetically unique, I mean that some plants will be big and others small, some will be dark green and others light green, some will tiller more while other stay less dense, etc. This is because each seed in the bag of seed was the result of a fusion between a sperm from the pollen-donator parent plant and an egg from the seed-bearing parent plant. And just as in animals, insects and human beings, each individual is genetically unique and different from all others because each was derived from a unique combination of sperm and egg that gives rise to their genetic uniqueness.

A numbers game

I often like to tell my students that there are more stars in the universe than all the grains of sand on all the beaches of planet Earth and that there are more genetically different individuals of ‘Penncross’ creeping bentgrass than there are stars in the universe; but that statement seems to lose its impact unless you do the math, so let’s do the math (see Figure 1).

18 | Virginia Turfgrass Journal September/October 2016 www.vaturf.org

There are approximately 700 trillion cubic meters of beaches on planet Earth, and using an average medium sand particle size that is equivalent to 8,000 sand grains per cubic centimeter, that equals 5 quintillion (5 x 1018 ; in this decimal notation, 1018 is a 1 followed by 18 zeros) grains of sand on all the beaches of planet Earth. Now, there are approximately 250 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy, and there are approximately 200 billion galaxies in the known universe. That equals 50 sextillion (50 x 1021) stars in the universe (give or take).

These are very large numbers of things, too large really to even comprehend; however, they pale in comparison with the number of genetically unique individuals of sexually reproducing species, like creeping bentgrass. To estimate the number of genetically unique individuals of creeping bentgrass, we’ll apply a standard genetics formula that uses the number of different combinations of different forms of any given gene to the power of the total number of genes that an organism possesses. On average, this number is 1 x 1030,000, or 10 different combinations per gene to the power of 30,000 genes per organism. I don’t even know that there is a name for this number, but I do know that it is a very large number.

Finally, of the total amount of all this genetic variation within the creeping bentgrass species, approximately

Figure 1: A numbers game.

Photo 2: Segregating bentgrass green cropped via S. McDonald.

Grains of sand on beaches: 5 x 1018 700 trillion m3 of beach on Earth 8,000 grains = cm3 (1cm3 = 0.06 in3) Stars in the Universe: 5 x 1022 250 billion stars in the Milky Way

x 200 billion galaxies Genotypes of bentgrass: 1 x 1030,000 (Number of allelic combinations)# of genes Genotypes in Penncross: 1 x 10100 More than 2/3 of all creeping bentgrass genetic variation resides within cultivars divided by approximately 200 cultivars.

2/3 of the genetic variation have been found to reside within cultivars, while 1/3 has been found to reside between cultivars. And thus, if we assume that there are roughly 200 cultivars of creeping bentgrass in today’s market (there really aren’t that many, but it helps to make the numbers work better), then the total number of genetically unique

individuals that might exit within the ‘Penncross’ cultivar would roughly be on the order of 1 googol (or 1 x 10100; that is a 1 followed by 100 zeros). Thus, there is way more number of genetically unique individuals of Penncross creeping bentgrass, or any cultivar of creeping bentgrass for that matter, than there are stars in the universe.

The point of this exercise is to illustrate the importance of management of your young seedling plants during establishment. If, for example, you plant creeping bentgrass, which possesses 6 million seeds per pound, at a recommended rate of say 1 lb. per 1,000 ft2 on an average sized golf course putting green of 5,000 ft2, then your

Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

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Table 1: The percent by weight compared to the percent by number of a typical Northeast lawn seed mix containing Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue.

Typical Northeast Lawn Mixture: LOT NO. PSU-1-100 Seed Variety

Pure Seed % by wt

Germination

Perennial Ryegrass

60%

90%

54% (54/87) = .621

.621 x 237,000 = 147,177

147,177/438,927 = 0.335 Or 33.5%

Fine Fescue

30%

85 %

25.5% (25.5/87) = .293

.293 x 350,000 = 102,550

102,550/438,927 = 0.234 Or 23.4%

Kentucky Bluegrass

10%

75%

7.5% (7.5/87) = .086

.086 x 2,200,000 = 189,200

189,200/438,927 = 0.431 Or 43.1%

Total

—

—

87

438,927

100%

initial establishment will give you 30 million genetically unique seedlings.

Over time, it is unrealistic to believe that all 30 million seedlings will survive.

Some seedlings will succumb to disease, other will die from heat or cold, and many will simply be outcompeted by their neighboring brothers and sisters.

There is immense competition for the limited resources of light, nutrients, water and simply space to grow on a golf course putting green. Therefore, over time, those 30 million seedlings will be reduced to some lower number, maybe thousands or maybe hundreds.

In addition, the surviving plants will very often tend to look very different from one another due to their genetic uniqueness. This is one explanation of how and why putting greens tend to segregate over time into a network of patches (Photo 2).

The maintenance factor

However, the most important force for determining the level of competition and subsequent survival among these bentgrass seedlings is most likely the type and level of maintenance given by the turfgrass manager. Are these greens initially mowed at 1/8 inch or at 1/10 of an inch? Are these greens regularly cultivated, fertilized and irrigated, or are they kept lean and hard? These different management parameters have an extremely important impact on the final composition of the resulting bentgrass population because the genetically unique individuals will have different abilities to respond to different levels of management. For example, some individuals will tolerate lower mowing heights better than others, some will respond more to increased levels of nitrogen fertilizer than others, some will tolerate

Pure Live Seed and % of mix

Number of seeds per pound

traffic more than others, etc. And thus, the original seedling population, which initially started at 30 million plants, will be steadily winnowed down to a much-reduced number of plants depending on the level and type of management received.

Additionally, once a particular genotype has been eliminated from the population, it cannot be resurrected because turfgrasses like creeping bentgrass do not typically flower and set seed underneath our mowing heights.

Thus, if management practices are abruptly changed, after say 10 years, to a different level of intensity, then the genotypes best adapted to the new management practices might have already been eliminated from the existing population. And once these individuals are gone, they are gone, never to come back again.

It is at this point when my students typically ask, “But what about overseeding?” Well, in some cases overseeding can add or replace lost genetic variation, but in the case of creeping bentgrass, it is surprising to me how little genetic variation can actually be added through overseeding (see: Sweeney, P. and K. Danneberger. 1998.

Introducing A New Creeping Bentgrass Cultivar Through Interseeding: Does It Work? It sounds like a good idea, but there are drawbacks. USGA Greens Section Record Sept-Oct 1998. Pp. 19-20.). Thus, the point of all this is for superintendents to know and value their seedling population and to appreciate the fact that their management techniques will greatly influence the resulting plant population for a long, long time to come.

This same principle described above also holds true for home lawns and landscape turf. However, for lawn and

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Percent of each species by number of pure live seed

landscape turf, the seed numbers game is initially more important during the act of initial establishment. This is because most lawn and landscape turfs are established as a mixture of different species, the most common of which in the Northeast is a mixture of Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue. The important point here is that these three species have very different sizes of seed and that the available information on the seed label provides only the percentage of each type of seed by weight. Thus, when calculating out the final composition of species in the final product (the lawn itself), the Pure Seed component that is listed on the seed label as percent by weight of each species, in combination with PLS, must be converted to percent by number. This is because each pure live seed, regardless of its weight, gives rise to an individual seedling plant, and thus, the numbers are often very, very different.

As can be seen in Table 1, the number of Pure Live Seed per pound of each species is very different than the amount of Pure Seed that is listed on the seed label as a percent by weight.

For example, as a percent by weight, Kentucky bluegrass only registers 10% of the above bag of seed. Moreover, when the percent germination is included into the calculation in order to determine PLS, Kentucky bluegrass is only 7.5% of the seed mix. How ever, when we take into account that Kentucky bluegrass has 2.2 million seeds per pound, then the final species composition of the resulting lawn is a whopping 43.1% Kentucky bluegrass.

This example demonstrates the importance of knowing about the effect that seed numbers have on establishing various turfgrass species. c

Landscape Tips

What Grows There?

A Handy Guide for Identifying Nuisance Fungi that Commonly Occur on Bark Media and Mulches

By John Olive, Auburn University Ornamental Horticulture Research Center, Mobile, AL, and Alan Windham, Ph.D., University of Tennessee Extension Soil, Plant Pest Center, Nashville. All photos by Alan Windham.

W

ood, bark and other forest byproducts are used extensively as mulches in landscapes. Unfortunately, these organic substrates provide the perfect growing media for several common nuisance fungi. Although these fungi are not harmful to the plants growing in the media, they are often unsightly and aesthetically unappealing, or they are malodorous and can be disagreeable. These fungi can also speed decomposition of bark substrates and mulches.

Identifying these nuisance fungi can help ease homeowners’ fears and prevent unnecessary chemical applications.

Many fungi are considered a nuisance in landscape mulches, potting media and greenhouses. Let’s take a look at some of the most common nuisance fungi.

Bird’s nest fungi

These are aptly named for their vaseshaped resemblance to a tiny bird’s nest complete with a cache of eggs (see

Photos 1 and 2). The fruiting structure varies in size depending on the species but is usually in the range of 5 to 12 mm (1/5 to 1/2 inches) across. The “eggs” are a group of spore sacs called peridioles. Dispersal of the spores occurs when a drop of water hits the cup and the eggs are splashed out as far as seven feet.

A number of genera and species make up this group of fungi, with the most common being Cyathus and Crucibulum spp. These fungi can cover house siding with black specks that are difficult to wash off. On plants, the peridioles can look like insect frass and be so numerous on foliage that they cause the grower to believe it’s an insect infestation.

Peridioles of this group are easily recognized, as they often have a length of white, hyphae attached called a funicular cord. They do not cause damage to the plants, and there is no need to control them.

22 | Virginia Turfgrass Journal September/October 2016 www.vaturf.org

Artillery fungi

In the genus Sphaerobolus, artillery fungi are much smaller (0.04 to 0.1 inches or 1 to 3 mm) than the bird’s nest fungi and therefore are often not as visible and are difficult to detect (Photo 3). These “cannons” can send the single spore sac (shot from the tiny fruiting body) as far as 17 feet.

Like the bird’s nest fungi, they do no damage to plants, but the tiny projectiles can cover plant leaves and structure siding and are unsightly and often difficult to remove.

Artillery fungus is commonly found on hardwood mulch. Choosing an alternative mulch or mixing mushroom compost with mulch can reduce the incidence of artillery fungus.

Yellow houseplant mushroom, yellow parasol or flower pot parasol

Leucocoprinus birnbaumii is commonly found growing in containers in green-

1

2 3

4

6 5

Photo 1. Bird’s nest fungus close-up.

Photo 2. B ird’s nest fungus colony on hardwood mulch.

Photo 3. Artillery fungi.

Photo 4. Yellow houseplant mushroom, Leucocoprinus birnbaumii.

Photo 5. Elegant stinkhorn, Mutinus elegans.

Photo 6. Aseroe rubra, starfish stinkhorn fungus.

Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

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7

8

9

Photo 7. Columnar stinkhorn fungus, Linderia columnata. • Photo 8. Dog vomit slime mold, Fuligo septica.

Photo 9. False morel mushroom in mulch, Gyromitra sp. • Photo 10. Puffball, Calvatia cyathiformis.

houses and houseplants (Photo 4). As the common name indicates, it is easily identified as a yellow mushroom 1 to 4 inches tall. The cap usually has a nipple in the center and is 1 to 3 inches across.

There are reports of this mushroom causing gastrointestinal discomfort in some people, so it is not advisable to eat this mushroom, but it is not damaging to the plant, and there is no control recommended. They can be enjoyed as an unusual color surprise in houseplants. Containers infested with Leucocoprinus may have an extensive network of mycelium throughout the bark substrate, which may affect water retention.

Stinkhorn

Stinkhorn is the common name given to a number of fungi that are common in landscape wood mulches, three of which are discussed here. Stinkhorns are often first noticed as a slimy, gelatinous, white egg-shaped mass buried in mulch. The stinkhorns emerge from this structure and are identified by their shape.

The Elegant Stinkhorn (Photo 5), Mutinus elegans, forms a single pink to red narrow column that’s 4 to 7 inches tall. Sometimes the top portion will be covered with a brown slime. The Starfish Stinkhorn (Photo 6), Aseroe rubra emerges from the egg as a hollow white stalk topped with a crown of deeply divided arms radiating from the center like a flower. The Columnar Stinkhorn (Photo 7), Linderia columnata erupts from the egg as 5 to 7 spongy

red to orange columns that are joined at the top that can grow 6 inches tall.

As indicated by the name, all are identifiable by the putrid smell they produce at maturity. When conditions are ideal, they can emerge in large numbers and be very malodorous. They are often detected by their odor long before they are observed. Flies and other insects are attracted to stinkhorns and disperse spores. They are usually short lived and do not last long, but they can be removed by hand if needed (rubber gloves are recommended).

Dog vomit slime mold

This mold is not a fungus but is included in this discussion because it looks like a fungus and is a nuisance in bark mulches (Photo 8). It is in the Kingdom Protista like the amoeba.

This organism, Fuligo septica appears in early evening as a white-to-yellow gelatinous mass that slowly moves across mulch. In pre-dawn hours, this slime mold contracts to form soft crusty growth, which is sometimes mistaken for something a dog threw up.

It can appear in mulch, lawns or even bare ground. It is extremely common on hardwood mulch. As with the other fungi, this growth is not harmful, does not last long, and control is not required.

Other common fungi

Other common fungi found in mulch include Coprinoid mushrooms (ink caps), Leucoagaricus americanus, Gyromitra esculenta (false morels, Photo 9) and puffballs (Photo 10) such as Geastrum,

24 | Virginia Turfgrass Journal September/October 2016 www.vaturf.org

10 Lycoperdon and Scleroderma.

None of these fungi are harmful to the plants they grow adjacent to, but they are often the subject of frantic calls or emails to plant diagnostic labs and university horticulture departments. Being able to identify these nuisance fungi is useful in educating consumers as well as possibly preventing unnecessary chemical applications.

Other Resources

Arora, David. 1979. Mushrooms Demystified. Ten Speed Press. 959pp.

Davis, DD., L.J. Kuhns and T. L. Harpster. 2005. Use of mushroom compost to suppress artillery fungi. Journal of Environmental Horticulture 24: 212-214.

Volk, Tom. 2006. Tom Volk’s Fungi: Fungus of the Month. http:// TomVolkFungi.net Weber, Nancy Smith and Alexander H. Smith. 1985. A Field Guide to Southern Mushrooms. The University of Michigan Press. 280 pp. c

Industry News

Buy Sod to Offer TifTuf™ Bermudagrass, a Breakthrough in Drought Tolerance

A

dding yet another stellar addition to its lineup of outstanding turfgrass cultivars for turf managers and property owners seeking top-quality sod, Buy Sod, Inc., will begin offering TifTuf™ Certified Bermudagrass in spring 2017. The newest “Tif” release from the worldrenowned University of Georgia bermudagrass breeding program, TifTuf™ provides unbeatable drought tolerance — it uses 38% less water than industry standard, Tifway, and it is significantly more drought tolerant than all other bermudagrasses.

“We so strongly believe in the sustainability characteristics of TifTuf™ bermudagrass that we have planted it across our entire production footprint and are reducing or eliminating the

production of other varieties that require more water,” says Charles Harris, Buy Sod co-owner with David McCart and Clark Wooten. “In addition to its incredible drought tolerance, TifTuf™ is more aggressive than Tifway and provides superior wear and traffic tolerance, exceptional cold tolerance, faster spring green-up and excellent fall color retention.”

TifTuf™ is licensed only to certified sod producers by The Turfgrass Group, based in Monroe, Georgia. Buy Sod, with its stringent growing protocols to ensure genetic purity, is one of the first sod growers to be licensed to produce TifTuf™.

“TifTuf™ will pay for itself in water savings, but more importantly it will help create sustainable landscapes,

26 | Virginia Turfgrass Journal September/October 2016 www.vaturf.org

TifTuf™ Certified Bermudagrass is not only exceptional drought tolerant, but also it provides superior wear and traffic tolerance, excellent cold tolerance, faster spring greenup and excellent fall color retention.

golf courses and athletic fields in the future,” says Harris. “We think it will soon become the ultimate must-have grass for municipalities that are concerned about water use. This is a breakthrough product for our industry.” c

VTC Membership

Join the Membership Benefits For ALL members include: ree pesticide recertification training at the oneF day regional seminars.

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Free entry to the research tour of turfgrass studies in June at the Hampton Roads AREC. Free subscription to our bi-monthly Virginia Turfgrass Journal, offering research and industry updates.

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Virginia Turfgrass Council P.O. Box 5989 Virginia Beach, VA 23471 • Phone: 757-464-1004 • Fax: 757-282-2693 Email: vaturf@verizon.net • Web: www.vaturf.org Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

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Turfgrass Calendar

Virginia Tech Turf Team

Index of Advertisers

December 5–8

Shawn D. Askew, Ph.D.

Agronomic Lawn Management........... 28 www.fertilizerwithalm.com

Turfgrass Short Course Belmont Golf Course Henrico, VA

January 24–27, 2017

STMA Conference and Exhibition Orlando, FL January 30 – February 2, 2017 Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center Fredericksburg, VA

February 4–9, 2017

Golf Industry Show Orange County Convention Center Orlando, FL

February 20–23, 2017

TPI International Education Conference & Field Day (Turfgrass Producers Intl.)

Saddlebrook Resort Tampa, Florida

February 28 — March 1, 2017

Come to the Bay Virginia Beach Resort Hotel Virginia Beach, VA

May 23–24, 2017 Come to the Valley James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA

Virginia Tech 435 Old Glade Road Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-5807 saskew@vt.edu Jeffrey F. Derr, Ph.D.

Brouwer Kesmac................................... 25 www.kesmac.com Buy Sod.................................................... 5 www.buysod.com Camp Chemical Corp............................. 9

Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Agricultural Research Station 1444 Diamond Springs Rd. Virginia Beach, VA 23455 (757) 363-3912 jderr@vt.edu

Chesapeake Valley Seed ...................... 26 www.chesapeakevalleyseed.com

Erik H. Ervin, Ph.D.

Colonial Farm Credit............................ 28 www.colonialfarmcredit.com

Carolina Green Corp............................ 28 www.cgcfields.com

Collins Wharf Sod Farm....................... 23 www.collinswharfsod.com

Virginia Tech 339 Smyth Hall, CSES Dept.

Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-5208 ervin@vt.edu

Fisher & Son Company Inc.................. 27 www.fisherandson.com

Mike Goatley Jr., Ph.D.

Harrell’s LLC.......................................... 3 www.harrells.com

Virginia Tech 420 Smyth Hall, CSES Dept.

Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-2951 goatley@vt.edu David McCall, Ph.D.

Virginia Tech 435 Old Glade Road Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-9598 dsmccall@vt.edu

Daniel Sod Farms.................................. 28 www.danielsodfarms.com

Lebanon Turf......................... Back Cover www.lebturf.com Luck Ecosystems................................... 17 www.luckstone.com Mid-Atlantic STIHL, Inc................ Inside Front Cover www.STIHLdealers.com Modern Turf, Inc.................................... 9 www.modernturf.com

With Support from:

PBI Gordon Corporation.................Inside Back Cover www.pbigordon.com

Thomas P. Kuhar, Ph.D.

Progressive Turf Equipment, Inc......... 19 www.progressiveturfequip.com

Virginia Tech Dept. of Entomology 216 Price Hall 170 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-6129 tkuhar@vt.edu

30 | Virginia Turfgrass Journal September/October 2016 www.vaturf.org

Riverside Turf........................................ 13 www.riversideturf.com Smith Seed Services.............................. 11 www.smithseed.com The Turfgrass Group........................ 7, 21 www.theturfgrassgroup.com