1) Do cultivars differ in establishment rate, especially in a cold spring 2) Should I seed early or wait until it warms up? This research is the first step in the first year of the WinterTurf grant. In the spring of 2023 we will repeat this trial and expand with additional research that evaluates the effect of covers on reestablishment and other management practices such as nutrient source and rate, and possibly even using pigments to enhance surface warming and germination rates.
Management Practices and Snow Mold In the fall of 2022, we will conduct research projects in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin to determine the effects of different nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) rates and timings on snow mold incidence on a creeping bentgrass fairway. Plots will start receiving nitrogen and potassium applications starting in May and continuing through August. Different rates of N and K will be applied in September, October, and November. A different study will study the effects of leach mulching in Kentucky bluegrass on snow mold incidence.
Sod on Plastic Establishment Practices for Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass John N. Rogers, III, Jackie Guevara, Ryan Bearss Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences Michigan State University
S
ometimes, when we watch a football or soccer game, we notice tufts of grass flying off the field or sticking on the athlete’s gear. These athletes (bigger, stronger, and faster than ever before) plow through the grass and soil, leaving a beaten-up field at the end of the game. To continue providing an excellent playing environment, field managers are now shifting to building fields that could sustain highperformance demands known as performance turf.
There are two main factors in a performance turf: • United States Golf Association (USGA) specification rootzone – a sand-based rootzone promotes healthy turfgrass because it is less prone to soil compaction and allows proper drainage. • A traffic-tolerant and high-recovery turfgrass species – species with vegetative stems (i.e., rhizomes and stolons) repairs itself quickly and provides stability to the playing surface. To maximize the playing time on a performance turf, the rootzone of the installed sod should be the same as the existing rootzone. Soil layering – putting a fine-textured soil on top of a sand-based rootzone – leads
MTF NEWS NOTES
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| SUMMER 2022
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