4th Quarter Newsletter 2020.2021

4th Quarter 2020.2021

TEXAS TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION

Keeping Texas Green SINCE 1947

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Table of Contents President’s Message Raymond Miller…………...………….………………………………..4 Past President’s Message Whitney Milberger-Laird…………...………….……………………..5 Executive Director Message Katie Flowers ………….…………………….………………………..7

2021 Summer Save the Dates ………………………………………………..8 Featured Turfgrass Article

What to expect from the Texas Turfgrass Following the Recent Polar Vortex ……...9-14

Featured Turfgrass Article Carbon Sequestration……………….…………………….……….…………..16 - 18 2020 Winter Scrapbook 20-27…….………………...……-……………..20-27

2021 Winter Save the Date………………………………………………….29

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ADVERTISERS 2021 Sponsors

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All Seasons Turfgrass

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Green County Fertilizer

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Thomas Turfgrass

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Bowlin Consulting

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Larson Golf Services

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King Ranch Turfgrass

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THANK YOU!

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President’s Message

Welcome to 2021!

I am humbled by the duty of serving as the 2021 president of the Texas Turfgrass Association. Past presidents have been exceptional role models especially Whitney Milberger Laird and Mike Chandler.

This past year was challenging to say the least with a global pandemic, shutdowns, re-opening, shortages, renewed interest in golf and other outdoor activities.

The Texas Turfgrass Association rose to the challenge with our first ever virtual summer conference that was not only well attended but also well received. The TTA Winter Conference in December was the first in-person meeting in the state of any statewide association. We have learned that we all long for contact with each other more than we knew. The TTA has played and will play critical role to our turfgrass education, research, businesses, professional development, personal development and social well-being.

As 2021 begins, we look forward to getting back to normal, but the pandemic is quite done with us. New Covid 19 variates, vaccine shortages, pandemic related shortages and now a severe winter storm. The TTA is well into planning for an in -person summer meeting in Marble Falls, TX on July 18-20, 2021. We have also set the date and location for winter conference December 14 & 15, 2021 in San Antonio, TX. These meetings are designed to serve all segments the Texas turfgrass industry. Your membership in the TTA is critical to all our successes.

Stay safe, wear your mask and get vaccinated when you can. Please let us know it we can assist you further.

Sincerely, Raymond C. Miller President Texas Turfgrass Association

Past President’s Message

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Hello TTA Friends and FamilyWell, I start off preparing each newsletter with exciting news and then, well, life happens. I believe we all started 2021 with hopes of a better year, and then life literally froze for us in February. The real work of post freeze has now begun for most of us. Living life on life’s terms can be very uncomfortable, but for myself I look for the blessings (not always during the event) in all circumstances.

Going without power and water for a good bit immensely enhanced my family life. On the farm we have Arthur and Susie (ie the folks), my husband Clint, and our two boys Wyatt (10) and Reid (5). We couldn’t do much of anything, but we had each other. It was a beautiful time for bonding and play. Connect four and laser tag became a part of life. Even now with power back, the boys still want to play board games and go outside in the evening. The folks weathered through it, albeit a little cold, and the farm withstood very strong northern winds. I do hope you are all safe and recovering well. Please know your TTA family is a phone call or email away and that you are not alone.

Thank you so very much for allowing me to serve as your 2020 TTA President. We had a crazed but successful year! The winter conference was a blast, and Katie was there virtually with us all the way. I do thank Katie and the Board for all of their help in executing a full in-person conference. It was an absolute joy to see a lot of you again. Please consider attending 2021 educational events already being sent your way!

I hand off the title of Presidency to Mr. Raymond Miller in 2021. Raymond is a very caring and compassionate colleague, and I look forward to seeing where he can lead TTA this year. Thank you to ALL for keeping TTA alive! Lastly, thank you to Arthur and Sue Milberger, who I am blessed beyond words to call my parents. They have given me more love and support and taught me much of what I know about this industry that I choose to call home.

Best to you all. Please remember to take things one day at a time, focus on what you can control, do the best you can, and we will get through this together.

Best, Whitney Milberger

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2021 Board of Directors

Executive Board

Executive Director Message

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Howdy!

A great big thank you to all Members and Exhibitors who supported Texas Turfgrass’ decision to go to an in-person platform for the Winter Conference this past December. The board of Directors met exhaustingly and placed a great deal of insight into that decision and I feel confident that it was a great turn out for vendors and members who did want the in-person option.

As some of you know, I had to miss the in-person show at the last minute, as my daughter contracted Covid, but I was pleased to say she recovered nicely and delighted how the TTA Board of Directors stood up and help put on the Winter show with me in such an inspiring way! A huge thank you to everyone who helped (members, exhibitors, and board member) and a great big hug to Whitney Milberger for being the onsite “me” in Frisco. She was so supportive and did an amazing job!

2021 Summer and Winter planning is under way for this year, and I am optimistic that TTA can grab the reigns for in-person education and networking again for our green industry. I know that everyone’s feelings and personal viewpoints may still be personally affected but we will continue to try our best to connect our members and exhibitors in 2021.

Please be on the look-out as to how you can sign up for Horseshoe Bay in July and be a part of great education and a great party in Winter 2021 at the Hyatt Hill Country in San Antonio.

Send me your thoughts and ideas anytime for how we can improve! I look forward to seeing you all this year!

Stay healthy and safe!

Warmest Regards, Your Executive Director, Katie Flowers

Featured Turfgrass Article

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What to Expect from Texas Turfgrass Following the Recent Polar Vortex Chrissie A. Segars, PhD- Turf Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension-Dallas and Ben Wherley, PhD- Turf Ecologist, Texas A&M University-College Station

Context of the Recent Polar Vortex in Texas While the recent arctic snap experienced across the south-central U.S. is finally in our rear-view mirror, Texans may now be left wondering how their turfgrass will respond come spring. Although the low temperatures experienced in many parts of Texas rivaled record lows not seen in over 100 years, it was the sheer duration of sub-freezing temperatures which was most unusual. For example, the DFW area encountered the second longest period of below-freezing temperatures on record. Ironically, although the Houston area experienced 1 °F wind chills, these frigid temperatures were the lowest on record since only 1990. Perhaps the one blessing in disguise for both kids and plants during this event was the snowfall that came along with it, blanketing the state as far south as Brownsville, where measurable snow had only fallen twice since record keeping began over 120 years ago.

Winter Injury of Warm-Season Turf Winter injury of warm-season turfgrasses may arise due to numerous factors including direct low temperature kill (freezing injury), suffocation under prolonged ice cover, frost injury, and desiccation during windy, dry conditions. Of these, freezing injury due to low temperatures would be the greatest risk to grasses during an extended deep freeze like the one occurring recently. Although all warm-season grasses have some degree of built-in winter dormancy mechanisms, their relative tolerance to subfreezing temperatures goes only so far and varies depending on the species and cultivar. In general, buffalograsses possess superior low temperature tolerance, which can be seen in the extent of their northern adaptation, extending all the way into Canada. Zoysiagrasses possess the next best cold tolerance, with cultivars such as Meyer being grown as far north as southern Indiana and Ohio. Although bermudagrass cultivars with enhanced cold tolerance have been developed in recent years, such as Latitude 36 and Northbridge, they generally possess moderate cold tolerance, limiting their use to the southern transition zone and southward. Among the warm-season grasses, centipedegrass, seashore paspalum, St. Augustinegrass, and ultradwarf bermudagrasses (putting greens) all possess the least cold tolerance and are those generally most concerned with following cold snaps like the one experienced recently.

So, what’s the difference between species or cultivars with high and low freezing resistance? The answer lies in a grass species’ ability to ‘harden-off’ or acclimate during the fall months, as temperatures begin to drop going into winter. During the acclimation process, freeze-resistant plants begin to dehydrate their cells by accumulating solutes, including sugars and ions such as potassium within the cell, which act in a similar way to antifreeze (this is one of the major reasons we apply late-season applications of potassium to warm-season turf). Freezing injury therefore is most common in plants that have not acclimated, or are unable to acclimate to low temperatures, leading to ice formation within the cell and subsequent rupture of cellular contents.

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Featured Turfgrass Article How Low Can They Go? Lethal Temperatures for Warm-Season Turfgrass

So, what do the data tell us? The following are published LT50 (low temperature at which 50% of plants died) thresholds for warm-season turfgrass species and cultivars. These data are derived from controlled environment research studies in which plants were exposed to gradually decreasing temperatures, followed by removal and evaluation of recovery under ideal conditions.

Table 1: Relative freeze tolerance of warm-season turfgrasses Table Citation: Fry, J.D., B. Huang. 2004. Applied turfgrass science and physiology. Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley & Sons Relative Freeze Tolerance

Turfgrass*

Relative Killing Temperature** ºF

Excellent

Buffalograss

-10

Very Good

Zoysiagrass (Meyer)

6

Good

Bermudagrass

18

Poor

Seashore Paspalum

19

Poor

Centipedegrass

18

Very Poor

St. Augustinegrass

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**Killing temperature is based on the lowest estimated temperature to kill the growth point. Temperatures listed do not take into account specific characteristics of the site and should only be used as a general guideline.

Table 2: Published freeze tolerances of ultradwarf bermudagrass green cultivars Table Citation: J.A. Anderson, C. Taliaferro, and D. Martin. 2002. Freeze tolerance of bermudagrasses.

Bermudagrass Cultivar

Lethal Temperature for 50% Death ºF

Tifgreen

20.3

Tifdwarf

20.3

TifEagle

21.2

MiniVerde

21.6

Champion

23.4

Featured Turfgrass Article

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Table 3: Published freeze tolerances of St. Augustinegrass cultivars.

Table Citation: J. Kimball, S. Milla-Lewis, D. Livingston. 2017. Assessing freeze tolerance in St. Augustinegrass: temperature response and evaluation methods.

St. Augustinegrass Cultivar

Lethal Temperature for 50% Death ºF

Raleigh

23.7

Palmetto

25.0

Floratam

28.9

Table 4: Published freeze tolerances of Zoysiagrass cultivars.

Table Citation: Okeyo, D.O., J.D. Fry, D.J. Bremer, C.B. Rajashekar, M. Kennelly, A. Chandra, A.D. Genovesi, and M.C. Engelke. 2011.

Freezing tolerance and seasonal color of experimental zoysiagrasses.

Zoysiagrass Cultivar

Lethal Temperature for 50% Death ºF

Meyer

8.7 to 12.7

Innovation

10.8 to 16.9

Cavalier

22.6 to 31.6

Figure 1: Freeze-damaged area of fine textured zoysiagrass and plug from same area with green tissue within canopy.

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Featured Turfgrass Article Snow Cover Effects on Soil Temperatures

The risk of direct low temperature kill varies based on turfgrass species and cultivar. However, there are numerous confounding stresses that may also set the plant up for greater risk, which include shade, traffic, drainage issues, direction of slope, and soil compaction. When assessing potential for lowtemperature injury, a focus should be placed on temperatures encountered at or near the soil surface during the period of concern combined with the duration of sub-freezing exposure. In the absence of snow, ambient air temperatures may be a good means of estimating soil surface temperatures. However, if snow is present (as was the case with the recent cold snap in Texas) it insulates the turf, creating a physical barrier to heat loss which often keeps the turf near or even above freezing. In fact, this is the same reason that golf courses cover greens with winter blanket during sub-freezing conditions.

When considering these LT50 thresholds combined with the 3+ days of sub-freezing temperatures we encountered across Texas recently, the outlook for warm-season turfgrass survival and recovery would seem very bleak, were it not for the timely snowfall that occurred and insulated the ground through most of the extreme cold. As an example, Figure 1 illustrates air and soil (surface and 2”) low temperatures as measured from Feb. 12th through 21st at the Texas A&M Turfgrass Field Laboratory in College Station. Note that the daily low air temperature (green line) plunges from 16.6 °F on Feb. 14 to 7.7 °F on Feb. 15, and finally to 4.9 °F on Feb. 16. Despite these extremely low, sub-lethal air temperatures, the snow cover helped stabilized soil temperatures, keeping them much higher and closer to freezing. At the soil surface (red line), temperatures never dropped below 26.4 °F during the coldest period of the event. In addition, soil temperatures at the 2” depth (blue line) never fell below freezing.

Based on these observations, we would assume that temperatures at the 1” depth likely stayed at or slightly above freezing during the event as well.

Figure 2: Air and Soil Low Temps for College Station during the recent multi-day freeze event

Featured Turfgrass Article

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Outcome of This Event on Warm-Season Turf While it’s likely that spring green-up may be delayed in many areas and stands may be thinner than usual, based on these data, we are cautiously optimistic that we will see favorable spring recovery of warm-season turf stands across much of south-central Texas. For more northerly regions of the state including DFW, where even lower temperatures than these were encountered, we expect winterkill is likely to be more widespread, primarily for St. Augustinegrass lawns and ultradwarf bermudagrass greens. However, patience is key this spring, as delayed recovery and green-up may be expected from rhizomatous species including bermudagrass and zoysiagrass. This is going to be the case where low temperature kill injured stolons/rhizomes near the surface, but re-growth may still be possible from deeper in the canopy where temperatures were stabilized near or above freezing during the multi-day freeze event.

(Figure 3: Ultradwarf bermudagrass green covered in snow) What can I do now? Diagnosing Potential Winterkill: Quick methods for assessing viability of turf area Patience is key in assessing winter injury of turfgrass in its entirety. There are a few steps that you can take right now to assess the potential for winterkill in your turfgrass areas.

Step 1: Collect turfgrass plugs from suspected low-temperature damaged areas. This may include varying areas that receive more shade, endure higher amounts of traffic, have drainage issues, on north facing slopes, or have greater soil compaction.

Step 2: Place the turfgrass plug in a container that contains native soil or sand similar to that used in the root zone.

Step 3: Place the container in a sunny location such as southern facing window indoors or greenhouse.

Step 4: Keep plugs adequately watered. Growth/greening should begin in 7-to-10 days.

Step 5: Assess the crown region for signs of green leaf tissue and overall green coverage after plugs have grown for approximately 2-to-3 weeks.

Step 6: You may choose to repeat the sampling procedure on a 14-to-21-day interval throughout periods of cold weather.

Turf considerations for this spring: Fertility and herbicide strategies When a period of potential winter stress or injury occurs, there are some further considerations for input use during the spring transition period. Often, periods of potential winter injury occur during contemplations for spring fertilizer and herbicide use. The extent of winter injury can be unknown at this time. During the period of the unknown, it is recommended not to rush applications of fertilizer or herbicides following a harsh period of cold weather and to avoid, if able, applications of selective herbicides to areas that have potentially been weakened by winter injury.

Fertilizer Use This is a great time to consider taking a soil test. This will allow you to prepare not only for the potential establishment of new grass but also to recover the areas that were not killed by the cold temperatures. It is our recommendation to hold off on the addition of fertilizers until potential winter damage can be assessed. This will allow proper applications of nutrients that can be taken up by actively growing plants and will not be lost to the environment. Once turfgrass begins actively growing, the addition of fertilizer will aid in recovery. Once temperatures are conducive, spoon-feeding with frequent, lower rates of complete fertilizer may be needed to encourage recovery of thin or damaged areas.

Pre-emergence products In general, pre-emergence products are labeled to be safe for healthy, established turfgrass. Root inhibiting herbicides (prodiamine, pendimethalin, dithiopyr, indaziflam) can delay recovery in areas affected by winterkill. The pre-product oxadiazon (Ronstar) will not affect pegging down of roots and applications are safe for establishment of sod or sprigs where recovery may be needed. Please note that Oxadiazon is not labeled for residential use.

Pre- and Post- emergence programs Another consideration is foregoing the application of pre-emergence products during the spring transition period in areas where winter injury is suspected and waiting until full spring green-up has occurred. This would allow scouting of areas that may need to be replanted and would avoid the slowing of recovery from the application of pre-emergence herbicides. This option would rely on early scouting for troublesome weeds and the use of post-emergence products for early spring weed control.

Should you find that areas do not need to be reseeded or resodded, an option would be to tank mix a pre- and post- emergent product for your initial application. This would allow the pre-product to stop further emergence of summer annual weeds and allow the post-product to clean up any immature summer annual weeds that may have emerged during the green-up period. If moderate to heavy winterkill has occurred, avoid applications of pre-products if reseeding or resodding will be done right away. Pre -emergence products have varying soil residuals, so time applications before or after seeding/sodding.

Remember to always read the label for product use around newly established turfgrass.

Concluding Thoughts While we won’t know the full extent of damage from the recent arctic blast for a few weeks, it serves as a reminder to us that Mother Nature can be unpredictable, and we should always have a plan in place for these types of events, as uncommon as they are. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that we all come through this better than expected!

Figure 4– Tifway Fairway turf being examined for life after freeze.

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Featured Turfgrass Article

Carbon Sequestration and Microbial Populations in Turfgrass Landscapes Author: Joseph Young Ph.D. , Texas Tech University, Plant and Soil Science Department

Popular media and many urban residents seem to undermine the benefits natural turfgrass landscapes provide to the environment and betterment of society. However, one such benefit that has been studied extensively across the US is carbon sequestration potential of lawn grasses (1, 2), and newer research is identifying the vast array of beneficial microorganisms associated with natural turfgrasses (3, 4, 5). Researchers from Texas Tech University’s Plant and Soil Science department recently completed research in this area to estimate carbon sequestration potential and characterize soil microbial populations of urban turfgrass landscapes.

Carbon Sequestration Potential As carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere continue rising, turfgrasses and other photosynthesizing plants are benefiting by transforming atmospheric carbon dioxide into more stable forms of carbon stored in the soil. The capture and subsequent storage of carbon is called sequestration. Previous research has suggested turfgrasses have potential to sequester and safely store between 0.08 to 2.27 tons carbon per acre per year with variation depending on climate (annual temperature and moisture), soil texture, plant species selection, or previous land use.

Our research team set out to determine carbon sequestration potential of residential lawns throughout Lubbock by collecting soil samples (4-inch depth) from yards of homes built prior to 1970, 19711990, 1991-2010, and after 2011. We did assume there had not been any drastic alterations to the landscape since home construction and used previous satellite imagery from each property to confirm similar landscape design since the late 1990’s. Soil samples obtained from 40 residential lawns (10 lawns within each age group) were used to establish the carbon sequestration rate of 0.1 tons carbon per acre each year reaching maximum storage in the upper 4 inches at 53.6 years. Once maximum storage is reached (approximately 5 tons carbon per acre), an equilibrium is reached where relatively equal portions of the stable soil carbon pool are degraded by microorganisms as would be added through photosynthetic production and plant growth.

When considering an individual’s piece of residential property, the calculated carbon sequestration rate can feel a little “worthless”, especially when estimates suggest each human person expends 16 to 27 tons of carbon each year (6, 7). However, when you begin to add up the acreage of residential lawns across highly populated cities, managed parks, athletic field complexes, and golf courses; these incremental carbon storage bank accounts can become a significant contributor to decreasing atmospheric carbon.

Characterizing Microbial Populations in Turfgrass Soils The number of microbial organisms living in soil is astounding and almost unbelievable as it has been estimated that one gram of soil may contain up to 10 billion microorganisms! These soil microbes provide many benefits to soil, plants, and the environment such as decomposition, essential plant nutrient cycling, pesticide degradation, and bioremediation.

Our research was able to document increased microbial populations as home lawns aged and greater soil organic matter accumulated. This is comparable to other studies that have been conducted suggesting the overall population increases over time. However, as we began to categorize these microbes from residential soils, there was a shift from higher fungal populations to greater bacterial populations.

Not to raise any major concerns, the microbial population distinguishments are not intended to define pathogenic organisms that can lead to plant diseases, but this shift to greater bacteria has been documented in other turfgrass management systems as well (8, 9).

What are the real-world implications of this research?

As would be expected and known, turfgrasses accumulate soil organic matter over time, which supports greater carbon storage and microbial populations in the soil. When considering brand new lawns (homes built within 10 years) in Lubbock, there was increased soil compaction. Combining soil compaction and limited soil organic matter would significantly reduce water infiltration from rainfall or supplemental irrigation. Therefore, moisture management would need to be manipulated to ensure adequate water availability for effective plant growth. This may mean shorter irrigation run times but cycling through zones more frequently to minimize water runoff from the property. Additionally, less natural rainfall would be able to make it into the soil, which may require additional supplemental irrigation sooner after rainfall than yards of homes that have contained turfgrass coverage for over 10 years.

We were unable to distinguish any differences in carbon storage, rate of carbon accumulation, or microbial communities with various lawn management practices. The overall sample size was relatively small, consisting of 10 residential lawns within each age range. Moreover, most lawns received supplemental irrigation frequently and some fertility applications. However, a separate study evaluating carbon sequestration from bermudagrass golf course fairways in this same region resulted in the same exact rate of yearly soil carbon accumulation (10). This finding suggests that higher levels of management did not influence carbon sequestration rate but would greatly increase carbon evolution from the additional management practices or inputs (water, fertility, pesticides) needed to enhance visual turfgrass performance and growth. In contrast, golf course soils stored greater carbon compared to home lawns, which may demonstrate 1.) a benefit of management practices, 2.) higher production from low mown bermudagrass fairways, or 3.) a combination of these factors.

As managers of turfgrasses throughout the state of Texas, we must recognize the numerous benefits natural turfgrasses provide our environment. We must promote the benefits of turfgrass to the environment and sustainability of our management practices to all who will listen and learn from our trade.

The new administration brings major shifts in policy toward environmental stewardship and may provide incentives to those who can demonstrate shifts from high carbon evolution to storage. Through a collaborative effort among faculty members at Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University, and Texas A&M Extension Specialist, we want to ensure these data are effectively presented to parties that can support the turfgrass industry in Texas and communicate any options for financial incentives for our industry.

References: Raciti, S.M., Groffman, P.M., Jenkins, J.C., Pouyat, R.V., Fahey, T.J., Pickett, S.T., Cadenasso, M.L., 2011. Accumulation of carbon and nitrogen in residential soils with different land-use histories. Ecosystems 14, 287–297.

Selhorst, A., Lal, R., 2013. Net carbon sequestration potential and emissions in home lawn turfgrasses of the United States. Environ. Manage. 51, 198–208.

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Featured Turfgrass Article

Shi, W., Yao, H., Bowman, D., 2006. Soil microbial biomass, activity and nitrogen transformations in a turfgrass chronosequence. Soil Biol. Biochem. 38, 311–319.

Shi, W., Bowman, D., Rufty, T., 2007. Soil microbial community composition and function in turfgrass ecosystems. Bioremed. Biodivers. Bioavailab. 1, 72–77.

Yao, H., Bowman, D., Shi, W., 2011. Seasonal variations of soil microbial biomass and activity in warm- and cool-season turfgrass systems. Soil Biol. Biochem. 43, 1536–1543.

Zwart, D. 2020. Carbon concerns in the managed landscape. Texas Nursery and Landscape Association Webinar available at: https://academics.tnlaonline.org/videos-2/webinar/2020-webinars/ The Nature Conservancy. 2021. Calculate your carbon footprint. Available at: https://www.nature.org/ en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/carbon-footprint-calculator/

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Winter 2020 Scrapbook– Frisco, TX

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