Calcite formation in soils can cause problems with infiltration and permeability. This problem can be exacerbated by a variety of factors, including poor irrigation water quality and prolonged periods of drought or abnormally dry weather conditions. A common test to determine whether a soil contains calcium carbonate is a “Fizz” test. During this test, a […]
The following appeared in the March 2015 issue of Greenkeeping Magazine. As the past chairman of greens at Golf Course De Pan in the Netherlands, Jan van Mondfrans recounts his experience eliminating irrigation on fairways for an entire growing season with the help of an alkyl-terminated block copolymer surfactant. Golf Course De Pan is a […]
Read More… from Managing Fine Fescue Fairways – Zero Irrigation Strategy
Much has been written about how to conserve water in turf and landscape situations. And well it should. Water is our most precious resource. We can’t live without it, and we need to do all that we can to conserve it and preserve it, both in terms of quantity and quality. So far however, most […]
Read More… from What Happens to Water After it Leaves the Irrigation System?
Mole crickets are a familiar foe for superintendents in the southeastern United States. While these pests like to feed on roots and leaves, the biggest threat to turfgrass stems from their extensive underground tunneling. Adult mole crickets create underground tunnels – sometimes up to three feet in length – that can sever roots and cause […]
Read More… from Triple Crown + Dispatch: A Mole Cricket Control Success Story
Don’t look now but we’re half-way through February. And for those who overseeded this winter, that means just one thing: transition back to warm season turf is right around the corner. However, going from the green of a cool season grass to the green of a warm season grass isn’t always easy or smooth. The […]
Read More… from Green to Green: Uniform Transition to Warm Season Turf
The Drought of 2012 has been wreaking havoc on food crops across the country. The physical and financial damage has been well documented, with farmers’ struggles becoming a somber staple on the nightly news. However, farmers are not alone in battling the harsh realities of such an extreme summer. At greenhouses and nurseries nationwide, growers […]
This summer has been a rough one for many golf courses in the United States (pun intended). Pervasive heat and prolonged dry spells are wreaking havoc with courses across the country. According to the US Drought Monitor, nearly 80% of the continental US currently faces drier-than-normal conditions. During these dog days of summer, Superintendents often […]
Video courtesy of PACE Turf The wonderful video above from the folks at Pace Turf highlights one of the ways to conduct a “knockout trial,” also occasionally referred to as a “plywood trial.” In this kind of trial, random plots on greens or fairways are covered with tarp or plywood before a certain treatment product […]
