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K-State Turf and Landscape Blog

Month: May 2016

Sports Fields Management & Maintenance Workshop – May 25, 2016

Posted on by jahoyle

(By Jared Hoyle; KSU Turfgrass Research and Extension)

Location;

Ozark Christian College 1111 N. Main Street

Joplin, Missouri 64801

Why Should You Attend?

REDUCE THE COST OF MAINTENANCE!

IMPROVE FIELD SAFETY!

Improperly managed sports fields are known to have caused injuries to student athletes, including concussions, broken bones, and sprains.

What will you learn?

Ways to reduce field-caused sports injuries

Solutions to turf maintenance problems specifically for your field

Warm-season turf fields maintenance and renovation

Cool-season turf fields maintenance and renovation

Soil management makes all the difference

 Calculating quantities of materials

 Finding actual costs of maintenance

 Creating funding justifications

 Budgeting for field expenses

For more information see the links below.

2016 05 25 Flyer Athletic Fields

2016 05 25 Brochure Sports Field Workshop (2)

“Rusty” Turfgrass…

Posted on by jahoyle

(By Jared Hoyle; KSU Turfgrass Research and Extension)

Have you ever walked across your lawn or through a grassy area and when you stopped looked down and your feet were orange?  (imaginary response – “No”) Ok, never mind then.  Just kidding, well if you do then you might have rust in your lawn.

I received this picture the other week from one of my good friends in North Carolina with the quote underneath the picture that said “What the heck (it wasn’t that word but another one) is on my grass?”

IMG_0106

I went through lots of questions with him and determined that he had rust.  This is a disease that can occur just about anywhere.  From a distance it can look like it has a yellow-grew cast to the lawn in large irregular spaces.  It can leave your shoes orange and most commonly have outbreaks in the spring when the temperatures are milder.  Well, we have had some of those temperatures around here too. So I got online and search through some of the KSU Agronomy blogs and found one that reported  rusts on cool-season grassy crops. Then the reports started coming in from Kansas on turfgrass.

Even though this sample was from North Carolina keep a lookout for it around here.  There are some cultural and chemical control options out there and can be found in the link below.

http://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/EP163.pdf

And here is some more information from Purdue.

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/bp/bp-110-w.pdf 

All in all, a DMI or Qol (strobilurin) should give you good control.

***Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for identification purposes and does not imply recommendation or endorsement, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned by Kansas State University.***

Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @KSUTurf.

Also, visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/KSUTurf

Orchardgrass control, or lack of?

Posted on by jahoyle

(By Jared Hoyle; KSU Turfgrass Research and Extension)

Last night while cruising through Facebook I can across a blog that Dr. Nick Christians from Iowa State wrote about orchardgrass.  Take a good look at the pictures because you might have some in your lawn too.

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/turfgrass/blog/orchardgrass-dactylis-glomerata-lawns

Now controlling orchardgrass is a different story.  Just because we can identify it doesn’t always mean it is easy to control.  Unfortunately, there no selective control options that we can use in cool-season turfgrass systems.  Many different chemistries (mesotrione, chlorosulfuron, metsulfuron, and more) have been tested at Purdue but didn’t even provide satisfactory control.

So with that being said the options out there right now are physical removal, blah… Or non-selective herbicides like glyphosate.

Always remember to READ THE LABEL for the correct rate, turfgrass tolerance, and specific instructions before application!!!

***Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for identification purposes and does not imply recommendation or endorsement, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned by Kansas State University.***

Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @KSUTurf.

Also, visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/KSUTurf

KGCSA Scholarship and Research Tournament – Sign up today!

Posted on by jahoyle

11th hole at FirekeeperGC, a daily fee course owned by the Prairie Band of the Potowatomi. Located in Mayetta, Kansas, the course was designed by Notah Begay and built by Landscapes nlimited. September, 2010. PM shoot. Photograph by Paul Hundley. Print aspect ratio: 0.65KGCSA Scholarship & Research Tournament will be held Tuesday, June 14 at Firekeeper Golf Course.  The 240-acre course is located across the street from the Prairie Band Casino & Resort, just 15 minutes north of Topeka.   The tournament fills up quickly and is on a first-come basis.  

Attached is the team entry form.   It is filling up quickly!

If you have anything to donate to the Live Auction, please indicate on the entry form or let me know.   You can donate equipment, autographed memorabilia, golf clubs, rounds of golf, electronics, product, gift certificates, etc. — you name it!

The Sponsorship Opportunity form is also attached.  This is our largest event of the year and it is a great opportunity to have your company’s name honored and recognized by our membership for your support of this well-attended event.

Looking forward to another successful tournament!

2016ScholarshipResearchTourney

2016Sponsorform

UAS Video of Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center in Manhattan

Posted on by jahoyle

(By Jared Hoyle; KSU Turfgrass Research and Extension)

Dr. Bremer has been working with unmanned aircraft to detect drought stress in turfgrass.  A recent article goes into more detail on how he is using that technology to help improve water management of turfgrass systems.  Check it out!

http://www.usga.org/course-care/turfgrass-and-environmental-research/research-updates/small-unmanned-aircraft-systems-detect-turfgrass-drought.html

But if you want to check out what the Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center in Manhattan looks like from above check out the video below.  Enjoy!

Aerification… Some people love it, some think it’s a cuss word.

Posted on by jahoyle

(By Jared Hoyle; KSU Turfgrass Research and Extension)

IMG_0591This article by Adam Moeller came across my email the other week and I know a lot of you golf course superintendents received it as well but I thought it would be good to share again. There was one quote in here that I really liked – “The greens may not play their best immediately following some aeration treatments, but everyone is playing the same conditions and golfers still can enjoy the game and make plenty of putts. After all, Tom Watson once shot a 58 when playing at Kansas City Country Club just a few days after the greens had been aerified.”

This article addresses many different emotional and scientific

http://www.usga.org/course-care/forethegolfer/why-do-golf-courses-aerate-so-much-.html

More articles on and a video on aerificaiton;

http://www.usga.org/course-care/our-experts-explain0/why-do-we-always-aerate-when-the-greens-are-perfect-21474872028.html

 

 

Get the grubs while the grub gettin’ is good.

Posted on by jahoyle

(By Jared Hoyle; KSU Turfgrass Research and Extension)
IMG_2447I know we still have a little bit of time before we need to apply grub control but it is better to be prepared instead of trying to catch up after grubs have destroyed your turf.

In the summer time we typically see dead spots in turf due to many factors but one of those could be annual white grubs.  The annual white grub is one of the most common grub pests in Kansas.  Masked chafers emerge from the soil around mid June in Kansas then after mating they deposit eggs back into the soil.  They then grow and develop in the soil and mature around September.  This is when we typically see damage in turf, once the grubs are large.  But if we can get them before they get big the easier it is to control.

So for control measures, you can apply it preventatively or as a rescue treatment (after you have already seen damage.

Preventative controls should be applied during that time when the grubs are mating and laying eggs.  This is typically in June/July time frame. Using a preventative insecticide gives you greater flexibility.  Products for preventative applications contain the systemic active ingredients; imidacloprid, chlorantraniliprole, clothianidin, thiamethoxam and halofenozide.  For a complete list of chemicals go here;

http://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/mf2635.pdf 

IMG_2445Rescue treatments are “wait-and-see” if you have grubs type of application. If you have grubs you can easily pull up the turf like carpet because all the roots are gone and you also might see skunk, raccoon and bird damage where they have tried to eat the grubs.  Rescue treatments consist of carbaryl and trichlorfon.

For more information check out the link above!

Always remember to READ THE LABEL for the correct rate, turfgrass tolerance, and specific instructions before application!!!

***Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for identification purposes and does not imply recommendation or endorsement, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned by Kansas State University.***

Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @KSUTurf.

Also, visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/KSUTurf

Rose black spot

Posted on by kennelly

Hey, what are those black spots on those roses?

IMG_4003

You might have guessed, it’s “black spot.”

Here is some great information from Ward Upham:

Blackspot of Roses  
    A common disease of roses is blackspot, a fungus disease that can cause defoliation of susceptible plants. Look for dark, circular lesions with feathery edges on the top surface of the leaves and raised purple spots on young canes. Infected leaves will often yellow between spots and eventually drop.
    The infection usually starts on the lower leaves and works its way up the plant.  Blackspot is most severe under conditions of high relative humidity (>85%), warm temperatures (75 to 85 degrees F) and six or more hours of leaf wetness. Newly expanding leaves are most vulnerable to infection. The fungus can survive on fallen leaves or canes and is disseminated primarily by splashing water.
    Cultural practices are the first line of defense.
    1. Don’t plant susceptible roses unless you are willing to use fungicide sprays. For a list
of blackspot resistant varieties, go to: http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/weeklypics/3-22-04.html
    2. Keep irrigation water off the foliage. Drip irrigation works well with roses.
    3. Plant roses in sun in areas with good air movement to limit the amount of time the
foliage is wet.
    4. Remove diseased leaves that have fallen and prune out infected rose canes to minimize inoculum.
    If needed, protect foliage with a regular spray program (10- to 14-day schedule) ) of effective fungicides. Recommended fungicides include tebuconazole (Bayer Disease Control for Roses,Flowers and Shrubs), myclobutanil (Immunox, Immunox Plus), triticonazole (Ortho Rose & Flower Disease Control) and chlorothalonil (Broad Spectrum Fungicide, Garden Disease Control, others).

Here is a closer zoom of some of the spots.

IMG_3999

If you really look closely (or, in real-life, use a hand-lens) you might see tiny little bumps. Those bumps are the structures where the fungus produces its spores. Zooming in closer, with the help of a compound microscope, we can see the individual spores. Each spore can cause a new infection.

black-spot-spores-2