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K-State Turf and Landscape Blog

Category: Turfgrass News

Brown Patch on Tall Fescue

By Ward Upham and Jack Fry

We have been receiving numerous reports of brown patch showing up on tall fescue. This disease is favored by warm night temperatures and extended periods of leaf wetness. If you go outside in the morning and the lawn is covered with dew and the temperature is in the high 60’s or higher, it means that conditions are getting right for brown patch. The fungus is primarily a leaf pathogen and does not attack the roots. During severe outbreaks, the fungus may invade the lower leaf sheaths and crown and kill plants. But in most cases, the turfgrass can recover from brown patch. This recovery may take two to three weeks, depending on weather.

There is no way to eliminate brown patch from a lawn. It will persist indefinitely in the soil. Therefore, the disease is not carried from one lawn to another. In almost all cases, the limiting factor for brown patch development is the weather, not the amount of fungal inoculum. Although you can’t eliminate the fungus, cultural practices – especially irrigation – can help control it. Don’t water in the evening; instead, water early in the morning. This will help decrease the number of hours the leaf tissue remains wet and susceptible to infection. The frequency of irrigation is not as important as the time of day you do it. Don’t overfertilize and certainly don’t fertilize when brown patch is active. Also, don’t allow your seeding or overseeding rates to become too high.

Fungicide applications should begin in mid-June and continue through August. Often tall fescue lawns will recover from brown patch but infections this year seem more severe than usual and may require overseeding this fall. CLICK HERE to find the useful source for fungicides effective on brown patch.

Dr. Dale Bremer Retiring – He’ll Be Missed by the Team!

After 21 years at K-State, Dr. Dale Bremer will retire from his position in June, 2022.  Dale has been an incredible contributor to research and teaching at K-State.  Dale found his research niche in a few important areas:  water conservation; spectral analysis of turf canopies; and nitrous oxide emissions from turf swards.  He received significant grant funding over the years, advised numerous undergraduate and graduate students, and published over 70 scientific research articles and at least 250 other publications including Agricultural Experiment Station Publications, professional abstracts, and trade journal articles.

Regarding teaching and administrative support, Dale taught the course “Turfgrass Science” for undergraduate and graduate students.  Graduate students took classes he taught called “Plant Research Methods” and “Graduate Seminar.”  He has also served as Graduate Program Director for the department since 2014.

Dale contributed a lot to Kansas turf conferences and field days, and also to industry associations including the Crop Science Society of America and the United States Golf Association.  He served as Technical Editor for the scientific journal Crop Science for 9 years and oversaw the evaluation of nearly 500 manuscripts.   In addition, he served as an Associate Editor for a 6-year term prior to that.  In addition, for the past several years, Dale served on the Turf and Environmental Research Committee for the United States Golf Association.  Only a few scientists are selected to serve on this committee, which is a true recognition of his strong scientific capabilities.

The success of K-State’s turf and landscape program has benefitted most from the teamwork provided by faculty and staff.  Dale has been a great team member in his involvement in teaching, research, and conference and field day activities.  Dale, congratulations on your opportunity to move on to something different.  The K-State team will miss your involvement in our activities, but  –  we are excited for you!

“The Dobson” – a Way to Support K-State Students

 

Lt. Colonel Dan Rooney, founder of “Folds of Honor,” recently orchestrated efforts to highlight the career of Jeremy Dobson, K-State alumnus and former superintendent of The Patriot Golf Club in Oklahoma, who sadly passed away recently.  Quote from Folds of Honor: “The Dobson will provide scholarships to K-State Students and ensure Jeremy’s legacy lives on through the gift of education. 100% of your support will go to Folds of Honor recipients at K-State.”  Learn more about this by clicking HERE.

 

Fry Receives GCSAA Outstanding Contribution Award

Jack Fry, long time K-State faculty member, has been honored with Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s (GCSAA) Outstanding Contribution Award. From GCSAA’s post:  “A fixture in turfgrass education, the scientist and researcher has influenced the expertise and career paths of many in the golf industry.”  Read more from GCSAA by clicking here.

Fine Fescues are Impressive in Kansas…So Far

Fine fescues include multiple species:  creeping red fescue; slender creeping red fescue; Chewings fescue; sheep fescue; and hard fescue.  In our state, they have traditionally been used in seed mixtures targeted at shady sites.  In general, fine fescues perform fairly well in shade.  Decline of fine fescues has been observed in Kansas during midsummer under wet conditions.

Some fine fescue species are exhibiting good color and density in summer heat in Olathe, KS.

The 2020 NTEP Fine Fescue trial was planted in September at the Olathe Horticulture Research Center in full sun.  It is a low-maintenance trial:  no irrigation has been applied (other than during establishment) and the area only received starter fertilizer at the time of establishment.  Many of these species and cultivars look very good in mid-July 2021.  We will continue to evaluate their performance over the coming years.  It’s quite possible that some of the fine fescues could provide an acceptable quality lawn with relatively low input.

Dr. Ross Braun is a former K-Stater (M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in turf at K-State) is now a lead research scholar at Purdue University, and is working diligently with these species. The Purdue research team is working with that at the Univ. of Minnesota on fine fescues (low-input turf).  To learn more about fine fescues, development of new cultivars, and management, check out the article and video below by Ross and explore the web site on which these are posted.

https://lowinputturf.umn.edu/news/what-are-fine-fescues

https://lowinputturf.umn.edu/news/what-are-fine-fescues

 

SAVE THE DATE! K-State Turf and Oranamentals Field Day 2021

By Brooke Garcia

The 2021 K-State Turf and Ornamentals Field Day is scheduled for Thursday, August 5th at the Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center in Manhattan, Kansas.

Address: 1700 Barnes Road, Manhattan, KS 66502

Date: August 5th, 2021

Time: There will be no formal welcoming session this year.  Tours will leave from the registration area about every 15 minutes beginning at 8:30 a.m. and running until 10 a.m.

  • Vendors will be present from 8 a.m. until about 1 p.m.  If you’re a vendor with interest in attending or sponsoring lunch or a “recorded video,” check HERE
  • You can arrive anytime between about 8:15 am (or earlier) and 9:45 am to join one of the tours.

How to Register:

  • REGISTER ONLINE HERE
  • OR MAIL “fillable” registration form (if you don’t want to register “online”): Available HERE

Parking:

  • Faith E Free Church – 1921 Barnes Road, Manhattan, KS.

Learn more here: http://www.kansasturfgrassfoundation.com/uploads/8/9/7/3/8973595/2021turffielddayprogram.pdf

 

 

K-State’s Turf and Ornamentals Field Day is On!

K-State’s Turf and Ornamentals Field Day is happening!  It will be held at the Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center, 1700 Barnes Road, on Thursday, August 5th.  Due to the pandemic (which is receding for now!), we will have a change of structure for our tour of research plots and conversations with faculty and graduate students. Please note that the format and guidelines are subject to further change or cancellation, based on KSU and state/local health policies.

  • Online advanced registration is strongly recommended. REGISTER ONLINE HERE
  • Details on program and “fillable” registration form (if you don’t want to register “online”) available HERE
  • Parking at Faith E Free Church – 1921 Barnes Road, Manhattan, KS.
  • There will be no formal welcoming session this year.  Tours will leave from the registration area about every 15 minutes beginning at 8:30 a.m. and running until 10 a.m.
  • Vendors will be present from 8 a.m. until about 1 p.m.  If you’re a vendor with interest in attending or sponsoring lunch or a “recorded video,” check HERE
  • You can arrive anytime between about 8:15 am (or earlier) and 9:45 am to join one of the tours.
  • Eight stops with different presenters, each running about 15 minutes.
  • No donuts or coffee will be provided, but a boxed lunch will be available when your plot tour finishes.  Take your boxed lunch and find your own space to eat – there will be some chairs spaced out in shaded areas. Or, feel to take it “to go.”

We hope to see you on Thursday, August 5!

K-State’s Sodcast: Interview with Ted Wilbur, Co-Owner of Sod Shops

The is the first edition of “K-State’s Sodcast,” which is a short interview with an individual to hear information about their involvement in the turf profession.  Several of these will be put together each year.  In this interview, Ted Wilbur, co-owner of Sod Shops in Wichita, KS, provides an overview of his experience in sod production.  These interviews are done to highlight professionals who have been supportive of K-State, not to advertise their accomplishments or their business.  I’d like to acknowledge the help of Gerry Snyder with K-State’s Division of Information Technology for helping put this together.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH!  (about 7 minutes long)

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAST DAY TO REGISTER….70th Annual Kansas Turfgrass Conference

By Brooke Garcia

 

The 70th Kansas Turfgrass Conference is just 2 weeks away. The LAST DAY  TO REGISTER is this Friday, November 27th.

Pesticide recertification credits are available!  Attached is a copy of the program.  You can register online at: https://2020turfconference.eventbrite.com

Your attendance and participation in the annual conference are critical for ongoing support of turfgrass research, and this year your participation is even more critical. Funds raised through the conference are used to help support research centers, pay research associates who manage the centers, and allow for ongoing research projects that improve turf management strategies and help reduce operating budgets.

One advantage to this year’s conference is you can attend from a distance, and not pay for the cost of travel or lodging!  The lineup of speakers is impressive, and includes specialists from other state universities.

Join us, support K-State turfgrass research, and learn new information!  We look forward to having you at this year’s conference!

Turfgrass Field Day Video Series

By Manoj Chhetri
Turfgrass Field Day would have been on August 6th, 2020, had we been able to have an in-person event this summer. This is certainly a first! For that reason, we’re offering a few short video summaries of research projects being conducted by K-State faculty and researchers. Videos don’t exceed 5 minuets, and the second video in the series is featured below. You will see more videos in the coming weeks.
Irrigation Strategies to Save Water on ‘Innovation’ Zoysiagrass
Manoj Chhetri
For more details on this research, click on the link below to see an article in the 2020 K-State Turfgrass Research Report: https://newprairiepress.org/kaesrr/vol6/iss7/3/