Zac Reicher

337 articles by this author

Turf Tips List

September is a Crucial for Fertilizing All Cool-Season Turfs

With the returning rains in the state, now is the most important time to fertilize cool-season turfgrasses like creeping bentgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and tall or fine fescue. September fertilization is crucial on all turf areas regardless if it is a lawn, athletic field, or golf course green, tee or fairway. Fertilization in mid-September…Read more about September is a Crucial for Fertilizing All Cool-Season Turfs[Read More]

Time is Running Out to Seed Your Lawn

It now almost too late to seed this fall to expect the seedlings to form a good stand before winter, especially with the dry conditions that remain in the forecast. The optimum time to seed cool-season turfgrasses is between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15 in central IN, a week earlier in northern IN, and a…Read more about Time is Running Out to Seed Your Lawn[Read More]

Rust in Turf

A few rust calls are starting to trickle in, which is typical at this time of the year. Rust symptoms are reddish-orange lesions or spots on the leaf blades and a rust-colored powder that you can rub off with your fingers. Rust will rarely kill a turf area, but it can thin a turf stand…Read more about Rust in Turf[Read More]

Controlling Sandbur

The dry summer allowed sandbur to get a competitive edge over the other lawn grasses on the sandy soils in northern Indiana. Most people don’t realize they have sandbur in their lawn until they come into painful contact with it, and unfortunately it is too late to do anything about it then. Sandbur is an…Read more about Controlling Sandbur[Read More]

Hands-on Learning at the Turf and Ornamental Seminar in Nov.

Mark your calendars for Nov 15-16 for MRTF’s Turf and Ornamental Seminar. Like last year, the course is advanced for lawn care, golf course, sports turf, and sales staff. Topics include recovery from summer damage, bill bugs and white grubs, patch diseases, managing the toughest weeds, and weed ID. A number of new ornamental speakers…Read more about Hands-on Learning at the Turf and Ornamental Seminar in Nov.[Read More]

MRTF Golf Day at Coyote Crossing on Oct. 13

Openings are still available for the MRTF Golf Day on Oct 13 at the Hale Irwin-designed Coyote Crossing Golf Club in West Lafayette. This is the seventh annual event held to promote turfgrass research, raise awareness of the Purdue Turfgrass Science Program, and provide an enjoyable day of golf. It’s an early morning event starting…Read more about MRTF Golf Day at Coyote Crossing on Oct. 13[Read More]

Banner Year for Crabgrass and Nutsedge

With the heat and humidity of this summer, our cool-season grasses continue to thin making it one of the better years in recent memory for crabgrass and nutsedge. In Lafayette, we’ve had 50 days of temperatures higher than 85F, 18 of which were over 90F. Maximum photosynthesis and shoot growth of cool-season grasses occur between…Read more about Banner Year for Crabgrass and Nutsedge[Read More]

Turf 101: Optimum temperatures for seed germination

We’ve just entered the optimum seeding window for cool-season grasses throughout the state of Indiana. Though seed will germinate at a wide variety of temperatures, the optimum temperatures for germination are in the table below. The temperatures listed are air temperatures which would be almost identical to that in on the surface of the soil…Read more about Turf 101: Optimum temperatures for seed germination[Read More]

Now is the Time to Start Improving Your Lawn

Tired of the way your lawn looks? If it hasn’t looked up to par this summer with the relatively good weather, it never will and reseeding your lawn is an option. Mid-August is the best time to seed a new lawn or overseed an existing lawn. If the lawn is just thin and needs a…Read more about Now is the Time to Start Improving Your Lawn[Read More]

Purdue Turfgrass Research Report Available On-Line

The summary of our turfgrass research in the year 2004 is now available at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/report/2004/index.htm. The overall goal of our research program is to minimize inputs while maintaining turf quality, minimizing costs, and further protecting our environment. Our research summary contains over 40 reports of on-going research at Purdue University. The report is a cooperative effort…Read more about Purdue Turfgrass Research Report Available On-Line[Read More]

Turf Field Day Held July 26

Thanks to everyone who attended and helped make the 2005 Midwest Regional Turf Field Day a success on Tuesday, July 26. A hot steamy day with thankfully a brisk breeze greeted the almost 750 attendees. Attendees had the opportunity to view the latest in turfgrass research, visit with Purdue specialists, see the most modern equipment…Read more about Turf Field Day Held July 26[Read More]

Summer stress of Poa annua, Poa trivialis on Golf Courses

Persistent air temperatures of 90F and soil temperatures greater than 80F combine with high humidity and adequate rainfall (in some areas) is doing in the Poa annua (annual bluegrass)and Poa trivialis (rough bluegrass)on golf courses. After a week or two of these conditions, Poa annua greens and fairways will start to thin and die in…Read more about Summer stress of Poa annua, Poa trivialis on Golf Courses[Read More]

Summer stress of Poa annua and Poa trivialis in Lawns and Sports Fields

Persistent air temperatures of 90F and soil temperatures greater than 80F combine with high humidity and adequate rainfall (in some areas) is also doing in the Poa annua (annual bluegrass)and Poa trivialis (rough bluegrass)on lawns and athletic fields. Patches of these fine-bladed grasses seemingly die overnight with even a minimum of drought stress. Though these…Read more about Summer stress of Poa annua and Poa trivialis in Lawns and Sports Fields[Read More]

Perennial Ryegrass Looking Exceptionally Bad Right Now

Dollar spot, pythium, brown patch, rust, and perhaps other diseases are ravaging perennial ryegrass lawns currently (See the attached (undoctored!) photos). Turf performance in July and August is the main reason I don’t recommend perennial ryegrass for lawns in Indiana. Perennial ryegrass requires more irrigation, more fertilizer, and more fungicide applications than my preferred grasses,…Read more about Perennial Ryegrass Looking Exceptionally Bad Right Now[Read More]

Midwest Regional Turf Field Day on July 26

Don’t forget to register for the Midwest Regional Turf Field Day that will be held on July 26 at the W.H. Daniel Turfgrass Research and Diagnostic Center in West Lafayette. This is a great opportunity for turf professionals to view the latest in turfgrass research, talk to Purdue specialists about turf and ornamental issues, and…Read more about Midwest Regional Turf Field Day on July 26[Read More]

Establishing Turf in July

This is the toughest and most expensive time of the year to establish a lawn and waiting just four or five weeks to seed in the first half of August would be ideal. However, in some cases it must be done now and following are some tips to help: Success depends on irrigation and it…Read more about Establishing Turf in July[Read More]

Overseeding creeping bentgrass into thinning Poa annua

Dry and hot conditions may unfortunately favor early exit of Poa annua from golf turf. However, there is a silver lining to this. Rutgers reported that overseeding creeping bentgrass directly into a Poa stand in summer is effective for gradual conversion when done July 1. Rutgers produced significant (>25% cover) of bentgrass within 12 months…Read more about Overseeding creeping bentgrass into thinning Poa annua[Read More]

Velocity for Poa annua control….Potential and Precautions

Velocity (byspribac) was registered for Poa annua control in creeping bentgrass last November, so this is the first summer of potential widespread use. As with all new pesticides, we’ll learn more of the finer details as we use it. We have a number of studies at Purdue currently and I just stopped at a course…Read more about Velocity for Poa annua control….Potential and Precautions[Read More]

Free Registration for New MRTF Members at Field Day

If you are not a member of the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation, you can join now and receive one free registration to the MRTF Field Day on July 26. Other benefits of joining include reduced registration rates at all of the educational events sponsored by MRTF, regular mailings of newsletter and factsheets to help professionals…Read more about Free Registration for New MRTF Members at Field Day[Read More]

Facts and Advice on Turf Survival in Drought

There are many questions about turf survival in drought with the on-going drought in most parts of the state. Though we understand many of the mechanisms of turf survival in drought, it’s hard to duplicate all of the potential situations on research plots across the country and it’s difficult to give definite “black and white”…Read more about Facts and Advice on Turf Survival in Drought[Read More]