Author: Zac Reicher

Controlling broadleaf weeds after the drought

Now that the lawn and weeds have greened-up from the recent rains, broadleaf herbicides should be effective yet this fall. Though these herbicides work faster when the plants are actively growing, these herbicides will still work as long as the...

Upcoming Open Positions on the MRTF Board of Directors

There will be a number of openings on the MRTF Board of Directors in the upcoming December elections. MRTF’s mission is to support research and education and thus help advance our industry. We are looking for potential board members dedicated...

A Dry Lawn in October is Reason for Concern

Though areas of Indiana received some rain this week and more is forecasted, most of the state has received precipitation far below normal. Many lawns look as brown now as they normally do in August. This does not bode well...

Coping with Late Season Drought in Turf

(Adapted from the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation Factsheet, Oct 1, 2004) After an extremely wet summer, turf drought stress has come out of nowhere almost throughout the state after a dry August and September. Though September and October are prime...

Turf and Ornamental Seminar

Mark your calendars for Nov 15-18 for MRTF’s Turf and Ornamental Seminar. Like last year, the course is advanced for lawn care, golf course, sports turf, and sales staff. The lawn care session will be on Monday and Tuesday, Nov...

Bermudagrass for Southern Indiana Athletic Fields

Turf quality on municipal athletic fields in southern Indiana is typically poor due to excessive traffic from football and soccer. But reseeding worn areas with some common grass varieties in late spring or late fall aren’t always successful. This publication explains how bermudagrass can be a potential solution to worn fields in southern Indiana.

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PDF

PDF version of Bermudagrass for Southern Indiana Athletic Fields

MRTF Golf Day at Coyote Crossing on Oct. 14

Openings are still available for the MRTF Golf Day on Oct 14 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...

What Happens to Fertilizers and Pesticides Applied to Turf?

Now that we are entering the fertilization season for lawns, questions sometimes arise about where products go after application to lawns. Research at Purdue and many other universities has shown that fertilizers (including both nitrogen and phosphorus) and pesticides applied...

Attempting Ground Ivy Control

I’ve received a number of calls recently on ground ivy control. Here’s a rerun on an August Turf Tip on controlling ground ivy. Background Ground ivy is difficult to control and it is a problem in 31% of lawns maintained...

Purdue Turfgrass Research Report Available On-Line

Though members of the Midwest Regional turf Foundations received compact discs of our 2003 Research Summary a number of weeks ago, the same research summary is now available online at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/report/report.htm. The overall goal of our research program is to minimize...

Turf 101: Why does September Fertilization of Cool-Season Grasses Work?

Normal growth patterns of cool season grass produce most leaf growth in the spring. Therefore fertilization in spring tends to stimulate even more leaf growth which may in turn decrease long-term stress tolerance in the summer months. On the other...

September is a Crucial Time to Fertilize All Cool-Season Turfs

Early to mid-September 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,...

Seed Now!

We’re still in the middle of the optimum seeding window for cool-season turfgrasses. 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 week or...

More Evidence for Effectiveness of Fall Applications of Broadleaves

It’s been fairly well established that fall applications of herbicides are more effective than spring applications for broadleaf control. Recent work in Nebraska reported that applications of 2,4-D and/or dicamba were far more effective in controlling dandelions and Canada thistle...

Wait to Control Broadleaf Weeds

Though many broadleaf weeds like ground ivy, clover, and plantain are currently thriving in turf areas, resist the urge to spray them now. Following is a summary of a study that we discussed at Field Day that can help professionals...

Rust in Turf

The rain and temperatures this year have favored excellent turfgrass growth, and the N applied this spring is being depleted, thus favoring rust in even regularly fertilized turf areas. Rust symptoms are reddish-orange lesions or spots on the leaf blades...

Turf Field Day Held July 27

Thanks to everyone who attended and helped make the 2004 Midwest Regional Turf Field Day a success on Tuesday, July 27. A clear day with temperatures in the 70’s was almost perfect for the nearly 700 attendees. Attendees had the...

Thinning Turf Around Lawn Perimeter from zero-turning radius mowers

The popularity of the new zero-turning radius mowers is well-justified in terms of time and energy saving devices. However, these mowers are much heavier and faster than walk-behind mowers and thus increase compaction and turf wear. This is especially important...

Brown Tracks in Lawn

I’ve seen lawns and heard this week about brown streaks that are about the width of the mower (photo). In the vast majority of the cases, these tracks are caused by the weight of a mower traversing across a portion...

Reminder of Midwest Regional Turf Field Day on July 27

The Midwest Regional Turf Field Day will be held on July 27 at the Wm 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,...