Author: Zac Reicher

Dr. James B. Beard (MS ’59, PhD ’61) will be awarded Purdue Universities highest honor of Honorary Doctorate on May 15. Jim Beard has a distinguished career as a scientist, teacher, and a worldwide leader in the turfgrass industry. He...

Have you just moved into a new house with no lawn? Resist the urge to grade and quickly seed or sod this spring. The reason for this is that the soil must settle or be compacted after grading. Each foot...

Late summer is the best time to seed, but sometimes turf must be seeded in the spring. The following points should help improve the success of spring seedings: Seed as soon as possible (now is not too early) so the...

Lawn seem bumpier this spring when you first mowed it? Bumpy, difficult-to-mow lawns can be caused by either above-ground factors or below-ground soil factors. If the bumpiness is due to patches of incompatible species of coarse, bunch grasses like tall...

Are you interested in making pesticide applications to your customers' lawns? Indiana law says anyone who wants to apply turf pesticides (and that includes weed killers, weed and feed products, insecticides, and other over-the-counter pesticides) FOR HIRE must be licensed...

There are literally thousands of fertilizers and fertilizer/pesticide combinations available to homeowners and professionals. Therefore, we can't recommend how many pounds of fertilizer to apply, but rather we must recommend fertilization rates in pounds of nitrogen per thousand square feet...

We’ve received a number of emails asking for specific product recommendations for XYZ town in IN or IL, or even as far away as NY. Its very difficult, OK impossible, for us to recommend specific fertilizer/herbicide combinations because there is...

If a preemergence herbicide is justified on a turf area, the timing of application is important. In theory, applying too early will expose the herbicide to soil microbes and processes in the soil that may break it down, allowing crabgrass...

As a follow-up to earlier Turf Tips, we’ve made some changes to the earlier table of fungicide reentry statements because many of the statements changed in 2004 versus our information from 2003. Since some labeling may change without further notice,...

We recommend waiting until mid-May to fertilize for the vast majority of do-it-yourselfers, while professional lawn care operators often apply fertilizer early in the spring with the preemergence herbicide. These two seem to contradict each other. We know that a...

For the vast majority of homeowners, resist the urge to fertilize now. Fertilizing now can encourage too much growth and could lead to problems later this summer such as poor root growth and disease. Additionally, since spring rains play havoc...

Now’s the time to get the mower out of the shed, make sure it starts and is ready to go when you need it in the next few weeks. Be sure to sharpen the blade and make sure the mower...

The Best Management Practices for Golf Course that was in an earlier version of Turf Tips provided ideas for using pesticides safely on golf courses. Though it wasn’t clearly stated, the BMP’s listed assumed that all pesticides must be used...

On behalf of the Turf Program and the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation (MRTF), I’d like to thank everyone who helped with and/or attended the 2004 Midwest Turf Expo last week at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Some of the...

For those making the trip to San Diego for the GCSAA International Conference and Show, the Purdue Alumni and Friends Reception will be held Thursday, February 12, 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Columbia Room on the San Diego Marriott...

The IN-IL Turfgrass Short Course will be held on Feb 23-26 in Willowbrook, IL, again this year. This is an outstanding course for new and experienced turf professionals. It’s designed for turf managers with some experience and an understanding of...

The deadline of January 16 is fast approaching for pre-registration for the Midwest Turf Expo. Though registration is also available on site, pre-registration saves you time and money. Registration information is available at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/ and it can be faxed or mailed. Call...

As a result of a couple of pesticide spills in the last three years and from recent spot checks on golf courses, the Office of the Indiana State Chemist created a list of common pesticide use violations and they will...