Turf Tips Archives
Seeding Lawns Around New Construction
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 of soil moved could settle up to two inches resulting in a rough lawn in […]
If You Must Seed, Do it Now
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 seed is in the ground and ready to germinate as soon as the soil temperatures […]
Bumpy Lawn?
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 fescue or orchardgrass growing in a stand of predominantly Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass, apply […]
April 12-13 3b RT Workshop to complete requirements for pesticide licensing
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 to do so. To obtain a commercial turf pesticide applicator FOR HIRE license, you’ll have […]
Calculating the pounds of fertilizer to apply
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 or lbs N/1000ft 2 . Calculating the amount of fertilizer to purchase and apply is […]
Why we don’t recommend specific fertilizer/herbicide combinations for homeowners
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 a large number of brands and an even larger number of fertilizer/herbicide combinations available on […]
Timing of Preemergence Herbicides
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 to germinate during the latter part of the summer. Conversely, applying too late may miss […]
New Edition of Re-entry Precautions for Turf Fungicides – March 11, 2004
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, be sure to refer to the actual label of the product you use before application. […]
Spring N: Do-It-Yourselfers vs Professional Recommendations
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 very low rate of N applied in the spring will green up the turf quickly […]
To Fertilize Lawns or not to Fertilize: That is the Question
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 with mowing schedules, nitrogen fertilization can further complicate your mowing schedule by causing grass plants […]
Follow-up to State Chemist Office BMP’s for Golf Courses
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 per label instructions as is the law. Also, one of the BMP’s included selecting pesticides […]
2004 Midwest Turf Expo
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 highlights of the Expo include • Almost 1600 professionals attended workshops and educational sessions covering […]
Purdue Alumni and Friends Reception at the GCSAA in San Diego
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 Hotel and Marina. Please plan on attending and also bring along any other Alumni or […]
There are still openings for the IN-IL Turfgrass Short Course in February
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 HOW we maintain turf, and meant to improve the understanding of WHY we do the […]
Registration Deadline Approaching for Midwest Turf Expo
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 Dan Weisenberger at 765-494-8087 if you have questions about registration. The Turf Expo is poised […]
Best Pesticide Management Practices for Indiana Golf Courses- Jan 2004
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 likely enforce regulations more aggressively on golf courses in the future. Following is that list […]