The Musser International Turfgrass Foundation has selected James Rutledge of Purdue as the recipient of the 2010 Musser Award of Excellence. The award, which carries a stipend of $25,000, was announced earlier this year at the Golf Industry Show in San Diego, Calif. Rutledge earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from North Carolina State University, […]
Hunting billbug is becoming a significant problem in parts of southern Indiana where zoysiagrass is grown. These insects typically have two generations per year in this part of the Midwest with the larvae of both generations being capable of causing significant injury to turf. Sporadic adult hunting billbug activity has already been observed in the […]
Dandelions are one of the most common weeds of maintained turf because they can tolerate a wide variety of soils and environmental conditions. The best time to control dandelions or other broadleaf weeds is in the fall. Mid-spring is also an effective time for control, particularly when dandelions are flowering. If you wait too late […]
For those that are managing cool-season lawns like Kentucky bluegrass, the ryegrasses or fescues the unseasonably early warm spring weather has resulted in quite a bit of shoot tissue (leaf clippings) being produced. For many that think they want their lawns to look like a closely cropped and highly manicured golf course, this may have […]
As frequent users of pesticides, it is imperative that turfgrass professionals understand the terminology surrounding their formulation and use. For example, when we talk about ‘multiple targeting’ we are referring to an attempt to control more than one pest with a single application of pesticide. Timing of application as well as placement and formulation is critical to success. To time a […]
Mid-August to mid-September is the best time to seed cool-season grasses. However, sometimes turf is damaged throughout the winter or the previous year and must be seeded in the spring. Spring seeding is difficult so there are a few helpful hints to ensure the most successful outcome. Seeding should take place early in the spring […]
In a few weeks, it will be time to apply preemergence herbicides for controlling crabgrass. Crabgrass germination starts in early May, or when soil temperatures are approximately 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Once germination occurs, the weeds are difficult to control. A good strategy would be to apply the preemergence herbicide before germination to inhibit […]
Last week’s warm temperatures really made the grass green-up and begin growing which means many people are starting to think about seasonal mowing. Probably one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is not starting to mow their lawns soon enough. Remember the mowing “rule of thumb”. For optimum turf health “try not to remove more […]
With the winter snows melting away many are often surprised to find a series of tiny trails on the surface of their lawns and turfgrass fields. These are vole highways. Voles are often called meadow mice or field mice. While they are similar to a house mouse in general size and shape, they have some […]
The summary of our turfgrass research in the year 2009 is now available at www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/report/2009/index.html. 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 reports of on-going research at Purdue University . The report is a cooperative effort from […]
Melting snows revealed some significant snow mold damage. As you know there are two types of snow mold diseases, gray snow mold (aka Typhula blight) and pink snow mold (Microdochium patch). Although they create similar symptoms (circular patches of tan turf—sometimes with orange/brown margins) the pathogens are not closely related and they have different temperature requirements for infection. […]
There are literally thousands of fertilizers and fertilizer/pesticide combinations available to homeowners and professionals. Therefore, we can’t recommend how many pounds of a specific fertilizer to apply, but rather we must recommend fertilization rates in pounds of nitrogen per thousand square feet or lbs N/1000ft2. You can use our fertilizer calculator at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/fertcalc/Fertilization%20calc.html or you can use […]
As spring is closing in, we are fielding a number of questions four major questions right now: Which preemergence herbide to use? That one is pretty easy. We have only three active ingredients relatively easily available and they are dithiopyr, pendimethalin, and prodiamine. Our research shows that as long as they are applied at reasonable […]
There are many, many formulations and combinations of preemergence herbicides available for the professional. Following are some suggestions for purchasing and using preemergence herbicides. Control from every preemergence herbicide can vary from year to year, or location to location. Therefore, you can’t judge the performance of a product or a specific rate of that product […]
Whether you are maintaining a professional, university field or a local soccer field because your daughter is on the team, it is difficult to get an accurate estimate of the costs to maintain an athletic field. From my experience, we tend to dramatically underestimate the actual cost of maintaining athletic turf. Tom Samples and his […]
For those making the trip to San Diego for the Golf Industry Show, the Purdue Alumni and Friends Reception will be held Wednesday, February 10, 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Topaz room of the San Diego Westin, 400 West Broadway. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with your classmates and old friends. Please […]
The recent cold snap has raised a number of questions about survival of warm-season turfgrasses, especially given the relatively recent popularity of bermudagrass for fairways and athletic fields. Though winterkill is highly variable, all turfgrasses are most susceptible to cold temperatures very early and very late in the winter and thus we wouldn’t expect much […]
On behalf of the Turf Program, Midwest Regional Turf Foundation (MRTF), Indiana Nursery and Landscape Association (INLA), and Indiana Flower Growers Association (IFGA), thanks to everyone who helped with and/or attended the 2010 Indiana Green Expo on January 6-8 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. This marks the fourth year of cooperation between the […]
Time’s running out to register for the Indiana Green Expo to be held January 6-9 in Indianapolis. Though attendee registration is running slightly ahead of last year, we’re still extending the web registration and postmark deadline for reduced registration fees until Monday Dec. 21 at 11:59 pm. Highlights of the Expo include: 65 speakers from […]
This is a special invitation to all the Turf Industry to attend the Indiana Green Expo on January 6-9 in Indianapolis. If you have never attended or haven’t attended in a while, consider attending this year in spite of the economy. The educational program is consistently one of the best nationally and is incredibly diverse […]
