Turfgrass specialist Brian Horgan showed how the water is used at one of the testing plots at the U’s Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights.
“You can make a really big dent in the amount of resources required to manage that golf course by identifying alternative grass species for just those two areas,” he said.
Horgan said that although fine fescues offer many advantages, at least in some parts of the country, they also have some weaknesses. Because fescues have less density and a firmer surface, more water runs off, potentially into streams or ponds, unless buffer zones are created. Fescues also grow more slowly, meaning that divots, the chunks of grass removed during golf swings, don’t grow back as quickly. And many have a duller green than golfers are accustomed to.
Fescues also are more easily damaged by golf cart traffic, said Eric Watkins, University of Minnesota associate professor and turf grass breeder, who works with Horgan.
But Watkins said that fine fescues overall seem to “hit the mark” for use in Minnesota, and he and others are studying whether some of the weaknesses can be overcome by mixing fescue varieties, breeding or other strategies.
Watkins said it’s time to increase some of the research and see how alternative grasses behave on a fully functioning golf course, such as the Les Bolstad links.
“A lot of golf course superintendents want to see what these grasses look like and play like on real fairways, and how they’re managed on a wider scale,” he said. “Maybe the grasses play a little differently, and we could also learn more about what golfers think.”
Mark Johnson, associate director of environmental programs for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, said that Science of [the] Green and turf grass research at other universities have been important in the past and will be even more significant in the future.
“A golf course is a professionally managed landscape,” he said, “and these are all steps in the right direction as we talk about sustainable operations and proper use of natural resources.”
Ahead of the curve
Johnson said the golf industry is doing its part and is “ahead of the curve” in funding turf grass research and making changes, but in some parts of the country is facing greater regulations on fertilizer use and proposed restrictions on certain pesticides.
Horgan and Watkins will continue to research different properties of fescues and other grasses, and said that no decision has been made yet about whether the Les Bolstad golf course will eventually become a living laboratory for them and others across the country. It also is unclear whether different grass might be used on putting greens and tee boxes, which constitute about 4 acres on a typical golf course.
U regents have included renovation of the Les Bolstad Golf Course in their six-year capital plan, but will need to make more specific decisions. Horgan said the renovation he’s proposing will require full administrative support and private funding.
Adding interest to the potential project is the California drought and water shortages elsewhere, Watkins said. Typically those golf courses use different grasses, he said, but the historically dry conditions are helping golfers, businesses, farmers and the general public to understand the importance of conserving water everywhere.
“It’s certainly affecting the way that people think about how we use water on landscapes, even here in Minnesota,” Watkins said.
FILED UNDER: BRIAN HORGAN, DR. ERIC WATKINS, FINE FESCUE, STAR TRIBUNE, TURFGRASS RESEARCH
Got Rust? Send in a sample
AUGUST 11, 2015 BY SAM BAUER
University of Wisconsin Turfgrass Rust ResearchRustPlant
In 2013 the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Sod Producers Association (WSPA) and Sod Growers of Mid America (SGMA), initiated a series of experiments investigating the reasons behind increases in rust injury to cool-season turfgrass observed over the past several years. The project includes 4 primary experiments:
Use of molecular and morphological means to identify rust species associated with turfgrass found in sod production, home lawns, athletic fields, and golf course management from around Wisconsin, the Midwest, and the country.
Determination of inherent resistance to the multiple rust species in multiple genetic families of Kentucky bluegrass.
Inclusion of varying amounts of tall fescue mixed with Kentucky bluegrass and the impact on rust development.
Impact of nitrogen source and fungicide timing on rust development.
As part of the rust species identification project, we are looking for rust samples from your turfgrass! It doesn’t matter what species of grass, and it doesn’t matter what type of turf (sod, golf, home lawn). If you see rust on your turf, please submit it to the Turfgrass Diasnotic Lab for identification using the following simple steps:
Pick or cut 5 to 10 turfgrass plants affected by rust from the base of the plant near the soil, including both leaves and stem. Roots do not need to be included.
Wrap all plants together in aluminum foil, do NOT wrap in moist newspaper or paper towel.
Place wrapped plants in a standard business envelope (4.125 X 9.5 inches), include completed Rust ID Submission Form, affix postage, and promptly mail to the Turfgrass Diagnostic Lab at 2502 Highway M, Verona, WI 53593.
Please remember to complete and include the Rust ID Submission Form when submitting the sample.
Not sure if you have rust present on your lawn? Check out our Rust Disease ID page for more information. Still not sure? Submit it anyways and we’ll identify it regardless.
FILED UNDER: DISEASE, DR. PAUL KOCH, RUST
Perennial Ryegrass Seed Production
AUGUST 4, 2015 BY SAM BAUER
by Garett Heineck
FILED UNDER: GARETT HEINECK, PERENNIAL RYEGRASS, SEED PRODUCTION
Seeding your lawn this fall? Here are some considerations (Part 2 of 2)
AUGUST 3, 2015 BY SAM BAUER
Previously I wrote about the different renovation options for fall seeding of lawns and about the various attributes of cool-season lawn grasses. This week I wanted to discuss the mixtures and blends of grass seed that are on the consumer marketplace. If you’ve ever walked into your local big box store or garden center looking for grass seed, the different products available can be fairly intimidating. To be honest, I often have a difficult time finding the right mixture, because it only takes one bad ingredient to produce a poor quality lawn. With that in mind, let’s take a look at several categories of grass seed mixtures that are available to you.
Midwest Mixtures, Northern Blends, Sun and Shade Mixtures
Many companies sell seed mixtures under these names. Generally, these mixtures will contain a large percentage of Kentucky bluegrass, with perennial ryegrass and strong creeping red fescue included. For existing average quality lawns this is a good mixture of species, and chances are your lawn already has some of these species established. Perennial ryegrass will be the first species to germinate, generally 3-5 days after planting, and the other species will fill in over a 10-30 day period. Bluegrass and ryegrass do not perform well in the shade, so creeping red fescue is a great addition to this mix for its shade tolerance. Below are three examples of these mixtures.
Northern blend
Northern Blend (Performance Seed) seeded July, 2014. Picture taken July, 2015. Seed mixture includes: ‘Blue Angel’ Kentucky bluegrass (9.71%), ‘Kenblue’ Kentucky bluegrass (9.64%), ‘Ginger’ Kentucky bluegrass (9.51%), ‘Stallion’ perennial ryegrass (33.68%), ‘Boreal’ strong creeping red fescue (23.87%), and ‘Gulf’ annual ryegrass (9.69%). Cost = $2.39/lb of seed.
Midwest mixture
Midwest Mix (The Scotts Company) seeded July, 2014. Picture taken July, 2015. Seed mixture includes: ‘Jump Start’ Kentucky bluegrass (9.48%), ‘Right’ Kentucky bluegrass (7.71%), ‘Midnight II” Kentucky bluegrass (3.0%), ‘Wendy Jean’ strong creeping red fescue (8.5%), ‘Treazure II’ Chewing’s fescue (4.87%), ‘Silver Dollar’ perennial ryegrass (7.55%), and ‘Defender’ perennial ryegrass (6.83%). Also includes 50% Super Absorbent Coating. Cost = $10.39/lb of seed.
Sun and Shade
Sun and Shade (Barenburg) seeded July, 2014. Picture taken July, 2015. Seed mixture includes: ‘Baron’ Kentucky bluegrass (13.8%), ‘Barderby’ Kentucky bluegrass (4.59%), ‘Bargita’ perennial ryegrass (19.85%), ‘Barlennium’ perennial ryegrass (14.52%), ‘Tam 90′ annual ryegrass (14.74%), ‘Frazer’ Chewing’s fescue (9.73%), ‘Predator’ hard fescue (7.46%), and ‘Contender’ strong creeping red fescue. Also includes 7.5% Water Saver Seed Coating. Cost = $3.72/lb of seed.
The mixtures above would be consider standard lawn mixtures for Minnesota. You will notice that two of the mixtures have annual ryegrass included. Ideally I suggest to choose mixtures without annual ryegrass because it will compete with other grasses during establishment and it will not persist for longer than one year. However, the inclusion of a small percentage of annual ryegrass in a seed mixture will not cause long lasting issues in lawns.
Dense Shade Mixtures
In a perfect world there would be consistency among species that are included in shade grass mixtures, but this is not the case. Many companies will label [Read more…]
FILED UNDER: FINE FESCUE, KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS, LAWN, LOW INPUT, SAM BAUER, TALL FESCUE
Seeding your lawn this fall? Here are some considerations (Part 1 of 2)
JULY 24, 2015 BY SAM BAUER
Lawns in Minnesota take a beating. This is no surprise due to the extreme weather swings that we have from season to season and even within seasons. Fortunately this year has been a banner year for lawn care with plenty of rain, mild temperatures and low dew points. However, the current ten day forecast is setting us up to have some of the highest temperatures we’ve seen this summer, with
Turfgrass specialist Brian Horgan showed how the water is used at one of the testing plots at the U’s Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights.“You can make a really big dent in the amount of resources required to manage that golf course by identifying alternative grass species for just those two areas,” he said.Horgan said that although fine fescues offer many advantages, at least in some parts of the country, they also have some weaknesses. Because fescues have less density and a firmer surface, more water runs off, potentially into streams or ponds, unless buffer zones are created. Fescues also grow more slowly, meaning that divots, the chunks of grass removed during golf swings, don’t grow back as quickly. And many have a duller green than golfers are accustomed to.Fescues also are more easily damaged by golf cart traffic, said Eric Watkins, University of Minnesota associate professor and turf grass breeder, who works with Horgan.But Watkins said that fine fescues overall seem to “hit the mark” for use in Minnesota, and he and others are studying whether some of the weaknesses can be overcome by mixing fescue varieties, breeding or other strategies.Watkins said it’s time to increase some of the research and see how alternative grasses behave on a fully functioning golf course, such as the Les Bolstad links.“A lot of golf course superintendents want to see what these grasses look like and play like on real fairways, and how they’re managed on a wider scale,” he said. “Maybe the grasses play a little differently, and we could also learn more about what golfers think.”Mark Johnson, associate director of environmental programs for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, said that Science of [the] Green and turf grass research at other universities have been important in the past and will be even more significant in the future.“A golf course is a professionally managed landscape,” he said, “and these are all steps in the right direction as we talk about sustainable operations and proper use of natural resources.”Ahead of the curveJohnson said the golf industry is doing its part and is “ahead of the curve” in funding turf grass research and making changes, but in some parts of the country is facing greater regulations on fertilizer use and proposed restrictions on certain pesticides.Horgan and Watkins will continue to research different properties of fescues and other grasses, and said that no decision has been made yet about whether the Les Bolstad golf course will eventually become a living laboratory for them and others across the country. It also is unclear whether different grass might be used on putting greens and tee boxes, which constitute about 4 acres on a typical golf course.U regents have included renovation of the Les Bolstad Golf Course in their six-year capital plan, but will need to make more specific decisions. Horgan said the renovation he’s proposing will require full administrative support and private funding.Adding interest to the potential project is the California drought and water shortages elsewhere, Watkins said. Typically those golf courses use different grasses, he said, but the historically dry conditions are helping golfers, businesses, farmers and the general public to understand the importance of conserving water everywhere.“It’s certainly affecting the way that people think about how we use water on landscapes, even here in Minnesota,” Watkins said.FILED UNDER: BRIAN HORGAN, DR. ERIC WATKINS, FINE FESCUE, STAR TRIBUNE, TURFGRASS RESEARCHGot Rust? Send in a sampleAUGUST 11, 2015 BY SAM BAUERUniversity of Wisconsin Turfgrass Rust ResearchRustPlantIn 2013 the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Sod Producers Association (WSPA) and Sod Growers of Mid America (SGMA), initiated a series of experiments investigating the reasons behind increases in rust injury to cool-season turfgrass observed over the past several years. The project includes 4 primary experiments:Use of molecular and morphological means to identify rust species associated with turfgrass found in sod production, home lawns, athletic fields, and golf course management from around Wisconsin, the Midwest, and the country.Determination of inherent resistance to the multiple rust species in multiple genetic families of Kentucky bluegrass.Inclusion of varying amounts of tall fescue mixed with Kentucky bluegrass and the impact on rust development.Impact of nitrogen source and fungicide timing on rust development.As part of the rust species identification project, we are looking for rust samples from your turfgrass! It doesn’t matter what species of grass, and it doesn’t matter what type of turf (sod, golf, home lawn). If you see rust on your turf, please submit it to the Turfgrass Diasnotic Lab for identification using the following simple steps:Pick or cut 5 to 10 turfgrass plants affected by rust from the base of the plant near the soil, including both leaves and stem. Roots do not need to be included.Wrap all plants together in aluminum foil, do NOT wrap in moist newspaper or paper towel.Place wrapped plants in a standard business envelope (4.125 X 9.5 inches), include completed Rust ID Submission Form, affix postage, and promptly mail to the Turfgrass Diagnostic Lab at 2502 Highway M, Verona, WI 53593.Please remember to complete and include the Rust ID Submission Form when submitting the sample.Not sure if you have rust present on your lawn? Check out our Rust Disease ID page for more information. Still not sure? Submit it anyways and we’ll identify it regardless.FILED UNDER: DISEASE, DR. PAUL KOCH, RUSTPerennial Ryegrass Seed ProductionAUGUST 4, 2015 BY SAM BAUERby Garett HeineckFILED UNDER: GARETT HEINECK, PERENNIAL RYEGRASS, SEED PRODUCTIONSeeding your lawn this fall? Here are some considerations (Part 2 of 2)AUGUST 3, 2015 BY SAM BAUERPreviously I wrote about the different renovation options for fall seeding of lawns and about the various attributes of cool-season lawn grasses. This week I wanted to discuss the mixtures and blends of grass seed that are on the consumer marketplace. If you’ve ever walked into your local big box store or garden center looking for grass seed, the different products available can be fairly intimidating. To be honest, I often have a difficult time finding the right mixture, because it only takes one bad ingredient to produce a poor quality lawn. With that in mind, let’s take a look at several categories of grass seed mixtures that are available to you.Midwest Mixtures, Northern Blends, Sun and Shade MixturesMany companies sell seed mixtures under these names. Generally, these mixtures will contain a large percentage of Kentucky bluegrass, with perennial ryegrass and strong creeping red fescue included. For existing average quality lawns this is a good mixture of species, and chances are your lawn already has some of these species established. Perennial ryegrass will be the first species to germinate, generally 3-5 days after planting, and the other species will fill in over a 10-30 day period. Bluegrass and ryegrass do not perform well in the shade, so creeping red fescue is a great addition to this mix for its shade tolerance. Below are three examples of these mixtures.Northern blend
Northern Blend (Performance Seed) seeded July, 2014. Picture taken July, 2015. Seed mixture includes: ‘Blue Angel’ Kentucky bluegrass (9.71%), ‘Kenblue’ Kentucky bluegrass (9.64%), ‘Ginger’ Kentucky bluegrass (9.51%), ‘Stallion’ perennial ryegrass (33.68%), ‘Boreal’ strong creeping red fescue (23.87%), and ‘Gulf’ annual ryegrass (9.69%). Cost = $2.39/lb of seed.
Midwest mixture
Midwest Mix (The Scotts Company) seeded July, 2014. Picture taken July, 2015. Seed mixture includes: ‘Jump Start’ Kentucky bluegrass (9.48%), ‘Right’ Kentucky bluegrass (7.71%), ‘Midnight II” Kentucky bluegrass (3.0%), ‘Wendy Jean’ strong creeping red fescue (8.5%), ‘Treazure II’ Chewing’s fescue (4.87%), ‘Silver Dollar’ perennial ryegrass (7.55%), and ‘Defender’ perennial ryegrass (6.83%). Also includes 50% Super Absorbent Coating. Cost = $10.39/lb of seed.
Sun and Shade
Sun and Shade (Barenburg) seeded July, 2014. Picture taken July, 2015. Seed mixture includes: ‘Baron’ Kentucky bluegrass (13.8%), ‘Barderby’ Kentucky bluegrass (4.59%), ‘Bargita’ perennial ryegrass (19.85%), ‘Barlennium’ perennial ryegrass (14.52%), ‘Tam 90′ annual ryegrass (14.74%), ‘Frazer’ Chewing’s fescue (9.73%), ‘Predator’ hard fescue (7.46%), and ‘Contender’ strong creeping red fescue. Also includes 7.5% Water Saver Seed Coating. Cost = $3.72/lb of seed.
The mixtures above would be consider standard lawn mixtures for Minnesota. You will notice that two of the mixtures have annual ryegrass included. Ideally I suggest to choose mixtures without annual ryegrass because it will compete with other grasses during establishment and it will not persist for longer than one year. However, the inclusion of a small percentage of annual ryegrass in a seed mixture will not cause long lasting issues in lawns.
Dense Shade Mixtures
In a perfect world there would be consistency among species that are included in shade grass mixtures, but this is not the case. Many companies will label [Read more…]
FILED UNDER: FINE FESCUE, KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS, LAWN, LOW INPUT, SAM BAUER, TALL FESCUE
Seeding your lawn this fall? Here are some considerations (Part 1 of 2)
JULY 24, 2015 BY SAM BAUER
Lawns in Minnesota take a beating. This is no surprise due to the extreme weather swings that we have from season to season and even within seasons. Fortunately this year has been a banner year for lawn care with plenty of rain, mild temperatures and low dew points. However, the current ten day forecast is setting us up to have some of the highest temperatures we’ve seen this summer, with
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