chips % pm s OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE Founded in PO C O N O TU R FG R A SS A SSO C IA TIO N 1936 V O L 8, NO. 5 AUGUST 2002 Kovacs Awarded Patterson Scholarship The PTGA would like to extend congratulations to Ben Kovacs, this year's winner of the Patterson Scholarship. Ben is a 2002 graduate of Delaware Valley College with a B.S. in Duane Schell to Host Clambake. Agronomy. His work experience includes Blue Ridge Trail Golf Course in Mountain Top is the venue for the two seasons on the 2002 Pocono Turfgrass Association Clambake and four-man scram­ grounds crew at ble tournament. Duane Schell has been the golf course superinten­ Saucon Valley C.C. dent at Blue Ridge since 1998. An Ault and Clark design, the course's under Terry Laurent back nine opened as Alberdeen Acres in 1992. Current owner Bob and an internship at Tam bur purchased the property in 1996 and completed the front Lehigh Valley C.C. for nine as well as a new clubhouse, driving range, and full cart path. John Chassard. He is Duane employs 12 seasonal employees, as well as three full time staff. The golf course has blossomed to 35,000 rounds annually and currently the Assistant has established itself as one of the premier public golfing facilities in Superintendent at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area. An added attraction this year is the Waynesborough C.C. global positioning system (GPS) now aboard each cart. The Association wishes Duane is a 1995 graduate of the Penn State two-year Turf Program. l the best of luck. He also received a bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University in 1993. Duane credits Wayne Knelly with giving him his first taste of the turf industry in 1985 at Sugarloaf Golf Club where he worked until 1995. After interning for Terry Laurent at Saucon Valley, Duane moved on to Doylestown Country Club as John Mizikar's assistant superintendent in 1996. Duane is joined in life by Mary, his wife of five years, and their daughter Kyra. They are also awaiting the arrival of their second child in February 2003. President’s Message....... As I write this message, I find it hard to believe that the anniversary of 9/11 is only a week away. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. Playing golf at Great Bear, the weather was excellent, the golf course PRESIDENT was great. Everything seemed like it did not affect us in the Poconos, Gene Huelster, White Beeches 201-262-3365 but almost every aspect of our lives has changed. Maybe some turfman@ezaccess.net changes are not as noticeable as others, but they are there. Just think VICE PRESIDENT about it. Ron Garrison, CGCS, Fox Hill C.C. As I reflect upon the last year, I realize that I was unable to follow 570-655-2383 the changes in my life that I wanted to see happen. To be honest with rgarrison@golfsat.net you, I am very angry with myself about it. I wanted my relationships SECRETARY/TREASURER with family and friends to grow, to spend more time with them and less Mark Eisele, CGCS, C. C. at Woodloch Springs 570-685-2980 time at work. Well, just the opposite has happened. Unfortunately, I eiselemk@ltis.net will never be able to capture that time I lost. I, along with many of DIRECTORS you, was consumed with work this summer. Sometimes we are bound Jason J. Barndt, Berwick Golf Club to lose a little turf or have some crabgrass where we thought we put 570-759-6480 down a preventative - well, stuff happens. grassman72@hotmail.com So, the point of this message is to take time for you. Whether it is Steven Chirip, Egypt Farms, Inc. spending time with your family or jusf by yourself. Let's take a step 570-894-3131 back and relax. John Downer, Elkview C.C. 570-222-9247 Joseph Henry, Hideaway Hills G.C. Gene Huelster 610-681-6000 jrcmhenry@earthlink.net Eric Reed, Valley C.C. 570-788-4277 P.S. I have some textbook crabgrass (dinner plate size) where I barley5@aol.com thought I put down preventative. If you need some, don't hesitate to Duane Schell, Blue Ridge Trail G. C. call. 570-868-8113 djschell@epix.net CHIPS & PUnS STAFF EDITOR Eric Reed From the Editor’s Desk, Managing Editor Melinda Wisnosky Editorial Committee I took advantage of today’s rainy day to wrap up this month's issue. Jason Barndt Sadly, you have 50-50 odds of guessing which rainy day this is. Some Jeff Koch Jim MacLaren turf is already responding to the rain and cooler temps. You look at other areas and think there is no way there will ever be grass there P T G A O ffic e again, but a couple more weeks and hopefully the drought scars will RR 1, Box 219 Harding, PA 19643 be a two-week old memory. Phone/Fax: (570) 388-2167 I joined the realm of “those who have it” this summer with respect to Basal Rot Anthracnose. What a humbling experience that was. We are following fhe USGA’s recommendations with respect to promoting the health of the turf by raising fhe height of cuf and fertilizing every week. My members are being very patient, but I cringe at the length W C M f of backswing that their putters now require. Any opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author a n d /o r person quoted, and may not represent the position of PTGA. Information contained in this publication may be used freely, in whole or in part, without special permission as long as the true context is maintained. Eric Reed W e would appreciate a credit line. Are You Misdiagnosing Bacterial Wilt on Poa annua Greens? By Stanley J. Dir Since our last Web site update, an interesting development has occurred. More Mid-Atlantic Region golt courses are being diagnosed with bacterial wilt on Poa annua greens, caused by the organism Xanthomonas campestris. Those of us with some years logged in the industry remember bacterial wilt as a problem on vegeta- tively propagated strains of C -l 5 Toronto creeping bentgrass. What was once a rare occurrence is now becoming more common. In the past two weeks, well over a dozen golf courses have been positively identified as having bacterial wilt. In almost every situation, the superin­ tendents thought they were fighting anthracnose, another destructive disease of Poa annua greens. However, fhe fungicide control programs they were following were not working. The Poa annua continued to decline in spite of their best efforts. Close examination of the grass with a macroscope showed few, if any, anthracnose fruiting bodies, the bent- grass was doing fine and yet the Poa annua continued to decline. At least initially, most of fhe superintendents we visited were at least relieved to know that it was not anthrac­ nose! The following are a few clues to help in the field diagnosis of bacterial wilt. 0 The only grass affected is Poa annua. 0 Decline occurs almost exclusively on greens. 0 The symptoms are most common when the grass is under intense stress: environmental (heat and humidity) and mechanical (close mowing) stresses. 0 The disease resembles mini dollar spot infection centers. The spots are never larger than a dime in size. Some are as small as your little fingernail. 0 Close examinafion with a 25-40 power macroscope shows a bleached, wilting grass plant without the characteristic acervuli (the black spiny fruiting bodies) of anthracnose. Basal rot anthracnose, which can be active at the same time, can start as bright yellow Poa annua stems and patches where the base of the stem is black. However, as the disease progresses, you almost always see some acervuli. If acervuli aren’t present, the Poa annua is declining, the bentgrass is thriving and you see a pattern of small dime size or smaller white spots, you may have bacterial wilt. 0 Positive diagnosis is obviously important. Send a sample to a plant diagnostic laboratory and indicate you think it may be bacterial wilt. The laboratory personnel must screen for this disease in a different way. The infected leaf is dissected, and if at the proper stage, the bacteria literally ooze out. This disease is a vascular wilt and does not injure the grass like other fungal diseases. 0 In the near future, the scientists at the University of Maryland, Dr. Peter Dernoeden and John E. Kaminski, will produce a fact sheet on bacterial wilt. As always, if the agronomists of the Mid-Atlantic Region can be of assistance at all, you can contact Stan Zon­ tek (szontek@usga.org) or Darin Bevard (dbevard@usga.org) at 610/ 696-4747 or Keith Happ (khapp@usga.org) at 412/341-5922. Lee Kozsey Syngenta Professional Products Shaun M. Barry 'Aventis Sales R epresentative CHIPCO Professional Products Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc, syng'enta 3710 Amherst Court Bethlehem, PA 18020-1356 Tel. 610-861-8174 Aventis Environmental Science Fax 610-882-9358 1133 Rt. #27 Mobile 215-796-0409 Somerset, NJ 08873 www.syngenta.com Tel. (732) 846-8173 lee.kozsey@syngenta.com Fax (732) 846-8113 email:Shaun. Barry@aventis.com fi. Pa# If P l a n t S t a r F e r t i g a t i o n . .Solutions to Grow On! PLANTSTAR, Inc. in association with CARBTROL Corp. TORO. Announce the introduction o f its ADVANCED WASHWATER RECYCLE SYSTEM Engineered system provides: Designed to integrate: • Zero pollutant discharge •Vehicle wash • Best available technology • Fueling • High reliability and low maintenance • Chemical mixing/sprayer storage T U R F E Q U IP M E N T MATT BROWN TELEPHONE: 215-340-5401 Let us show you how IN TEG RA TED CHEMICAL PAGER: 888-896-5094 MANAGEMENT can work for you! IRRIG A TIO N To learn more about PlantStar and our services, call us at: 8 0 0 • 2 7 7 * S T A R w w w .p la n tsta r.co m GEORGE SKAWSKI TELEPHONE: 215-340-5450 PAGER: 888-376-2074 EMAIL: g.skawski@philyturf.com JO HN M. BODOCK Robert Seltzer Market Sales Representative Lawn and Golf Supply Co., Inc. 15885 Sprague Road S pecialists In e q u ip m e n t A nd S upplies For Ma intena nce Of T urf Strongsville, OH 44136-1799 717.865.4771 800.321.5325 VM 6125 PHONE: (610) 9335801 (800) 362-5650 647 NUTT RD. P.O. BOX 447 717.865.4771 Office/Fax f i c FAX: (610) 933-8890 PHOENIXVILLE, PA 19460 sls2p8@lesco.com SOME FACTS ON AERIFICATION.... Give a veteran superintendent a dollar for every time he has heard, "Why do you punch holes in our greens just when they start to look good," and he would be a wealthy man. Soil aeration is the process by which soil air is replaced by atmospheric air. Soil air differs from atmospheric air in that it has higher concentrations of carbon dioxide and water vapor, but less oxygen. The differences are due to the consumption of oxygen and the production of carbon dioxide by soil organisms. The magnitude of these dif­ ferences depends on the rate of gaseous exchange between the atmosphere and the soil. This exhange is often associated with the movement of water into and out of the soil. The primary purpose of core aerification is the physical removal of unwanted organic matter from the upper portion of the root zone. When core aerification is neglected, the upper portion of the profile can become an inhospitable place for plant roots to grow. The pore space in a dense organic layer will be dominated by small, water-filled capillary pores, large air-filled macropores will be lacking. Therefore, the single most important issue of good soil management is oxygen. Without the positive flow of oxy­ gen in the soil, all critical functions within the plant are shutdown or seriously impaired. The basic principles of good soil management involve: • Air Management • Water Management (Continued on page 7) Bacterial Wilt Xanthomonas By Peter H. Dernoeden and John E. Kaminski Department of Natural Resource Sciences and Landscape Architecture University of Maryland at College Park Bacterial wilt is a disease on the rise in annual bluegrass (Poa annua) putting greens. It primarily has been ob­ served in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the U.S. This disease is favored by periods of heavy rainfall followed by cool nights, and warm and sunny days. The disease often appears in May, but may persist through­ out the summer. In situations where the disease is chronically severe, greens composed primarily of annual bluegrass may have to be renovated. Bacte­ rial wilt is caused by the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris, and is the only known bacterial disease of turfgrass. Symptoms Bacferia have no means of penetrating cells so they must enter plants through natural openings such as stomates and hydathodes, or through wounds. Once inside plants they can plug vascular tissues. Once the xylem elements of a large number of roots become plugged with masses of bacfe- rial cells, plants begin to wilt. This blockage prevents the upward movement of water and nutrients and plants die primarily due to lack of sufficient water. Initial symptoms therefore appear as wilt and individual infected annual blue­ Figure 1. Infected plants die in grass plants quickly turn reddish-brown or yellow and die in whitish-tan spots dime-sized spots and often about the size of a dime (Figure 1). Collapsed tissue in dead spots often form leave pits or depressions in the depressions or pitting and disrupt the playability of the putting surface. When putting surface. many spots coalesce, large areas can be destroyed in a non-uniform pattern within a few days. When there is coalescence of numerous dead plants, the non- uniform browning can mimic anthracnose (Colietotrichum graminicola). Another Terrapin Tips symptom of bacterial wilt can be seen in annual bluegrass located along the pe­ rimeter of infected putting greens. These areas generally are mown less fre­ Infected plants die in quently (i.e., clean-up cut) and individual leaves of infected plants often become tan-colored spots the unusually elongated (Figure 2). size of a dime. Bacteria cells plug the Diagnosis vascular tissues and The disease is extremely difficult to diagnose and the pathogen cannot be prevent upward seen without the aid of a microscope. Annual bluegrass displaying the aforemen­ movement of water tioned symptoms should be sent to a turf pathologist for positive identification. In and nutrients. the laboratory, a diagnostician will indubate the sample overnight and look for Low mowing heights oozes or streaming of bacterial cells on a microscope slide (Figure 3). Slow oozes and injurious cultural from yellow or senescent tissues are common, but rapid streaming of cells from practices intensify the vascular bundles of mostly green leaves is the best indicator of bacterial wilt. disease. Products containing Management The increased incidence of the disease may be due in part to the trend for copper may provide very low mowing heights and higher frequency of topdressing and similar cultural short-term control practices which tend to injure the turf. Increasing mowing height reduces disease severity dramatically, but also slows the speed and therefore playability of putting (Continued on page 6) (Continued from page 5) greens. Mowing turf when leaves are dry may slow the progression of the disease. Should the disease be restricted to one N a tu r a l O rg a n ic P ro d u c ts or a few greens, a “dedicated mower” Joel Simmons should be used. It is best to use a light­ weight, walk-behind greens mower. The P.O. Box 278K www.soilfirst.com 6574 S. Delaware Drive Fax: 610-250-7840 dedicated mower should be disinfested Martins Creek, PA 18063 Phone: 610-250-9560 with a 10% Clorox solution or similar disin­ 800-732-T U R F fectant after use, and the mower should not be used on disease-free greens. Topdressing should be avoided when the disease is active. This is because sand Figure 2. Elongated plants in unmown abrades and wounds tissue, creating areas often is an indicator of bacterial wilt. ideal entry points for the bacteria. Simi­ larly, it is important to avoid core aera­ tion, vertical cutting and other abrasive practices. Products containing copper such as copper hydroxide (Kocide or Junction) may provide good, short-term control. Anecdotal observations suggest that rates in the range of one-half to two ounces per 1,000 feet are relatively safe. Apply Kocide/Junction in at least five gallons of water. Tank-mixing Kocide with chelated iron or slow release, liquid forms of nitrogen may mask discolora­ Figure 3. Bacteria ooze or stream out tion. of infected leaves and roots. VERTI-DRAIN & 5 7 0 -6 0 2 -3 0 5 4 R0TADAIR0N 8 0 0 -5 5 4 -4 8 6 3 Nothing Runs Like A Deere DEALERS S CONTRACTORS FAX 5 7 0 -6 0 2 -3 0 5 3 E & M Golf Supply Co. TO M B R A G O DALE ANDREW A DIVISION OF H.V. INC. 9 5 0 SATHERS DRIVE, PITTSTON TOWNSHIP PA 1 8 6 4 0 SPECIALIST IN DEEP TINE AERATION FINCH TURF EQUIPMENT, INC. (215) 661-0390 419 Industrial Drive (800) 875-TURF STEPHEN MICHAEL North Wales, PA 19454 FAX: (215) 661-9161 Web Site: www.finchlnc.com PARTS: (800) 78-DEERE * Layout and Design * Typesetting It’s every player’s responsibility... * Mac/IBM desktop publishing interface * Laser color separations Repair ball marks * Scitex® electronic photo retouching Replace or fill divots 31 Hill Street, P.O. Box 507 * Full electronic prepress services Rake bunkers w f / Wilkes-Barre, PA 18703-0507 * Foil stamping, embossing °*a 570-822-8181 * Complete bindery including FAX: 570-823-3579 saddlestitch and perfect binding A message fro m yo u r g o lf course superintendent a n d G C SA A >^ P^7 (Continued from page 4) • Biological Management • Nutrient Management Effective soil oxidation helps break down long chained ligneous organic matter (a.k.a. thatch). In a golf green, tee, or fairway, aerification not only physically disturbs thatch, but also helps to stimulate the bacteria and fungi that will use this carbonaceous material as an energy source. One of the most difficult parts of scheduling an aerification program is to determine how much aerification is adequate to manage the organic layer in the upper portion of the profile. There is no accepted rule of thumb for what percentage of surface area should be impacted each year, but it is safe to say there are more greens that have been aerified too little than those that have been done too much. However, the USGA has found that courses with successful, mature greens have been on a core aerification program where 15 to 20 percent of the surface has been impacted each year. If aerification has been neglected, a more aggressive program may be warranted. Tine Size Spacing Number of % Surface # of Aerations Needed Diameter (inches) Holes per sq. Area Reach 20% of Surface (inches) ft. Impacted Area Impacted 1/4 1 x 2 72 2.45% 8.1 1/4 2 x2 36 1.23% 16.3 3/8 1 x 2 72 5.52% 3.6 3/8 2 x2 36 2.76% 7.2 1/2 1 x 2 72 9.82% 2.0 1/2 2 x2 36 4.91% 4.1 5/8 1 x 2 72 15.34% 1.3 5/8 2 x2 36 7.67% 2.6 Premium sod for golf courses fisher son SEAN P. CULLEN T e rrito ry M a n a g e r c o m p a z in e . 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TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION Dear President Huelster and staff: Congratulations! We would like to thank Walter Whitney for his generous donation to our scholarship fund. Fol­ lowing is his letter, in part: ....Enclosed is my donation to the scholarship fund. This is a very good fund, as it helps a stu­ Congratulations to Jason Witcraft and his wife, Laura, on dent with expenses, which are endless in col­ the birth of their daughter, Alicia May. Alicia was born lege. on Thursday, August 22. I hope to attend at least one meeting before going off to Florida for the winter. I always en­ joy the agenda. Condolences Sincerely, Our deepest sympathy goes out to the family of Walter Whitney Edward S. Kern who recently passed away. Ed was a (retired consultant) long time member of the PTGA, and the former owner/ developer of Rolling Greens Executive Golf Course.