AN INDUSTRYWIDE PUBLICATION OF THE NEW JERSEY TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION green world Insecticides Where Do They Go? Vol. 18 No. 2 July 1989 Insecticide Behavior Many of the groundwater contamina­ tion incidents which have involved pesti­ cides actually involve insecticides. Since insecticides tend to be viewed as the most toxic kinds of pesticides to hu­ mans (and indeed some of them are), the concern about contamination has centered on insecticide applications. However, many people tend to overlook the fact that insecticide applications made to established turf behave very differently than similar applications made to agricultural crops. At first, the information uncovered by Dr. Niemczyk seemed contradictory to field observations because several ma­ terials were providing very acceptable levels of control of white grubs, which are primarily active in the soil, and yet Niemczyk’s work implied that those ma­ terials were not reaching the soil. How­ ever, additional research using X-ray technology, currently underway at Cor­ nell University under the direction of Dr. Mike Villani, has more fully identified the behavior of white grubs in soil. It turns — continued on page 5 Do We Appreciate 2,4-D? from Groundwater by Dr. Patrician J. Vittum, Associate Professor of Entomology, U of Mass. Recent articles in newspapers and magazines and reports on the evening news have raised the pub­ lic’s awareness of groundwater and made many people particularly nervous about possible sources of contamina­ tion. The concerns certainly are valid, because groundwater contamination will have severe ramifications on public drinking water supplies, agricultural pro­ ductivity, and recreational opportunities. Many cases of groundwater contami­ nation have involved the penetration of agricultural pesticides into a groundwa­ ter system. Areas like Long Island and Cape Cod are particularly sensitive be­ cause the soils are very sandy, so chem­ icals can leach through the soil much more rapidly than in soils which have higher organic matter content or fine texture. Because some pesticides have been found in some groundwater sam­ ples — or in private or public drinking wa­ ter wells, some people then assume that any pesticide application will make its way into the groundwater. In fact, the is­ sue is very complex and poorly under­ stood. The ultimate movement of pesti­ cides will depend on numerous factors, including: physical characteristics of the pesticide especially solubility, rainfall be­ fore and after application, physical char­ acteristics of the soil (sand? loam? silt? clay?), percent organic matter in the soil, micro-organisms in the soil, persistence of the material, slope of the ground, depth of the water table, surface water and drainage, and the conditions of the lawn being treated. Turf (perhaps more particularly thatch) serves as a sort of buf­ fer, absorbing much of the active ingredi­ ent before it ever penetrates as far as the soil. Recent studies conducted by Dr. Harry Niemc- zyk at Ohio State University have tracked the move­ ment of several in­ secticides over time. One study found that 95 percent of a Triumph application (regardless of formu­ lation) never gets past the thatch to the soil. His studies have been expand­ ed to look at the fate of other insecticides as well, but those re­ sults have not yet been made public. An experimental station in the Northwest shows dande­ lion control in the 1920's with kerosene. Take away 2,4-D and people will use almost anything. OPINIONS AND COMMENTS Identification of Turf Diseases More Important for Control Over the years, we have seen plenty of reasons for proper identification of disease, and, unbelievably, this has be­ come a bigger and more important need. Diseases are no easier to identify and several newly discovered ones have a complicated identity. Most cru­ cial is that we lost mercury, which was fair to excellent on most diseases. Now we have new types of fungicides that give nearly total control over several or­ ganisms, but have a narrower spectrum of control. Of course, this makes it more difficult to select the best fungicide for the occasion. All of this adds to Dr. Bruce Clarke’s work and makes starting with the correct diagnosis and the best fungicide program important. Good identification requires special training, a good eye and considerable experience. Dr. Clarke’s assignment is such that he could use one or two tech­ nicians for diagnosis during the growing season. Of course, we recognize that a turf grower with a good eye and some experience can develop accuracy and diagnostic certainty on some diseases, but with our present fungicides, there is a crucial need to be sure of the dis­ ease’s identity. The only complete cure for this problem would be a new, sure­ fire fungicide or management program for the whole gamut of diseases. This still remains an item on our wish list. •REE Green World is published three times a year by the New Jersey Turfgrass Association, P.O. Box 231, New Brunswick, NJ 08903. Consulting edi­ tor: Dr. Ralph Engel; advertising chair­ man, Sam Leon; production editor and layout artist: David Crismond. Sustaining Members of NJTA A-L Services Incorporated A. Lombardi Landscaping Aabar, Inc. / The Morie Co. Agri-Diagnostics Associates Alpine Country Club Aqua-Flo, Incorporated Aquarius Irrigation Supply Aquashade, Incorporated Aquatrols Corp. of America Arthur's Landscape & Irrigation Co. Associated Marketing, Incorporated Barefoot Grass Lawn Service Barnes Landscape Basking Ridge Golf Course, Inc. Benco Services, Landscape Div. Brickman Industries, Inc. Brouwer Turf Equipment Bunton Turf Products, Inc. Champion Landscape and Tree, Inc Coger Farms & Garden Center D & J Landscaping Del Val Design Landscape Delalio Sod Farms, Incorporated Double Eagle Equipment Company Dow Chemical, USA DuBrows's Nurseries Evergreen Lawn Sprinklers Farmstead Golf & Country Club Fertl-Soil Turf Supply, Incorporated Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club Florence Landscape Services, Inc. Forsgate Country Club Fredette Landscaping Freehold Township Parks & Rec. Garfield Williamson, Incorporated Glen Summit Nurseries, Inc. Grass Roots, Incorporated Green Acres Country Club Green Grass Landscape Svc., Inc. The Green Machine, Inc. Grinkevich Lawn & Landscaping 1989 OFFICERS OF THE N.J.T.A. William Waddington, President Robert Dickison, V President Ralph Engel, Secretary Carol Wolcott, Exec. Secretary Joseph Blanco, Treasurer Jack Poksay, Past President Henry Indyk, Expo Chairman EXECUTIVE BOARD Robert Dobson Richard Gorbich Richard Hurley Samuel Leon L.J. Makrancy, Jr. Ed Milewski Bruce Nagy Steve Stys Joseph W. Manning, Jr. Hoffman-LaRoche, Inc. Homestead Lawn Sprinkler Co., Inc. Hopewell Valley Golf Club Horizon Estates Irrigation Unlimited, Incorporated Jade Run Turf & Sod Farm JEP Sales, Incorporated Jimni Krickett, Incorporated Lawn Doctor Mountainside/Cranford Lawn Power Equipment Company Lawn Spray Company Lebanon Chemical Company Lee Rain, Incorporated Leon’s Sod Farm Leonard Reinhardt, Incorporated Lesco, Incorporated Lofts Seed Incorporated MacAndrews & Forbes Company L.J. Makrancy & Sons, Inc. Meadowbrook Lawn Service, Inc. Metro Milorganite, Incorporated Mid Atlantic Equipment Corp. Middletown Sprinkler Company Montco I Surfside National Lawn Services of NJ, Inc. NJ Nursery & Landscape Assh., Inc. O.M. Scott & Sons Paige Electric Corporation Partac Peat Corporation Paul’s Lawnscaping Pennsauken Country Club Pine Island Turf Nurseries, Inc. Pleasant Hills Landscaping Pocono Turf Supply Company Rapp Sod Farm Reed’s Sod Farm Reid Sod Farm Rich Green Lawns Rockland Chemical Company Rosedale & Rosehill Cemetery Assn. Royal Lawns of Monmouth Rumson Country Club S&A Irrigation & Lawn Services Sacco's Landscape, Incorporated Sandoz Specialty Sales Sclan's Landscaping Incorporated Seabright Lawn Tennis Club Seacoast Labs Sequoia Lawn Care Sierra Crop Protection South Jersey Weed Control Steve Tanis Lawn Care Storr Tractor Company Suburban Lawn Service Surf Landscaping Sweeney Seed Company Toms River Lawn & Sprinkler Inc. Trenton Country Club Upper Montclair Country Club U.S. Golf Association Vaughan Seed Co. W. A. Cleary Corporation Wayne Township Parks Department Wells Lawn Service, Incorporated Wilfred MacDonald, Incorporated Wilpat Turf Sprinklers, Incorporated Woodbridge Center Woodbury Board of Education Woodruff/Lerco Lawns of So. Jersey World Class Lawns OPINIONS AND COMMENTS Hydrated Lime for Warm, Wet Weather Turf growers frequently look for some- thing that will cure the ills of fine turf in hot weather. Hydrated lime has been applied over the years when algae and similar problems appear and seem to be destroying the turf. There is no record of hydrated lime's first use on esta­ blished turf and there is no formal, pub­ lished research. On one occasion, I used this treatment with great success in the heavily shaded backyard of my home when black algae (unidentified) became abundant in a continuous warm, wet period. I have suggested its use to many growers. While I have no record of how many have used it, no one has told me it was a waste of time. Some say using hydrated lime NEW Rubigan A.S. BROAD SPECTRUM FUNGICIDE • New Liquid Formulation • New Expanded Label Lower rates on all the types of patch disease Anthracnose Ornamentals • New Performance Guarantee • New Lower Case Price See your local Elanco Distributor for details or call BOB SCOTT (201) 376-7290 Elanco Area Representative Wilfred Mac Donald, Inc. 340 Main Avenue Clifton, NJ 07014 201-471-0244 •Jacobsen Olathe • National • Gravely •Giant Vac •Broyhill •Cushman •Howard • Smithco • FMC •Terra-Care soothes us when we are desperate for an answer. This is an oversimplification. We cannot overlook hydrated lime’s quick effect on the pH at the surface of the turf. Lime and soil pH does in­ fluence turf diseases, though we have little research on this subject. On one occasion, I asked a plant pathologist, who did not work with turf, what a lime application could do with disease. He remarked that lime has a drying agent effect. We know hydrated lime can be caustic to plants and lower forms of growth. Thus, concerning control of al­ gae and other forms of "slimy” things that accumulate on the wet surface of turf, hydrated lime might contribute to better water penetration. It is of interest that little consideration has been given to hydrated lime and the black layer. Since hydrated lime has persisted in limited use for three generations and the only serious threat seems to be the grass burn that might occur at the time of application, this product still merits consideration. In order to complement turf theory, we look at what growers have improvised. Some examples and recommendations are as follows: • Robert Dickison, Superintendent of Upper Montclair Country Club has been using 2 lbs per 1000 sq. ft., wet or dry. He prefers a wet application and poles in the next morning. • Tony Grasso of Metro Milorganite has followed this treatment on a number of courses and he recommends 1 pound per 1000 sq. ft. dry in the later afternoon and watering in the next morning. In turf texts, we find: Musser’s Turfgrass Management recom­ mends 2 to 5 pounds per 1000 sq. ft. • Hanson and Juska, in Turfgrass Science, recommended 2 to 3 pounds. • Beard’s Turfgrass Science and Culture recommended 2 to 5 lbs. None of these authors gave any detail on watering in after treatment. Surely, everyone should develop their own sat­ isfactory rinsing-in to avoid turf injury. Prolonged deep watering scarcely seem necessary to avoid burn. • The Juska and Hanson text also sug­ gested a zineb or maneb treatment for algae. Those considering hydrated lime and are manipulating the pH may ask how this treatment will effect the soil pH? — The answer is very little, because of the small amount used. Leave a side by side check strip, if possible. Green World would like to receive interesting comments or results. • REE Nothing really significant ever happens in a man’s life until he wants something. If it is a compelling want, it will set him dreaming. This is the beginning of crea­ tivity. —Martin OPINIONS AND COMMENTS Focus on Some Cancer Fears from Chemicals Much greater numbers of useful chemicals have come into use during the last 25 to 50 years. Science has spe­ cial respect for chemicals until they are known and understood. Dr. Bruce Ames, professor of Biochemisty at the University of California, Berkeley, in Prosource Vol 8, 1988, questions the assumption that man-made chemicals are more caricinogenic than natural sub­ stances. He comments that vegetables often develop 5% toxins to keep off in­ sects. Practically everything in the su- permaket has natural carcinogens, when measured in parts per billion. To great evils we submit; we resent little provocations. — William Hazlett Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation. Questions and Answers from The Lawn..Technician PLCAA Vo, 1:8. 1988. Is there a cancer epidemic in the U.S.? Not according to the National Cancer In­ stitutes’ figures. With the exception of two types of cancer, cancer rates have remained pretty much constant for the last 40 years. Which two types of cancer are occur­ ring more frequently and why? —Lung cancer and skin cancer. The National Cancer Institute says that 20 or so years ago we began smoking and sunbathing more, and that these two changes in life­ style have resulted in more lung and skin cancer today. Benefits of Mowed Laws Acting like a gigantic sponge, lawns absorb all types of airborne pollutants such as soot, dust and carbon dioxide, as well as noise. Aesthetically, there can be no argu­ ment that a beautiful lawn is immediately pleasing to the eye and relaxing in its ap­ pearance. —Prosource (PLCAA) Vol 8: 10. 1988. R O C K L A N D FERTILIZERS COMBINATIONS OF NITROFORM I.B.D.U. S.C.U. And WITH INSECTICIDES And PRE-EMERGENCE CRABGRASS KILLERS HERBICIDES GRANULAR LIQUID SELECTIVE AND TOTAL FUNGICIDES GRANULAR FLOWABLE WETTABLE POWDERS INSECTICIDES GRANULAR LIQUID WETTABLE POWDERS DOES IT ALL Ask your supplier or write: ROCKLAND CHEMICAL CO., INC. © Passaic Ave., West Caldwell, N.J. Consider the advantages of sod Rebel Turf Type Tall Fescue Trap banks and edges, green and tee banks and areas along cart paths need special attention. Or even those traffic areas around the club and halfway houses. Consider Rebel sod: • Holds up better than Kentucky bluegrass • Requires less Irrigation compared to Kentucky bluegrass • Requires less fertilizer than Kentucky bluegrass • Heat tolerant • Excellent dark green color • Greater disease resistance than most other turfgrasses In tough areas or wherever you want good-looking turf and less maintenance. Use Rebel sod. Lofts Seed Inc. World’s largest marketer of turfgrass seed Bound Brook, NJ 08805 (201) 356-8700 • (800) 526-3890 LOFTS Available through: S. Novasack Bros. Turf Farm South Seaville, NJ (609) 263-2400 Tuckahoe Turf Farms Tuckahoe, NJ (609) 628-2415 Bohm’s Sod Farm Woodbine, NJ (609) 861-2785 Pine Island Turf Pine Island, NY (914) 258-4545 The Earth Wobbles [from AP - February 1989] Changes in air pressure around the earth cause a slight wobble in the axis of spin. Scientists have long known there has been a wobble cycle of about a year and another of about 433 days that have been linked to the atmosphere. Cycles of two weeks to several months have been discovered by scientists of the U.S. Naval Observatory, the Jet Propul­ sion Laboratory in Pasadena and the At­ mospheric and Environmental Research Corps of Cambridge, Massachusetts. T. Marshal Eurbanks of the Naval Observa­ tory said the wobble phenomenon is like that of a clothes washer with an off- center load. The fast wobble, ranges up to two feet at the earth’s poles. [This can stimulate a lot of remarks, es­ pecially when people leave the bar late at night.] I am the grass. Let me work! —Carl Sandburg country club greenskeeper Lebanon Pro Professional Turf Products Lebanon TOTAL TURF CARE P. O. Box 189, Dayton, NJ 08810 P. O. Box 180, Lebanon, PA 17042 A division of Lebanon Chemical Corporation Insecticides Where Do They Go? continued from page 1 out that the process of watering in an in­ secticide may not physically move the material, past the thatch to the grubs in the soil, but the grubs will respond to the moisture gradient and move upward into the thatch, where they come in con­ tact with the insecticide. The behavior of any given insecticide will depend on several characteristics, particularly its solubility in water. Obvi­ ously the more soluble a material is, the more readily it will move into surface or groundwater. Another characteristic which must be considered when select­ ing insecticides is persistence. Years ago turf managers used chlordane to control many insect problems. Of course chlordane was highly persistent, remaining effective for several years in some cases. However, there can be considerable negative "side-effect” from the use of pesticides which persist too long in the environment. Now most materials will remain effective for any­ where between a few days and a few months. Proxol is highly soluble and can pen­ etrate thatch and move readily into the soil. As a result it is more likely to make its way into the ground water, particularly in sandy soils. Indeed, it is Proxol’s abili­ ty to penetrate thatch which makes it well suited for use in treating “hot spots” which sometimes appear. This mobility also makes Proxol unsuitable for use on surface or thatch feeders, because the materia, moves through the thatch be­ fore it ever has a chance to kill the chinch bugs or other surface feeders. In any case, turf managers must be aware of the fact that Proxol will move rapidly, and avoid using it in areas which are par­ ticularly sensitive to groundwater perco­ lation. Triumph is another insecticide which must be used with particular care with re­ gard to groundwater contamination. Triumph is somewhat more soluble than some of its cousins and is not to be used on strictly sandy soils or on loamy sand because of its mobility in such soils. In addition, Triumph is extremely toxic to fish so surface runoff to streams or ponds must be avoided at all costs. Pesticide Breakdown Remember that any pesticide (insecti­ cides included) will begin to break down immediately after it is applied to the turf or soil. The rate at which this breakdown occurs will depend on many factors, in­ cluding the chemistry of the material, the soil type and moisture, soil temperature, and rainfall. Sometimes the breakdown products are considered to be more tox­ ic than the original material. The rate of Parkmaster The Professional for large areas. The Toro Parkmaster mows swaths from 30 inches to 18 1/2 feet wide -up to 80 acres a day With a 7 or 9 unit hydraulically controlled frame it has a compact pattern of gangs for easy mowing, easy transporting. The Parkmaster is the mowing tractor built to take Spartan gangs Comes with powerful gas or diesel engine with cab and roll over protection system (ROPS) optional TORO Storr Tractor Co 3191 U S Highway 22 Somerville NJ 08876 201/722-9830 The professionals that keep you cutting WE CAN HELP YOU GROW better quality turf Jonathan Green stocks more bluegrass, fine textured rye­ grass and turf-type tall fescue varieties than any other seed house in the mid- atlantic and eastern states. Jonathan Green stocks an entire range of insecticides, herbicides, fertilizers and specialty turf products for professional lawn services, golf courses, municipalities, sod growers, hydro-seeders and all landscape contractors. Jonathan Green provides you with product information, custom turf care programs and prompt knowledgeable attention to your particu­ lar turf problems...large or small. FOR THE FASTEST SERVICE IN THE EAST Jonathan Green CALL FARMINGDALE, NEW JERSEY 07727 IN NEW JERSEY 201-938-7007 1-800-526-2303 OUT OF STATE breakdown will also depend on whether the material was applied to open soil, be­ tween rows of a row crop, as a floliar spray to an agricultural crop, or to thatch. If the application is made to turf, the movement and breakdown will be effect­ ed by the density and thickness of the thatch. Unfortunately, the equipment needed to study the fate of pesticides in the en­ vironment is very expensive and rela­ tively few universities are equipped to study such questions in depth, but sev­ eral researchers have initiated appropri­ ate studies in the past five years. Per­ haps the most sophisticated study in the Northeast is being conducted at Penn State, under the direction of Dr. Tom Watschke. Soil lysimeters have been in­ stalled several inches below the soil sur­ face on an area which was then either sodded or seeded to turf. Additional equipment has been set up to collect surface run-off from the plots. The Penn State group set-up has — continued on page 6 Insecticides Where Do They Go? continued from page 5 been operating for about three years now and tremendous volumes of infor­ mation are being generated on the movement of some herbicides and Dursban in the soil and as runoff. Inter­ estingly, the researchers found that they could not induce Dursban to runoff the surface without a tremendous input of irrigation — equivalent to three inches per hour. This was not unexpected, be­ cause Dursban is more rapidly “tied up” in thatch. Thus, one would not expect it to be subject to surface runoff. (Indeed, this is precisely why Dursban is an excel­ lent insecticide to use on many of the surface feeding insects— it stays put in the thatch.) Nevertheless it was inter­ esting to note that it did not move on the surface, even under torrential rainfall conditions—and was not picked up in detectable quantities in the soil lysime- ters directly beneath the treated area. To further confuse the issue of move­ ment of insecticides in the soil, several insecticides are subject to “microbial degradation.” This simply means that the materials are broken down by organ­ isms which occur naturally in some soils. If the organisms are present in a soil and the material is applied to the area, the or­ ganisms feed on the material, breaking it Patrons Listing BEAM CLAY THE PROFESSIONAL'S CHOICE ...SINCE 1922 BEAM CLAY IS THE RED BASEBALL MIX USED BY THE U.S.A. AND CANADA. PROFESSIONAL TEAMS ACROSS SPECIAL MIXES FOR PITCHER'S MOUNDS, HOMEPLATE AREAS & WARNING TRACKS. BOTH AVAILABLE IN BULK OR BAGS 201-637-4191 PARTAC PEAT CORPORATION KELSEY PARK GREAT MEADOWS,N.J. 07838 PARTAC TOP-DRESSING GOLF COURSE AMERICA'S PREMIUM TOP-DRESSING HEAT TREATED CONTROL THATCH, PROMOTE HEALTHY TURF & SMOOTH PLAYING SURFACES down into a non-insecticidal form. The end result is that the insecticide is brok­ en down by the microorganism before it has a chance to work on the target in­ sect. Some turf managers have made the mistake of applying such a material more frequently or at higher application rates, in the hope of getting enough material in contact with the target insect. In fact, if this microbial degradation is occurring, it is best to avoid using that material and shift to another material instead. There are indications that Oftanol is one turf in­ secticide which is particularly suscepti­ ble to this microbial degradation. Turf managers in the Northeast should not use Oftanol more than once per year un­ der any circumstances and should be particularly alert to the possibility of de­ velopment of microbial degradation if they have used Oftanol more than three consecutive years. (Note that some soils will not develop the "problem” so use of Oftanol or other degradation- susceptible materials would not experi­ ence shortcomings in these soils.) Turf managers, however, must under­ stand that they are generally the most visible pesticide applicators by the na­ ture of their work. The applications they make to home lawns, golf courses, ath­ letic fields, and other turf areas are viewed as providing the single greatest source of pesticide exposure to the general public. Whether or not this per­ ception is accurate, turf managers must lead the pesticide application industry in using pesticides judiciously and safely to minimize risks of exposure and groundwater contamination. Reprinted with permission of TURF P.O. Box 391, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 © 1989 NEF Publication Co. Michael P. Renzetti PLEASANT HILLS LANDSCAPING Golf Course Road Flanders, NJ 07836 (201) 927-1684 Samuel Leon LEON’S SOD FARMS Instant Lawn-Cultivated Grass Sod RD#1 Box 169 Frenchtown, NJ 08825 (201) 996-2255 Drew Madzin ROYAL LAWNS P.O. Box 236 Farmingdale, NJ 07727 (201) 780-4950 Philip H. Mowery BUNTON TURF PRODUCTS, INC. 4054 Quakerbridge Road Trenton, NJ 08619 (609) 799-4101 W.A. CLEARY CHEMICAL CORP. 1049 Somerset Street Somerset, NJ 08873 (201) 247-8000 [Turf Chem & Fert] Call: Barbara Cleary or Russ Ward Tony Russo LAWN POWER EQUIPMENT CO. Deines-Magnum 2000 Millington, NJ 07946 (201) 647-5804 PINE ISLAND TURF NURSERY, INC. Charlie Lain & Son — Growers Beautiful ’’Pineturf” Blends Quality Sod — Quality Service (201) 875-5125 or (914) 258-4545 John Wistrand, Tony Grasso METRO MILORGANITE, INC. P.O. Box 267 Hawthorne, NY 10532 (914) 347-4222 Ken Stattel BROOKREST SOD FARM P.O.Box 122 Marlboro, NJ 07746-0122