Green is Beautiful” ario Golf Superintendents Association Ont NSHAW CRESCENT - ETOBICOKE, ONTARIO M9C 3M4 - TELEPHONE 622-9929 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND COMMITTEES OF THE O.G.S.A FOR THE YEAR 1979 President - Stuart Mills Meetings & Speakers - Paul Dermott Vice-President - Paul White Newsletter Editor - Bob Brewster Secretary - Blake McMaster Roster - John Smith Treasurer - Ken Nelson By-Laws - Doug Hoskins Past President - Paul Scenna Membership & Plaques - George Garner Golf Chairman - Bill Bowen Welfare - Rusty Warkman Chairman Ontario Turf Research Foundation - Paul Dermott - CONTENTS - May - June Meeting....................................................................................... 3 Next Meeting.................................................................................................. 4 Spring Reports................................................................................................ 5 Turf Management........................................................................................... 6 From the Editor.............................................................................................. 8 EDITOR - CO-EDITOR - BOB BREWSTER PAUL WHITE Weston Golf & Country Club Glendale Golf & Country Club 50 St. Phillips Road 401 Mount Albion Road Weston, Ontario, Canada M9P 2N6 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8K 5T4 Phone: Bus. (416) 241-5551 Phone: (416) 561-1216 Published by the O.G.S.A. Furtherance of Knowledge and Recording Progressive Ideas of Turf Management. O.G.S.A. MEETINGS - 1979 Date Course Host Friday, July 20 Mississauga Golf Club Paul Dodson President, Greenschairman, Superintendent Day "9:00 a.m. Shotgun" Monday, August 13 Victoria Park Golf Club empty table cell Guelph, Ontario Pro, Superintendent Day "11:00 a.m. Shotgun" Tuesday, August 14 Thornhill Golf Club Dave Gourlay Friday, October 19 Weston Golf Club Bob Brewster 10:00 a.m. Lunch, Golf Wed. & Thurs. G.C.S.A.A. Pesticide Symposium October 24 - 25 Constellation Hotel Tuesday, December 4 Aurora Highlands Golf Club Whitey Jones Friday, December 7 Christmas Party Paul Dermott Oakdale Golf & Country Club "PRO - SUPT DAY" August 13, 1979 — Victoria Park Golf Club. This year O.G.S.A. Class A, B, and D members may participate. Your Golf Professional will be receiving the entry forms. O.G.S.A. MAY MEETING About thirty-five members had an enjoyable day at Bill Glashan's Whirlpool Golf Club on May 15. It was raining steadily when we began the meeting but by the time we finished lunch it had let up and we got our round of golf in before it started raining again. See Bill even has the weather under control. The course played well and those in attendance will attest to the fact that the greens were, without ex­ ception in midsummer condition. Genne McCann of Oseco Seeds gave an informative talk about coated seeds and Chris Burgess spoke about the new European style automatic reel grinders and described the high quality British made reels Skyway Lawn is now importing. The day was topped off by a great steak dinner and friendly conver­ sation with fellow Superintendents. IF YOU WEREN'T THERE - WE MISSED YOU!! Come on out and PARTICIPATE. Winners at Whirlpool Golf Club, May 15, 1979 Other Scores — George Garner — 1st Low Gross 78 Bill Glashan ................................. 80 Shorty Jenkins — 1st Low Net 68 Bruce Vollett................................. 83 Hugh Kirkpatrick — 2nd Low Gross 79 Thom CarterSi............................... 83 Bob Heron — 2nd Low Net 71 Blake McMaster............................. 87 Bill Glashan — 2nd Low Net 71 Whitey Jones................................. 87 Jim Houston — Supplier Low Gross 82 David Gourlay ............................. 88 Ted Collier — Most Honest Player 108 Ken Green..................................... 88 GALT FIELD DAY Seventy people attended the Galt Field Day on a hot, humid day. The course was in good condition after being hit by a hard winter. Again the trip to the turf plots was very impressive. We would like to thank Paul Scenna and the Galt Country Club for another fine day and good hospitality. Low Gross Guest Low Gross Bill Bowen.......................... 71 Jack Fairhurst.......................... 76 Hugh Kirkpatrick............... 75 Doug Heron............................ 76 Ted Ellis............................... 75 Graham Shouldice............... 77 Low Net Paul Domianczuk.................... 65 Low Net Stu Pickens ............................ 66 Bob Brewster........................ 63 Mac Frost................................. 68 John Piccolo........................ 65 Bob Heron............................. 66 Other Scores Ken Wright.......................... 66 Doug Haskins.......................... 79 Bill Glashan.............................. 79 Ass't Superintendents — George Garner.......................... 80 Low Gross Steve Miller............................... 80 Peter Spencer...................... 80 Bob Cherry............................... 80 Greg Aljoie.......................... 84 Dan Ardley............................... 81 Bruce Vollett.......................... 82 Low Net Bill Fach................................... 83 Dave Nicol............................. 72 Shorty Jenkins........................ 83 Gord Callan ........................ 72 Barry Endicott........................ 84 Bill Hynd................................. 85 FOR SALE: Joe Reid................................... 87 1 Worthington F8 Turf Tractor — 4 cyl. gas with 5 Ken Green................................. 87 new cutting units, all hydraulic reconditioned. Runs and looks like new PLEASE MAKE A NOTE: The O.G.S.A. mailing address will be changed as of 1 Toro Greensmaster A-1 Condition. June 30, 1979 — New Address — Contact:— Samuel C. J. Law, Ontario Golf Superintendents Association, C/0 Westbrook Golf & Ski Club P.O. Box 312 R.R. #3, Welland, Ontario L3B 5N6 Etobicoke, Ontario M9C 4V3 Phone: 899-3612 O.G.S.A. NEWS "Next Meeting" "MISSISSAUGA GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB" PRESIDENT, GREENSCHAIRMAN, SUPERINTENDENT DAY SHOTGUN TOURNAMENT BUFFET BREAKFAST 7.30 A.M. TEE-OFF 9.00 A.M. COCKTAILS 3.30 P.M. DINNER 4.30 P.M. GUEST SPEAKER DR. JOE VARGAS HOST PAUL DODSON COST $120.00 per team NEW MEMBERS The Association welcomes the following new members:— Ted Ellis, Greenwood Golf Club, Sarnia, Ontario Hugh Moulton, Windsor Park Golf Club, Copetown, Ontario Charles Egleston, Niagara Chemicals THORNHILL GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1979 GOLF — 1.30 p.m. — 2.30 p.m. MEETING — Curling Lounge - 7.30 p.m. DINNER — 8.30 p.m. Jacket and Tie Required. COST - $12.00 NEW MEMBER POSTINGS NEIL ACTON — Green Acres Golf Club BRENT McCAFFEREY - Carry Place Golf Club ROBERT LABBETT - Beaverdale Golf Club JOHN WOODHOUSE — Pine Orchard Irrigation Ltd. If any member has any objection to the above persons applying for membership in the O.G.S.A. the Secretary must be notified in writing within 30 days. Answers to the Tree Test Game — 1. Pear; 2. Beech; 3. Pine; 4. Date; 5. Locust; 6. Palm; 7. Elder; 8. Tulip; 9. Basswood; 10. Cucumber; 11. Sandal; 12. Yew; 13. Spruce; 14. Fir; 15. Poplar; 16. Rubber; 17. Cork; 18. Unbrella; 19. Dogwood. MEMORIAL FOR NICOL THOMPSON We were saddened to hear that Nicol Thompson passed away in May. Nicol was Professional and Course Superintendent at the Whirlpool Golf Club from the time it opened until his retire­ ment seven years ago. He was a great golf enthusiast and we all remember his many trips to the prize table at our meetings. Nicol was very active in the Western Ontario Greenkeepers Association serving on the Board of Directors and as President. He is survived by his wife Marian, daughter Mrs. Jane Flake of Fort Erie and a son Stanley Thompson of Cold Lake, Alta. SPRING REPORT FROM WINDSOR AREA By Bill Fach The overall spring condition of most of the courses in the south western area are quite good com­ pared to Toronto standards. But to us Southeners' the damage we received from crown hydration during the middle of March was a real change for this area. With this and the heavy tree damage caused by freezing rains early in that month, our course was not in good condition compared to other years. But due to the warm weather we received in May most of these damaged areas have filled in, thus providing the golfer with reasonable playing conditions. Other problems many superintendents in the area have had, due to the unreasonable low winter temperatures, is their share of irrigation breaks. This lead to many hours spent on irrigation repairs thus other important jobs, like overseeding, airifying, etc. had to be delayed. SPRING REPORT FROM LONDON AREA By Al Draper From all information I have received, Southwestern Ontario came through the winter very similar to the Toronto area. In March when we looked at our courses after the snow had gone, the greens looked great. Then the snow came again and after it had melted we were able to see the damage. Any courses with POA lost the grass completely in the low lying areas. Due to the lack of snow cover the high areas suffered from crown hydration. More than anything I think a lot of POA was lost in this area due to direct low temperature kill. Even some areas of bentgrass were lost due to crown hydration, coupled with direct low temperature kill. Typhula definitely was a problem on tees and fairways. Now that we finally are getting some warm weather, the POA is starting to germinate and the courses are recovering from one of the hardest winters we have experienced, for growing grass. HANDLE FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS WITH CARE Flammable liquids such as gasoline, acetone, lighter fluid, lacquer thinner and paint thinner require special care in use and storage. These substances change rapidly from liquid to vapors which can burst into flame from even a small spark. Because the vapors are often heavier than air, they can travel consider­ able distances along the ground, creating unseen fire hazards far from the place they are being used. Also worthy of special handling are other liquids such as alcohol and turpentine. While they do not produce the fumes associated with the substances above, they are still dangerous and will burn rapidly if ignited. Remind your employees of these rules for safe storage and use; ★ Never use or store flammable liquids near heat or flame. ★ Never store gasoline in a residence or vehicle, and always use tightly capped and labeled metal cans for storage. Never use plastic or glass containers or anything that could be mistaken for a beverage container. ★ Keep flammable liquids out of the reach of unauthorized persons, especially children. ★ When refueling gasoline-powered equipment, turn it off and allow it to cool first. ★ Never use gasoline to clean anything. ★ When siphoning gasoline, use a pump, not your mouth. ★ Follow directions carefully and choose non-flammable products when possible. ★ When using flammable liquids, especially paint sprays, removers, synthetic cleaners and quick­ drying paints, be sure the area is well ventilated. Vapors from these substances build up quickly in closed rooms, creating unsafe breathing conditions and a threat of explosion. ★ If a fire involving flammable liquids should occur, use ONLY a Class B or ABC fire extinguisher (foam, carbon dioxide or dry chemical). Water can cause the fire to spread or explode. —From Forefront HOW I MANAGE MY TEES AND GREENS By Bob Brewster, Golf Course Superintendent The greens at Weston are a mixture of Washington bent, penncross bent, and poa annua grown on a heavy clay soil. The average size of the greens are 6000 sq. ft. or approximately 21/2 acres. We do not follow any set program for the greens as all the maintenance TURF CARE PRODUCTS is done according to the weather conditions and tha amount of LIMITED growth. MAINTENANCE The past two years we have had winter kill on four or five greens each spring. These greens do not drain well and the areas where the golfers walk off the greens and the center areas have been receiving the damage. We have renovated these greens by airifying, top dress­ ing and overseeding with a mixture of Manhatten perennial rye­ grass and pencross bent grass. The greens are mowed seven days a week from the 1st of May till the end of September. We are using the Toro triplex greens- mower set at 3/16" in spring and fall and 5/32" throughout the summer months. We are using whiele rollers and the combs are set slightly into the turf. The ball marks are fixed before the green is cut and it takes us approximately two hours to mow 20 greens. Another daily maintenance practice is changing the holes. FERTILIZING The fertilizing is done on a basis as to the amount of clippings being removed from the greens, tournament schedules and weath­ er conditions. In 1978 we fertilized the greens as follows: May 9 — % lb. of N June 13 - % lb. of N PHONE (416) 495-9088 July 1 — Phosphorous July 27 - % lb. of N Aug. 24 — % lb. of N TURF CARE PRODUCTS LIMITED For the season of 1978 we used approximately 3 lbs. of N per 153 TELSON ROAD. MARKHAM, ONT. L3R 1E7 1000 sq. ft. The greens are supplemented in the fall with an appli­ cation of sulphate of potash. SPRAYING There is no specific program for the spraying of greens. We spray our greens only if necessary and do not follow a preventative pro­ gram except for the snow mould treatment in late fall. We try to use a contact fungicide on the greens at all times. In 1978 our spraying program was: June 16 — Polygram C - dollar spot July 6 — Daconil - Ontario Amateur July 17 — Diazion - chinchbugs Aug. 10 — Chlordane - cutworms - 1 oz./1000 Aug. 30 — CAD - dollarspot Oct. 20 — Snow mould - pink Nov. 20 — Snow mould - gray AERIFYING We aerified our greens the first week of August in 1978. We set up a date in the roster in the spring so all our members would be a- ware. This enables the members to plan some games at another You can hook-up the National Power Quint to club during that week. It takes us 2/21 days to do our 20 greens. We virtually any 12 or more horsepower vehicle, such as a garden tractor, truck, and because have been raking all the cores from the greens. This is due to the the National has its own powerful motor to heavy soil and we try to followup with a top dressing. A week after drive the reels, you can go out and get a fair­ aerifying we were hit with cutworms that reopened all our aerify­ way cut or you can swing right into your roughs ing holes that had grown over nicely. and cut a big 11 ft. 6 in. swatch. The National Power Quint folds up to only 68” and becuase TOP DRESSING it has no wheels, you can overhang sand traps, In 1978 we top dressed our greens 5 times during the season. The ditches, roadways, and eliminate costly hand final top dressing took place the 3rd week of November. We have trimming. The full floating power driven reels been using straight sand for the last three years and matting the follow the ground contour. sand in with the use of a golf cart. It takes us approximately 10 It can even be used in those areas where you would hesitate to take any other gang mower. hours to do all the greens. Although we put the flag to the front For a demonstration on your course, contact of the green we still find the golfers want to play the green regard­ the Canadian Distributor — less of the sand. VERTICUTTING LAWN EQUIPMENT LIMITED Verticutting is done periodically throught the season. We have the 1184 Plains Rd. E., Burlington, Ontario Phone: Toronto 923-8474 or Burlington 637-5216 verticut heads for the triplex greensmower and we have then set - up as to tickle the green rather than heavily thatching. We verticut our greens twice, doing them in the opposite direction. HOW I MANAGE MY TEES & GREENS (Continued from Page 6) WATERING Our watering system has been converted to automatic irrigation. The pop ups around the greens are now operating in pairs rather than having them all coming on at once around the green. This gives us better pressure in the farthest areas of the course where the pressure was lacking before and also better control of the amount of water we want to put on some greens. Most greens receive 10 minutes a night, while some only require 5 minutes each night. The irrigation methods have really changed in the last eight years. The night water man when I first went to Weston felt that the more water he put on the green the better, so he used to leave the Head Office: 980 Green Valley Road water on the green until it formed puddles and started running off London, Ontario N6A 4C2 like creeks. We used to water greens and tees one night and fair­ Phone (519) 681-9660 Jim Barkey — Sales & Marketing Manager ways the next night. This would take 8 hours a night. When we Jim Nickerson Art Christensen converted to rotary pop ups with a manual valve we cut down our Bill O’Connor night watering to 4 hours per night on greens and tees and 5 to 6 hours per night on fairways. Then a year later we were watering Branches at: greens, tees and fairways all in one night. Toronto 50 Brydon Drive After the installation of the pop ups around the greens there Rexdale, Ontario Phone (416) 743-3892 was a great improvement in the greens and aprons as the coverage Ron Craig, Manager was far superior to the quick coupling systems. Hopefully the John Findley Peter Starkiss automatic system will also improve our greens by haling complete 47 Capital Drive, Ottawa, Ontario control. Phone (613) 225-9387 TEES Ray Morris One of the main improvements on our tees has been a rebuilding program to accommodate extra play. The par 4 tees are a mixture of bents while the par 3 tees are mostly bluegrass. We mow our 2 SPRAMOTOR LIMITED OFFERS YOU COMPLETE SALES WITH SERVICE FACILITIES AND acres of tees with a triplex greensmower 3 times a week. It takes REPRESENT THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES: approximately 5 hours to mow the tees. The tees are aerified once JACOBSEN - ROGERS - SODMASTER - PAR AIDE a year and verticutting has been done the last 2 seasons. We usu­ ROYER - OLATHE - ATWATER STRONG - NEARY GREEN CROSS - MAY & BAKER - MALLINCKRODT ally follow a preventative spray program for dollar spot and we also treat the tees for snow mould in the fall. The divots on the par 3's are seeded weekly and divots on the par 4's are done once a month. Our fertilizer program is the same as the greens except we put a lb. of N per 1000 on the bluegrass tees, per application. With the management techniques we follow throughout the season we are able to give our members good greens and tees throughout the year. FAIRWAY & ROUGH MANAGEMENT - St. George's Golf & County Club Presented by Bill Hynd, Golf Course Superintendent Watering Procedures: We irrigate fairways daily throughout the heat of summer and on an average use 16 million gallons of city water. We water manually and with our eye on Poa Annua some areas will tend to be over-watered rather than under-watered. The watering operation, manually, causes the most concern of any operation in turf management. Training new men to do this seemingly simple task can be a headache. It is one area where we lack complete control. Fertilizing: Careful, balanced feeding, aided by soil testing, is the most important feature in fairway management. Fertilizer requirements will average 2 lb. N and 1 lb. Aulphate Potash in the fall. We use natural organics and Amm. Nitrate. We have practiced dormant feeding from time to time, but with no appreciable improvement in early summer. Excess watering usually means more fertilizer. This didn't happen last year, 1978, as we only used 2.2 lbs. N. I favour steady, slow growth - a lean condition. Recovery from disease problems may be more rapid stimulating lean fairways rather than nursing sick, succulent turf back to health. Over-stimulation is poor management. Excess grass growth in May is sure death for Poa Annua in prolonged heat in July and August, this is my experience at St. George's. Inset Control: Minor Atanius Spretulus damage in 1976, and spot treat only. Most fairways have had no insect control treat­ ment the past 16 years. Fairway Budget: Fertilizer $ 6,000 Fungicides Herbicides 3,000 Over the years I find for every dollar spent on fertilizer, 50^ is Pesticides sufficient for all other chemicals - a 2 - 1 ratio. Water (city) 14,000 $23,000 Compaction: This has increased over the years since we have increased the golf cart fleet from 7 Cushman carts in 1963 to 45 Melex carts at the present time. You often get caught in the dilemma of doing a job of aerifying and have the members on your back, or wait until later when it finally catches up on you. Sometimes it's difficult to define how far to go. -Cont'd on Page 8A FROM THE EDITOR After a cool and wet spring with very little growth in the Ontario areas, we are finally into some warm temperatures. If you didn't have any "brownies" this spring consider yourself very lucky. I would like to explain to our members what the Board of Directors have been doing lately. The ONTARIO TURFGRASS RESEARCH FOUNDATION is in the final stages. The founders are Alan Beeney, Paul Dermott and Keith Nesbit. The by-laws have been completed and the founders should be choosing their first Board of Directors shortly. All money raised will be used for promoting turfgrass research in Ontario. In May a meeting was held at Duke Lawn Equipment with representatives from Duke Lawn Equipment, Richard Duke, Toro, Turf Care Products, Mark Waldeman and Jacobsen, Spramotor Ltd., Jim Barkey in attendance. They felt that they would sooner donate a sum of money to the Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation rather than have an equipment show which has been a failure the past two years. We also want­ ed to get their feelings on having a two or three day symposium in January with an equipment show when the Canadian Conference is held outside the province. They would like to see the symposium held outside the Toronto area, either in Niagara Falls, Hamilton, London, Windsor or Kitchener and they would like to assist us in planning the symposium. In the next issue we will have information on the Jacobsen Training School for Mechanics, Toro Mechanics course and the Cushman Mechanic course in Omaha. Also, Duke Lawn will be holding their "Lawnarama" in Burlington in late August this year. I would also like to mention that the proposal for dividing the Ontario Association into regions is at a standstill. The Association would be divided into 4 or 5 regions. Each region would hold their own meetings with possibly the Galt Field Day and the President, Greenschairman Superintendent Day being attended by all regions. Each region would have 2 people in their area serving on the Board of Directors. Unfortunately, no work has been done on this project. I think this idea has a lot of merit and hopefully we can get someone on the Board of Directors next year that will give some time and effort to get this project going in 1980. Last year, at the annual meeting a vote was taken on allowing Assistant Superintendents to be mem­ bers of our Association. Unfortunately, it did not have a majority vote although we are gaining. I believe the final count was 13 in favour and 10 against. I feel that the Assistants should be allowed into our Associ­ ation. It would make our Association stronger, help to educate our Assistants, and produce better Turf Managers in this business. Attendance has been down at the meetings lately, it seems the only people that are attending are the Board of Directors and the sales companies. You will find that the so-called "TORONTO-CLICHE" is fast disappearing. A lot of time and effort is put into planning these meetings and only you the member can benefit if you attend. We have tried to plan our meetings and give notice far in advance so you can get the day off. We are now allowing companies to advertise in our newsletter. The cost for advertising is $175.00 for a full page; $75.00 for a 1/2 page; and $40.00 for a 1/4 page. Anyone interested in advertising may contact the Editor. Advertising for next issue must be received no later than August 1, 1979. TRY THIS TREE TEST GAME - 1. What is a double tree? 8. The tree used in kissing. 15. The tree used to describe a pretty girl. 2. What tree is closest to the sea? 9. The fisherman's tree? 16. The tree used in wet weather. 3. Name the Longing tree. 10. The tree you pickle. 17. The tree used in a bottle. 4. What is the calendar tree? 11. The tree worn in Oriental countries. 18. The tree that protects you from fierce 5. The Egyptian Plague Tree. 12. The personal pronoun tree. heat of the sun. 6. The tree we offer to friends on 13. The neatest tree. 19. The tree that barks. meeting and parting. 14. The tree that keeps you warm. Answers to Quiz on Page 4. HOCKEY ACTION FROM SUPERINTENDENTS DURING 1978-79 SEASON Our C.G.S.A. President — Bob Heron FAIRWAY AND ROUGH MANAGEMENT (Cont'd.) Slicing tines may look like you are doing a job without disrupting play, but frankly, I think this is a waste of time. 3/4 coring tines I find is the most effective way to relieve compaction - 2 passes if necessary. Once a year is sufficient for most areas and September-October is most suitable with enough drying days to dragmat and break up the plugs the same day. Localized compacted areas developing through the busy playing season can be effectively relieved by using 5/8 tines on a Ryan Greensaire without disrupting playability, verticutting and dragmatting plugs will complete this operation. Disease Control: Dollar Spot is the main problem disease affecting fairways and actually is more troublesome than greens and tees. Last year, 1978, was easy to control, while 1977 was atrial. Systemic Fungicides worked good for three years before losing control, this despite one low application of1/2/ oz. per 1,000 sq. ft. on most fairways, 1 oz. on others. I have used C.A.D. - P.M.A.S. the past 2 years with success, half and half - 5 gal. total on 40 acres of fairways, usually 6 applications at 2 week intervals. Dollar Spot probably gets more attention than it deserves in this area. I don't know of anyone wiped out, and yet it com­ mand respect. Weed Control: As we proceed through this short talk the problems become easier to control. Poa Annua fairways just don't allow weeds to intrude unless there is injury through winter kill or summer wilt - I have more trouble with my home lawn. Knotweed is the most troublesome weed and can be controlled easily when the plant is young. The mature knotweed plant may be more difficult to control and I usually favour spraying with Killex about the end of August which will retard the plant sufficiently to allow the resurging Poa Annua to crowd it out. Thatch: Thatch isn't a problem at St. George's except on No. 7 fairway, which is noted as our chronic wilt fairway in heat of summer, through lack of water penetration. Well, on July 4, 1977, there developed several wilt areas. Initially I looked for insects eating the roots, but it was definitely a thatch problem, shallow rooting and soil structure in compacted layers. The only course of action feasible was to aerify with the Greensaires so as not to sirupt the playing surface, and we spent 6 1/2 hours with 2 machines aerifying the right side of the fairway. Although root depth didn't improve much, water penetration was good and no serious wilt problems have developed since through 1978. Since the soil structure was poor we went a step further on a 4,000 sq. ft. section, we decided to modify the soil by adding 180 cu. ft. of peat moss and resodding, Penncross. The root depth of this section is now superior to the other areas. In summary, the biggest problem over the years, which we have no control of is winter injury on Poa Annua fairways. Disease and summer wilt demand strict attention but should be controlled without too much anxiety. WETTING AGENT USE IMPROVES WATER, SOIL the suction forces within the plant to and with the resultant better drainage, CHARACTERISTICS pull the water to the top of the plant. formerly soggy roots become less prone However, these same properties of to disease. University test data has BY ROBERT A. MOORE water can cause distribution prob­ shown wetting agents to be the most President, Aquatrols Corp. of America lems and, consequently, puddling and effective means of eliminating problem dry spots. areas in the soil. Nature may be great, but it In golf course management, be­ Increased recognition and use of certainly isn’t perfect. And, as if it cause of increased golf activity and soil wetting agents as a tool for turf weren’t enough that Nature itself limited water resources, it has be­ management is resulting in many involves many conditions non- come of vital necessity that a new and benefits and savings. The rapid and conducive to good growth, man has enormously useful tool be recognized: uniform dispension of amended water worsened the situation by his destruc­ Soil Wetting Agents. These agents throughout the soil profile controls tive use of the soil. Such are the compensate for problem conditions by localized dry spots, reduces puddling, unfavorable natural and man-made physically changing water, by making it allows for better aeration and drain­ conditions encountered by the golf “wetter,” through the lowering of age in the root zone, lessens compaction course superintendent. It is essential, tensions. Wetting agents are far more and saves up to 50 per cent in water used therefore, that certain compensations economical to use than soil on all types of soil. Improvements and be made to promote and facilitate amendments and can be applied more saving such as these can only mean efficient and healthy plant growth. generally and to larger areas. If better and more successful turf. Water is vital to the very exis­ scientifically prepared, they are bio­ In always seeking to improve the tence of life on this planet. It is essential, degradable, environmentally safe and turf, the golf course superintendent who not only to plant growth, but is involved effective in all types of soil. does his homework should be aware of in every plant function as a constituent, Water, in one way or another, is each new and better means of turf reagent and solvent, without which related to almost every operation or management in order to achieve the turgor could not be maintained. problem on the golf course. Through most practical and effective result. We How much do we really know utilization of soil wetting agents, many are confident that wetting agents will about water, its control and use, and the of these problems can be relieved and play a major role in the development of effect of its presence on plant life? water management operations made more effective maintenance programs. One thing we know is that the high more efficient and economical. Under density surface tension and tensile low tension conditions, water strength of water within a plant allow percolates faster, puddling is reduced,