\J

SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS
ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE
MID-ATLANTIC ASSOCIATION OF GOLF COURSE
SUPERINTENDENTS

Under the Auspices
of the
Extension Service - University of Maryland

Holiday Inn-Downtown
Howard and Lombard Streets
Baltimore, Maryland
January 6 and 7, 1969

/
.

4 / & F / X

INDEX

The Conference Opens

Page

1

Welcome - Dr. Frank L . Bentz, J r .

2

The President's Message - George Cleaver

3

Dew is Not Dew - Tom Mascaro

5

Trends in Golf Today - Col. Harry C. Eckhoff

15

Recent Developments in Turf - Dr. Elwyn E . Deal

19

Educational Programs for the Golf Course Superintendent

Available at the University of Maryland - D r . Gordon M. Cairns

21

New Turfgrass Varieties - Dr. C. Reed Funk, J r .

22

Pruning Ornamental Trees and Shrubs - Francis R. Gouin

24

Benlate 1991 * A Turf Fungicide - Robert T . Miller

25

Pythium and Fusarium Diseases in Grass - Dr. George A. Bean

28

Tractor Safety and Maintenance - Guy W. Gienger

29

Pesticide Safety - David Shriver

33

Symposium on Po& annua
Living with Poa annua (Stat'
Control of Poa annua

}uo)

Lee C. Dieter

with I tasan or Pre-San - Dennis McCammon

Controlling Poa annua with Arsenates - Dr. W. H . Daniel

33
34
36

ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE
MID-ATLANTIC ASSOCIATION OF GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS
HOLIDAY INN-DOWNTOWN, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
JANUARY 6 AND 7 , 1969

Summary
With approximately 200 in attendance the annual conference of the Mid-Atlantic
Association of Golf Course Superintendents was called to order by Dr. George S.
Langford, State Entomologist, University of Maryland.
He observed the Mid-Atlantic
Association had for more than 40 years been pioneering for the betterment of t u r f .
He said that according to historical notes prepared by Dr. Ernest N. Cory, the MidAtlantic was conceived when Reg Giddings , Dick S c o t t , Bob Scott and Oscar Pitts got
together at Columbia Country Club and worked out tentative plans for an association.
The f i r s t meeting was at the New Howard Hotel in Baltimore.
Following the call to
order, President George Cleaver introduced Dr. Frank L . Bentz, J r . , Vice President
for Agricultural A f f a i r s , University of Maryland who brought greetings from the
University of Maryland.
Special events during the cor.crence were a lur heon and a banquet.
At the
luncheon Dr. Gordon M. C a i r n s , Dean of Agriculture at che University of Maryland
outlined the educational programs at the University of Maryland available to young
people interested in turf work.
The principal speaker at the banquet was Tom
Mascaro.
He entertained with slides and humorous commentary depicting "happenings"
on golf courses.
At the awards ceremony, Angelo Cammarota, Green Superintendent at
Bonnie View Country Club, Baltimore, was named "Superintendent of the Year" and was
Angelo was selected for "the way he maintains his own golf
presented with a plaque.
course and his relations with the club's professional s t a f f , green chairman and his
fellow superintendents."
In making the presentation, George Thompson, Superintendent
of the Columbia, Maryland Country Club, saluted Angelo on behalf of the Mid-Atlantic
Association for his devotion to the advancement of the green superintendent's profession.
A $ 3 0 0 . 0 0 scholarship award was presented to William Thomas Ramsberg, 3rd
on behalf of the Golf Course Superintendent's Association of America.
The presentation was made by Bob Shields, Superintendent of Woodmont Country Club, Rockville.
Newly elected officers were also installed at the banquet.
Robert C. Milligan
Superintendent of the Gunpowder Country Club, L a u r e l , succeeded outgoing president,
George Cleaver of Chestnut Ridge Country C l u b , Baltimore.
Russell Kerns, Woodholme
Country Club, Baltimore was installed as vice president and Edward Dembnicki of
Indian Spring Country Club, Silver Spring, was named Secretary-Treasurer.
Directors
for 1969 are:
Lee D i e t e r , Washington Golf and Country Club;
Bert Yingling, Beaver
Creek Country Club, Hagerstown;
J . Paul Barefoot, Soldiers' Home, Washington;
George Thompson, Columbia (Md.) Coun ry Club; Robert C. M i l l e r , Suburban Country
Club, Baltimore;
Dennis McCammon, S :ingfield ( V a . ) Country Club and Past President
George Cleaver.
Under a topic entitled "The F-ed for B a s i c s " , Bcb Shields, Superintendent of
Woodmont Country Club, Rockville, led a provocative discussion.
With slides and commentary he reviewed a number of serious problems he had encountered during the summer.
It was a consensus that those in attendance gained much from the experiences
that Bob shared with them. Mr. M. H . D a y , , Supervisor of Seed I n s p e c t i o n , Maryland
State Board of Agriculture, talked about some of the things to look for on the seed
tag.
He cautioned buyers to check a l l labels so they would know what they were
. paying for.
The Conference was closed following an excellent resume
papers by Angelo Cammarota.

of the educational

GREETINGS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
DR. FRANK L . BENTZ, J R .
On behalf of the administration of the University of Maryland a n d , in particular, the Agriculture Administration, I bring greetings and a warm welcome to this
Annual Conference.
We in Agriculture are pleased to have the opportunity to work
with you in problems related to the production and management of turf and ornamental
plants and to assist your p a r t , i f I may c a l l it that, of the Agricultural Industry
of the State in any way that we can.
I t may seem strange to think of golf courses and agriculture in the same
breath.
What do you picture in your mind when the word "agriculture" is mentioned?
I judge the thoughts of most of you w i l l be of a herd of cows, or a f i e l d of corn,
or an apple orchard, or perhaps a f i e l d of tobacco.
And I would also bet that many
of you may think of agriculture as of l i t t l e importance in Maryland.
I f d l i k e to
take just a few minutes to try to change that image.
Y e s , Agriculture is farming.
Farming on 2 0 , 0 0 0 farms involving about half
he land area of the S t a t e ; providing jobs for nearly 4 0 , 0 0 0 workers on farms; with
cash farm sales of over $ 3 0 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 annually.
Y e s , Agriculture is farming but i t is a far more complicated kind of farmingbig business requiring far more in the way of managerial s k i l l - cow herds of 100250 cows, grain farms handling 1000—2000 acres of corn and soybeans , broiler growers
handling 5 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 birds annually with modern e f f i c i e n t mechanized broiler houses;
integrated broiler operations providing chicks, feed, f u e l , medications, processing
and selling the finished birds - owning feed mills with millions of bushel capacity.
To run these operations we need farm managers , herdsmen, crop production specialists,
fieldmen for f e r t i l i z e r s and f e e d s , plant supervisors, technicians to name a few.
But when you think of Agriculture do you also think of the industries
directly associated with agriculture?
What about the farm chemicals industry f e r t i l i z e r s and pesticides in particular?
The farm equipment industry, the food
processing industry, the nursery industry, the turfgrass industry, golf courses,
plant and animal disease and pest control, home horticulture including sales of seed,
f e r t i l i z e r , chemicals, plants?
All of these are Agriculture.
These industries provide jobs for 1 3 7 , 0 0 0 workers and together with farm sales contribute about
$ 1 , 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 annually to the economy of Maryland - about 15% of the gross income
of our State.
The nursery and green house industry in Maryland includes over 270 establishments and sold products valued at over $ 1 2 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 in 1966.
Approximately 100 farmers or firms are producing about 5 0 , 0 0 0 acres of t u r f .
As you x*ell know, there
are 150 golf courses in the State.
There are over 5000 establishments in Maryland
s e l l i n g seed and often other farm equipment and supplies ranging from the corner
grocery to hardware stores, supermarkets and highly specialized seed stores.
My message is that Agriculture i s important in Maryland - one of our State's
largest industries - and i t w i l l continue to be important for years to come.
It is
important that the people of our State understand the contributions of Agriculture
and support the needs of the agribusiness industry.
Our job in Agriculture at the
University is to serve that industry by providing research and education programs
related to agriculture, home economics, 4-H & youth, and community resource development. We also have the task of providing the trained people needed by the industry.
In this respect I want to point out that we need more good students in Agriculture.
The opportunities for employment are tremendous and we are not able to meet the requests for agricultural graduates.
We are making serious efforts to interest more
students in agriculture and hope in a few years to make some significant p r o g r è s ,

The scholarship assistance provided by your Association is most helpful in interesting students in the turfgrass area.
It is this kind of assistance that we need
as well as your own personal efforts to let students know of the opportunities
available to them.

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THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
GEORGE CLEAVE.
SUPERINTENDENT, ::iESTT ^T RIDGE COUNTRY CDJB
Dr. Langford, Dr. Bentz and fellow superintendents:
I t is a pleasure to
.end greetings to you on behalf of the Board of Directors and members of the MidAtlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents.
I wish to thank our Program
Committee and especially Bob Milligan, the chairman,
I also want to recognize the
-»operation of the University of Maryland through its staff of turf experts, Dr.
Deal and Mr. Hawes, and particularly recognize the untiring help that Dr. Langford
has given us in putting this conference together for many years. But there is more
to a conference than finding speakers and printing a program. The important part
of a conference is you - the people who attend.
Turf conferences such as this one, the first of the year, are just one of a
varies of local meetings throughout the year and serve the purpose of bringing toather the various groups for sharing or discussing mutual problems , and this develops a more relaxed freedom of expression between men in the practical field and
those in scientific research.
I feel this sharing of technical and practical knowledge is the keystone to the continued progress of our profession.
Speaking of
meetings, Jones was asked why he d i d n ' t join in the discussion,
He replied, f! I
learn more by listening.
Anything I would say, I already know,"
Gentlemen, this is January 1969.
As people react to this fact they w i l l f a l l
into two groups.
One group w i l l s a y , f, This is a new y e a r ! " The other group w i l l
remind us that "another year is before us" or "another year has gone." It sounds
like they are expressing the same thing.
But I don't think they are.
To one group
the New Year brings another chapter of adventure and experience, new challenges
that lie ahead and new accomplishments.
Like a well trained hunting dog ready to
go. To the other group, "another year has gone and in its place there is another
year to f a c e . " Ahead looms unsurmountable drudgery, increasing problems, the same
dull repetition.
We see and hear new experiences and adventures everytime we attend
a conference. We don't have time to experiment with everything ourselves so we
should attend these conferences to keep up with the times. People today are
astronaut-minded.
When Johnny is told that his grandparents are taking a trip
around the world, he a s k s , "How many times?"
There is a saying - "Have tomorrow's mind instead of y e s t e r d a y ' s . " "You can't
do today's job with yesterday's tools and be in business tomorrow;"which means we
must a l l strive to keep abreast of times with modern methods of operation and
modern equipment and materials which enable us to increase our efficiency wherever
^sible.
I remember Frank Dunlap saying, "To accomplish something, you must start
~nd then there are only two ways a golf course can go - forward or backward!"

Use the Positive Approach,
You have heard people say, "Don't worry about i t .
You can't get out of this world a l i v e . "
"Think like a man of action and act like a
man of thought".
"The shadow is always behind the man who walks toward the l i g h t . "
These can be nothing less than positive approaches to the job that we have at hand.
I don't feel that there is a way of definitely comparing the standards of
golf courses today with those of several years ago.
As I said in one of the Newsl e t t e r s , basically the golf course looks the same in the f a l l as i t did in the
spring.
I t ' s hard to explain this to the green committee.
But I do think the standards of golf courses have improved a great deal through the superintendent's efforts and the turf conferences. Mr. Evans, past president of Delaware Golf Association said that the Delaware Turfgrass Association has accomplished more in two years
than i t has in sixteen, which is an indication of the success of the superintendents
work.
We have been speaking about s c i e n t i f i c research; what this herbicide w i l l do
or what that fungicide w i l l control.
With all of this research, we cannot overlook
the simplest thing in our search to get an answer to our problems.
As an example, I
talked with a superintendent having trouble with a green.
He thought perhaps i t
might be air circulation and wondered how long i t had been since he trimmed the
trees and shrubbery.
Upon checking his records, he found i t was eleven years ago.
This explained why he was having the same trouble that he had before.
Eleven years
passes like eleven days when a fellow is busy on the golf course.
Good reason for
keeping records.
Basic research is essential.
We w i l l hear more about "Back to Basics" l a t e r .
One thing I would like to say here is that the soil is basic and fundamental in the
successful growth of plants.
The golf course i t s e l f is basic to the Country Club.
Not long ago I heard about a club manager telling the superintendent to do something
No golf course superintendent can
to the greens so the steaks w i l l taste better.
afford to remain static in his professional development.
Progress must be his
incentive or ultimately he w i l l f a l l by the wayside.
Now, gentlemen, have a good time and enjoy yourselves.

DEW IS NOT DEW
by
TOM MAS CARO
WEST POINT PRODUCTS CORPORATION

Dew on turfgrass areas i s not dew.
Most of the commonly called "dew" is in
reality exudated water or guttated f l u i d exuded from the open stomata of the grass
blades or from the clipped ends.
Very l i t t l e research has been done on the o r i g i n ,
composition or effects of exudated water, yet there is much evidence that i t has
a profound effect upon turfgrasses.
Many theories have been presented but few
have been documented by resource research.
I t is my hope that this discussion
w i l l stimulate research people and others to delve into this fascinating and important subject, and that the turf man who studies the following presentation
w i l l better understand some of its mysteries and how to cope with its effects
through cultural practices.
The effects of exudated water apparently f i r s t received recognition when the
United States Golf Association over twenty years ago conducted a survey among
member clubs relating to the incidence of disease on putting greens.
One conclusion that was drawn from the survey was that the golf courses that practiced
early morning watering had less disease than those that did not.
No one understood why but this practice worked and through the years has been adopted by
many superintendents.
The practice of early morning watering must, in some way,
be related to exudated water but its function is not too well understood.
Although we have made great progress in the science of turfgrass culture, a
great deal of mystery s t i l l surrounds same of the problems we encounter.
These words indicate a mysterious set of circumstances of which no one is
quite certain.
/
I suspect that many times we blame disease for loss of turf for lack of a
better answer.
We have special names for these problems; l i k e , M melting out, 11
" w i l t , " "spring dead s p o t , " and even "summer d e a d . "
Turfgrasses seem to die out overnight.
Diseases strike and become uncontrollable.
I t seems to me that there must be an answer to why we lose control and
turf is severely injured or l o s t .
Great progress has been made in the development of fungicides.
They are
of tremendous help to carry us through c r i t i c a l periods.
Yet they f a i l us under
certain conditions.
Note these three words:
Under Certain Conditions.
Another great mystery to me i s why more basic research is not being done on
why these problems occur in the f i r s t place.
Aspirin is great, but i t seems to me that it is mighty important to know
why we have a headache.
Therefore, i n this discussion, I w i l l discuss more the
why rather than the cure.
During my many years in this great turfgrass industry I have seen and photographed many problems.
I have been particularly fascinated with the mysteries
of the effects of turfgrass loss.
I have been deeply
their jobs because they
Feeling that there must
research literature for

disturbed when men who were good turfgrass managers lost
f a i l e d to keep their grass alive under certain conditions.
be an answer, I listened to many theories and studied the
any clues that could be pieced together.

The evidence I have accumulated seems to indicate that there are many
factors that can be related to this problem.
One of these factors, however, apparently has a pronounced affect as to why turf diseases occur and is the least
understood.
This factor is exudated water.
Exudated water is surrounded by mystery.
I t is not even called by the same
name by different people.
Some call i t exudated water.
I t is referred to as
exudate water.
Others w i l l call it guttated water, water of guttation, or guttation f l u i d .
S t i l l others say it is water of condensation.
Children call it
" f a i r y rain" but most of us c a l l i t " d e w / 1
n
Many people have talked about dew, much has been written about i t , not much
is known about i t , and what is known many times is f u l l of misconception.
I would l i k e to quote from the following article that was published nationally a few years ago:

"What Causes The Dew To F a l l ? "
"Have you ever wondered why there is dew some nights and not others, why
nights but not days, why on some parts of the lawn but never on others, or what
dew is?
Poets have called dew " n a t u r e ' s water j e w e l s . "
Children see it as " f a i r y
rain."
The meterologist says, "the air got too cold to hold a l l the m o i s t u r e —
the excess f e l l to e a r t h . "
Three requisites are essential for dew to form
moist a i r , a cold surface,
and a clear sky.
I f clouds gather, dew ceases to f a l l .
I f tree foliage overhangs the lawn, effect is like a cloud and dew does not collect.
But when the day has been brightly sunny and the night turns real cool,
conditions are right for a copious f a l l of Dew.
Next morning you w i l l discover
that the very smallest grass blade has not been neglected.
It w i l l be dew-laden
and an object of beauty.
Frequently a leaf w i l l have a single large dewdrop, clear as a diamond, deposited at the very tip of the blade.
Sometimes two or even three large drops
w i l l be held suspended, while upon the extreme sharp edge of one or both sides of
the blade there w i l l be a collection of small, bead-like drops in orderly,
precise fashion.
When the large dewdrop perched upon the tip of the grass
blade starts to f a l l , it descends rather slowly at f i r s t , following the extreme
edge of the blade as i t slides down and joins up with the other dewdrops i t
encounters strung along the edge of the l e a f .
Eventually the combined drop be-?
comes heavy and f a l l s to the s o i l .
Dew can provide a valuable addition of moisture

for your

lawn."

Much of this article is misleading, yet i t says what most people think about
dew.

The so-called "dew" we see on turfgrasses is largely exudated water.
It
doesn't f a l l , it r i s e s .
Most of i t is water exuded or "pumped" out of the plant.

t

Light and temperature affect this process.
During the night with lower
temperatures and lower evaporation rates the exuded water accumulates.
Apparently through the process of osmosis root pressures build up to force water
out of the hydathodes.
During daylight hours with higher temperatures and more
rapid evaporation the reverse takes place.
A few investigations have shown that
the plant system is under tension and water can be taken in by the l e a f .
I f the
evaporation rate is low during the day, however, exuded water w i l l remain and
sometimes continue to form.
Perhaps the reason so called "dew" does not form under trees is that the
s o i l is drier and water is not present to be exudated.
We know that there is
a definite relationship to the amount of exudate and the available s o i l water.
Close observation w i l l show that the orderly, precise arrangement of the or
droplets is due to the location of the hydathodes and that the single large
droplet at the tip of the blade is much larger than normal i f the blade has been
cut.
These are facts and have been documented by a few research s c i e n t i s t s .
Here is what these men had to say about turfgrass disease and exudated
water...
J . K. Wilson
1923
"Exudate contains both organic and inorganic materials.' 1
The organic
materials suggest exudate water may have a similar composition to that of the
plant sap.
Hydrogen ion concentration is almost the same as the sap.
As
plants become older the exudate becomes more acid.
A substance (sugar enzymes peroxidase, reductase, or a combination of them)
suggests that nitrates which are taken up by the plant are in part reduced to
nitrites as they pass up through the plant tissues, and that this reduction may
continue for some time after the water has been exuded.
The organic material that is present i n exudate water seems to be easily
u t i l i z e d by bacteria.
Turfgrasses exudate water at different rates depending on the species.
This
is easily seen oil turfgrass areas of mixed grasses.
The exudated water is much
heavier on some than on others.
The bentgrasses, bermudagrasses, and poa annua are p r o l i f i c pumpers; bluegrasses are medium pumpers, and the fescues and zoysiagrasses are the driest or
pump the least.

<L
G. M. HOFFER
1949
H o f f e r ' s Theory:
When turf is well f e r t i l i z e d with a quickly available nitrogen, the guttated
T^ater contains a high concentration of n i t r a t e s .
The nitrate salts cause a
chemical burn on the grass l e a f .
The destroyed cells are then decomposed by
bacteria to available organic miatter.
The Fungal spores germinate and sustained by the organic matter.

I f a great

deal of thatch e x i s t s , some of the guttated water is absorbed and held.
When
optimum temperature and moisture e x i s t s , fungus growth starts i n the thatch and
quickly spreads to the grass blades at the surface.
I f the s o i l is compacted, this w i l l restrict the i n f i l t r a t i o n of guttation
fluid and a dangerous concentration of nitrates are held at the s o i l surface.
This concentration of nitrate salts w i l l cause a chemical burn of the plant
stems and pave the way for fungus growth.
I f a turfgrass area is w e l l f e r t i l i z e d with a quickly available nitrogen
and the exudated water is collected and poured i n one spot, a severe chemical
burn w i l l result.

Engel
1955
"Very acid s o i l conditions favor most of the turf

diseases."

"Tender succulent grass, which has received an excess of water and nitrogen,
susceptible to most d i s e a s e s . "

is

"While high humidity contributes to the softness of grass, it also may aid
growth of the f u n g i . "
" A i r movement has a great influence on humidity as w e l l as tempreature at the
turf l e v e l . "
Large Brownpatch

77 - 86 °F

Pythium

93°

Copperspot

81 - 86°

Dollarspot

68 - 86°

Pink Patch

65 - 73°

Early morning watering rather than evening has been found to keep turf
more free of disease.
Lime to maintain pH above 6 . 0 .

R. M, ENDO
1967
Guttated water is the fluid exuded from the f i x e d , open stomata located
at the tips of the grass blades.
When drops of guttation fluid are placed on
the leaves of seaside bentgrass and threads of dollar spot fungus are added to
the droplets, the threads grew sparingly to well and caused a variable amount of
infection.
When water was used, the fungal threads grew very sparingly and
failed to cause any infection.

When bentgrass seedlings were sprayed with spores of Helminthosporium
sorokinanum suspended in guttated water, the plants developed very severe
symptoms on 99% of them i n 2-4 days.
Nearly all the seedlings were dead after
6 days.
Plants inoculated with spore - tap water suspensions developed water soaki n g , yellowing and necrosis on 10% of the plants in 6-7 days
a l l plants survived
after 14 days,
Guttation water increased infection and disease.
and increase in spore germination.

It induced

acceleration

One can readily s e e , from the research work done by these s c i e n t i s t s ,
exudated water and disease occurrence are inter-related.

that

Many golf course superintendents have contributed much to the practical
aspects of this problem.
Although most were not trained s c i e n t i s t s , they did
possess a green thumb and an intuitive sense that enabled them to do the right
thing at the right time.
To mention a few, Carl B r e t z l a f f , Golf Course Superintendent, who was at Meridian H i l l s Country Club in Indianapolis, would use a
drying apparatus on his greens when disease weather was upon him.
The rig
consisted of several layers of burlap fastened to an axle mounted on wheels and
hand pushed over the "dew11 laden greens.
He always kept his greens dry
and
along with the use of fungicides never had any trouble.
Joe Valentine, Golf Course Superintendent of the famous Merion Golf Club
in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, relied on the use of hydrated lime ffto change the
pH and dry the greens11 is the way he put i t .
He would use 5 to 10 lbs. of
hydrated lime per 1 , 0 0 0 sq. f t . at three to four week intervals during "brown
patch and dollar spot weather."
Jimmy Comito, Golf Course Superintendent at Huntingdon V a l l e y , Pennsylvania,
relied on severe dragging of the greens during periods cf heavy "dew" and
disease weather.
"Dragging the greens breaks up all that mold}' he would say, ! f as
soon as the mold starts up again, drag it some more - keep the greens dry t o o . "
Marshall Farnham, Golf Course Superintendent, Philadelphia Country Club,
firmly believed i n early morning x^atering during the many years that I knex* him.
I cannot recall his experiencing any d i f f i c u l t y holding grass on his greens.
Trained in plant breeding and having graduated from Cornell University, he was
x^ell versed i n the science of turfgrass culture.
I always felt that he related
exudated x^ater with the incidence of disease and although neither of us had a
pat ansx^er, we agreed that dilution of exudated water with early morning watering was a good practice.
Oscar Bowman, Golf Course Superintendent at Worham Country Club, St. Louis,
Missouri, when he was superintendent at Algonquin would say, "top dressing does
more to prevent and control disease than anything e l s e . "
A firm believer in
top dressing, he has always relied on this important cultural practice and its
value is reflected in his superb greens.

Other golf course superintendents, too numerous to mention, had, I have
found, a number of things in common with these men.
F i r s t , they a l l had a
"green thumb," that is the natural ability to get plants to grow.
Second, they
a l l practiced good cultural methods, making sure that everything was in balance,
and third, especially during c r i t i c a l disease periods, they used methods that
more or less kept the turf dry.
Without knowing about exudated water, they
sensed that there was a d e f i n i t e relationship between heavy "dew" and disease.
Another factor which should be brought out in this discussion of exudated
water is the strong possibility that turfgrasses are also injured and perhaps
k i l l e d by accumulated salts carried in the exudated x^ater.
Marloth i n Egypt in 1S87 found salts on the leaves of tamarix as the result
of exudated water residue.
Lepesclikin i n 1906 found glucose and basic oxalic
acid.
Klein in 1913 found that on some plants nitrate salts \<rere deposited on
the leaves as residue from exudated water.
Marloth reported the following after collecting the salts from the leaves and
stems.
The dry salts consisted o f :
51.9%
12

CaCo5

% MgSOJ^O

4.7%

MgCl^

3.2%

MgHPC4

5.5%

NaCl

17.2%
3.8%

-

Calcium Carbonate
Magnesium Sulphate

~

Magnesium Chloride

-

Sodium Chloride

NaN0 3
Na2C03

We know that plant injury w i l l occur when a high concentration of salts is
present in the s o i l solution.
Seeds are also affected.
It has also been shown
that injury w i l l result by all soluble salts x^hether they contain plant nutrients
or not.
I f we look at some of the f e r t i l i z i n g materials used on turfgrasses,
we find that many have a high salt index:

MATERIAL

SALT INDEX

Nitrate of Soda

100.0

Calcium Nitrate

72.8

Ammonium Sulphate

53.7

Nitrate of Soda Potash

51.2

Ammonium Nitrate

49 .3

Muriate of Potash

39.9

Urea

26.7

MATERIAL

SALT INDEX

Potassium Nitrate

20.1

Sulphate of Potash

14.1

Ammonia, Anhydrous

9.4

Diammonium Phosphate

7.5

Super phosphate,

6.4

20%

The salt index of a f e r t i l i z e r indicates its relative tendency to cause
seedling injury or crop burn.
Marloth's work seems to support the theory that exudated water containing a
high concentration of various salts can cause injury in one of three ways or i n
combination.
One, as the exudate forms and the water evaporates, the salts
accumulate on the l e a f .
When these salts reach optimum concentration, they
cause a leaf burn.
Secondly, i f the exudate falls and is absorbed by the thatch
and held there, plant stems can be injured or burned \7hen the salt concentration
reaches a toxic level.
Thirdly, i f the exudate is washed ±ito the s o i l root
zone and high concentration of salts i£ formed i n the s o i l solution, then root
burn and injury can occur.
Summing up a l l of this foregoing information, we can form a theory which
should be carefully investigated.
THEORY
Turfgrasses can be injured or k i l l e d from the effects of exudated water
under certain conditions.
Exudated water is the result of the natural biological function of grass
plants.
It is the result of normal transpiration and is a continuous function
of normal healthy plants.
I f normal exudation is stopped or retarded
in any
way, the grass plants may s u f f e r .
Exudate water is formed on the leaf at the open stomata along the sides of
the blade and at the t i p .
I f the grass blade is cut and open cells are exposed,
exudation w i l l be profuse i n this injured area.
Exudated water evaporates as i t forms during periods of low humidity.
It
accumulates during periods of high humidity.
Humidity levels are always much
higher i n the micro zone where grass grows.
(The micro zone can be considered
to exist from ground level to the level of the grass mowing h e i g h t . )
Exudated
water has the same pH as the plant sap and s o i l water.
I t contains a l l of the
nutrients available to the plant.
I f tests of exudated water are made for the
determination of N P K and other elements, the results w i l l show only the
nutrients the plant is picking up.
Low or excess nutrients w i l l be present in the
exudated water.
When exudated water evaporates, the solid portion contains salts and other
substances.

I f the exudated droplets remain undisturbed and evaporate itfhile on the l e a f ,
the remaining s a l t , e t c . , w i l l accumulate.
I f the pure exudated water droplets contain a high concentration of nitrates
and f a l l to rest on the flat surfaces of lower leaves, burning of the live
tissue may result.
I f the pure exudated water droplets f a l l into a thatch
layer, under certain conditions the exudate w i l l be absorbed by the thatch.
Research has shown that thatch can and does absorb and contain toxic substances
that cause severe injury to turf.
Exudated water when diluted with irrigation water becomes harmless provided
the diluted exudate is Trashed into the s o i l water.
I f the ¿ s o i l beneath the
I f the soil is hard and
turf is open and porous, this process is f a c i l i t a t e d .
compacted, the salts from the exudated water w i l l be held at the s o i l surface.
When the concentration of salts reaches toxic levels, burning of the stems may
occur.
If the s o i l surface is compacted and relatively impermeable to water, the
exudated water that falls may with irrigation be carried along the s o i l surface
and concentrate i n pockets and small depressions causing injury of an uneven
nature.
This same process may occur i n thatch.
Concentrated salts from exudated
water may be washed out of the thatch into low lying areas or pockets causing
damage there.
Exudated water contains the proper nutrients

to support bacterial

activity.

Turfgrass diseases thrive on the nutritive content of exudated water.
Dr.
Endo has shown that the mycelium of the fungi penetrates the droplet for nourishment.
Mycelial growth is greatly accelerated when exudated water is available.
Accumulated exudated water held i n the thatch and the s o i l surface is a
perfect nutritive medium to support fungal growth.
Exudated water, according to Dr. Endo, w i l l increase infection and disease.
It w i l l also accelerate an increase i n spore germination.
Exudated water is produced at different rates and this seems to be determined by a number of factors.
1.

Grasses of different species apparently because of their biological

structure have the ability to exudate water, each at a given rate.
Among the popular turfgrasses, their exudating rate can be shown as follows:
Bentgrasses - high
Bermudagrasses - high
Poa Annua - medium high
Bluegrasses - medium
Fescuegrasses - low
Zoysiagrasses - low
The rates at which these grasses exudate water can be directly related to
the incidence of disease.

- c.

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The bentgrasses and the bermudagrasses
are highly susceptible to many
diseases.
The bluégrasses are moderately susceptible.
The fescuegrasses and
zoysiagrasses are the least susceptible and, of course, are the, driest of the
- ;
'
J m, *
• h^'sh
. *
...
^JOüÚ S o i l water, which is available to the grass plant, also is a determining
factor as to the amount of exudated water.
Temperature and rate of growth, depth of root system, and frequency of cut,
a l l play an important part relative to the amount of exudated water.
Wetting agents that apparently stop the formation of "dew" in reality only
reduce the surface tension of the droplets.
They cannot adhere to the grass
blade and run off as they form.
This may have some b e n e f i c i a l effect although
accumulation of salts could s t i l l occur in thatch and at the soil surface.
Some of the foregoing statements are f a c t , some theory.
Needless to say,
there is enough evidence on the relationship of exudated water and turfgrass
problems that this whole subject should be thoroughly and s c i e n t i f i c a l l y investigated.
Unitl we can get the answers to some of these aspects of exudated
x^ater, we must continue to grow turf as best we can.
Following is a suggested
approach by H. B. Musser.
H. B. MUSSER
TURF MANAGEMENT
Conditions

favoring fungus

1.

Moisture

2.

Temperature

3.

Soil

acidity

4.

Soil

fertility

5.

Matted turf

Cultural

diseases:

practices:

1.

Provision for adequate surface and subsurface water drainage.

2.

Good air circulation over greens.

3.

Correction of surface compaction with suitable aerating

4.

Modification of heavy soils by a program of aerating and top dressing to
build a porous layer.

5.

Adjustment of s o i l reaction to pH 6 . 0 or higher.

6.

Use of the more slox^ly available nitrogenous f e r t i l i z e r s in quantities
that w i l l produce normal grox^th without overs timulating.

tools.

7.

Provision for a constant supply of available phosphate, potash, and trace
elements.

8.

Adjustment of watering practices to provide as long intervals between
applications as practicable.
Continuously saturated turf must be avoided.

9.

Elimination of matter or spctigy t u r f .

WHAT to do during periods of s t r e s s :
1.
Practice early morning watering.
dries green before mowing.)

(This dilutes the exudated water and

2.
Use s u f f i c i e n t water to wash exudate into the s o i l .
accumulation is minimized.)

(Possibility of salt

3.
Use high pressure and direct stream directly into turf.
(The fungi
mycelium cam be mechanically destroyed at least temporarily by the force of
the w a t e r . )
4.
I f a disease attack seems uncontrollable, drag mat the green i n two or
three directions,then mow.
(This w i l l mechanically destroy the mycelium of
the fungi at or near the surface of the t u r f . )
5.
I f severe thatch is present and fungicide w i l l not control the spread of
the d i s e a s e , try light vertical mowing. (Verti-cutting w i l l mechanically
destroy |he fungi mycelium.)
6.
Top dress l i g h t l y .
(Top dressing does something to turf for which no
substitute can be found.
I t w i l l mildly stimulate the t u r f , dry i t somewhat
to help retard fungal growth.)
7.

Lime
( I f disease is rampant, dust with 5-10 l b s . cf hydrated lime per 1000 sq.
f t . at 3-4 week intervals.
Although this amount of hydrated lime is small,
care should be exercised when applying i t .
Grass must be dry or a burn w i l l
result.
Apply after exudated water has evaporated.
The hydrated lime should
not be watered i n , but left to remain on the turf until the next w a t e r i n g . )
In closing, I hope that I have stirred your imagination.
There is too much
evidence to ignore the possible effects of exudated water on turfgrass problems.
On the other hand, we lack documented evidence about the cause and effects of so
called "dew. 11
Research is not the exclusive domain of the s c i e n t i s t , i t is also a part of the
practical man's job to be i n q u i s i t i v e , to study, and to experiment with cultural
practices, to help supply some of the answers.
Even i f we cannot prevent some of these problems from occurring, i t would be
comforting to know why the grass d i e d .

- 15 ~
TRENDS IN GOLF TODAY
by
HARRY C. ECK1IOFF
NATIONAL GOLF FOUNDATION

The phenomenal increase in public golf f a c i l i t y development in recent years is
positive indication that golf is the nation's fastest growing competitive outdoor
sport.
Golf is a game now enjoyed by over 10 million players from all economic
levels of American l i f e .
Sixty-five per cent of all the new golf courses opened for play in 1968
f a l l in the public category.
In 1967 it -was 61%.
In the " p u b l i c " category I
have combined semi-private courses (privately owned bxt open to the public on a
daily fee b a s i s ) and municipal operations which are usually open to anyone.
At the close of 1 9 6 8 , 53% of the nations's golf courses were public operations.
Just 10 years ago public courses comprised only 42% of the country's
total golfing f a c i l i t i e s .
The three principal types of golf courses i n the United States are private,
semi-private and municipal.
I n order that we may analyze trends more e a s i l y , I
shall cite a b r i e f definition of each.
Private Golf Club.
A limited use f a c i l i t y , usually nonprofit, designed,
for the s p e c i f i c needs and desires of a restricted membership.
The membership
may own a proprietary interest (equity type club) or the ownership may be vested
i n private enterprise that leases, rents or i n some manner makes the f a c i l i t y
available to the members.
Semi-Private Golf Course.
One open to the public i n varying degrees as
prescribed by management.
Its primary purpose is to operate as a successful
business venture.
Accordingly the operating policy is geared to return the
greatest net profit to the owners.
There are some semi-private courses that have
member privileges but s t i l l encourage fee-paying public patrons.
The so called
pay-as-you-play country clubs f a l l i n this category.
Municipal Golf Course.
A course constructed and operated by a tax supported
agency such as a s t a t e , county, township, c i t y , town or park d i s t r i c t .
Its
chief goal is to provide golfing f a c i l i t i e s to the greatest number of its
citizens at the most reasonable cost to the taxpayers.
PUBLIC GOLF GROWTH PHENOMENAL
For many years the majority of the nation's golf courses were private
country clubs.
I t was only during the past decade that this picture changed.
A study of NGF f a c i l i t y s t a t i s t i c s for 1958 and 1968 reveals the following:
Semi -Private courses experienced a meteoric rise of 115% during the 10
year period ending January 1 , 1969.
Municipal operations increased 45% and
private clubs 42% during the same decade.
The overall growth for all types was 67% - going from 5 , 7 4 5 courses in 1958
to 9 , 6 1 5 i n 1968.
Active golfers now total about 10 million; were about 4
million a decade ago.
A recent NGF study as to where golfers play gives the following

picture:

45% use municipal courses; 39% semi-private and 16% private.
Since only 53%
of the nation's courses aire public (municipal and semi-private combined) and
84% of the golfers allegedly play these courses, i t can be assumed there s t i l l
is a shortage i n this category, especially i n municipal f a c i l i t i e s .
Municipal golf courses i n heavily populated areas continue to report almost
capacity play during their golfing seasons.
Many semi-private courses likewise
report substantial increases i n rounds of golf play each year.
I n many instances
public courses have become so crowded on weekends that local radio stations
broadcast the waiting times for tee off as a public service for courses i n their
respective listening areas.
Golf playing equipment sales are going upward annually.
Manufacturers
reported total sales of $ 1 6 1 , 7 8 7 , 9 0 6 (manufacturers selling prices) for 1967
(1968 figures not available until A p r i l , 1 9 6 9 ) .
This represents a 35% increase
over sales reported five years ago.
I n fact golf sales during the past five
years enjoyed the greatest gain of all types of athletic goods sales (average
increase for all categories was only 2 8 % . )
Last year golf equipment sales
equipment sales accounted for 49% of the total athletic goods volume - far ahead
of baseball and inflated goods categories.
NGF's New Speedy Program
I n an effort to help the n a t i o n ' s public golf course operators speed up
snail paced play reportéd on many courses, NGF i n i t i a t e d a nationwide Speedy
Play program i n 1968.
This program included a series of posters and information
sheets mailed during May, June and July to a l l golf courses at no cost.
A total
of 280,000 promotional pieces were included i n the mailings.
The posters depict various violations of etiquette which induce slow play.
A precocious l i t t l e rabbit named Speedy was created to symbolize NGF's attack
on slow play.
Speedy is pictured as correcting these breaches of etiquette,
for example - leaving carts or cars i n front of greens and looking too long for
a lost ball- The information sheets include a workable method for starting
players on both the f i r s t and tenth tees and other management tools for expediting play.
Acceptance of the Speedy program throughout the country has been most
gratifying.
NGF has received over 2 , 0 0 0 replies on a follow-up questionnaire
sent to each f a c i l i t y .
While this first effort has only cracked the surface in
the fight to eradicate slow p l a y , NGF's planned program for 1969 w i l l attempt to
expand this successful i n i t i a l step.
From a practical business point of view, Speedy can mean substantial
increased income from greenfees.
L e t ' s assume that each golf course i n the
United States increased its play by 50 rounds on every Saturday and Sunday of its
playing season.
For 1 0 , 000 course this means an additional million rounds of
golf played each weekend and, at $ 2 . 0 0 per round, this brings i n an additional
$2 million per week to the golf course operators of the country.
The Speedy program is but one of NGF's efforts to assist golf course
operators with operational and administrative procedures.
I t has become quite
evident that many courses seeking such help do not know where to go.
NGF (the
national clearing house for golf information) is emphasizing i¡:¿-. rase arch to
accumulate more factual data from operating f a c i l i t i e s and i n turn w i l l disseminate such information to a l l courses that request assistance.

Trends i n Operational Policies

Many public golf courses are implementing policies and programs designed
to increase golf p l a y , especially for weekdays.
I shall cite various ideas
that are proving popular and successful.
Public golf courses located in heavily industrialized communities have
found that assisting various industries in organizing golf leagues and making
their golf f a c i l i t i e s available for league play on certain days has increased
play and income materially.
One municipal course in the greater Albany, New
York area reported that 40 industrial golf leagues were using its 18 hole
f a c i l i t y i n 1968.
Some courses are catering to special company and organizational events
such as golf outings and picnics and are making their golfing f a c i l i t i e s
available either on a daily rental basis or individual green fee charge.
A
semi-private golf course operator i n the greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area
states his course served 97 days of such golf outings last year.
Likewise numerous private golf associations use public golf courses for
their golfing a c t i v i t i e s .
One New York county reported that 17 private golf
associations were using its five 18 hole municipal f a c i l i t i e s as their home
courses.
Semi-private courses frequently have a low cost annual membership arrangement which requires members to pay a green fee each time they play.
A MidAtlantic course operator has the following scale of annual membership f e e s :
single person $ 5 0 . 0 0 ; husband and w i f e $ 7 5 . 0 0 ; each additional family member
$15.00.
Holders of such memberships may play 18 holes on weekdays for $ 3 . 0 0 ;
weekends and holidays $ 4 . 0 0 .
They may bring guests who may play 18 holes by
paying $ 1 . 0 0 more than the quoted fee for card holding members.
This type of
operation is often referred to as a pay-as-you-play country club and is proving
to be quite successful.
Use of powered golf cars has become an accepted practice at all types of
golf courses i n the United States.
A well managed, well maintained fleet of
golf cars can be one of the golf course's best sources of income.
The golf
car industry reports an increase i n manufacturers' shipments of 8% for last
year.
It is estimated there were 1 4 7 , 0 0 0 golf cars in use in 1968.
The actual design of a golf course w i l l determine to some extent the number
of golfers i t can accommodate i n a day.
Developers and designers of public
courses should consider the attractiveness of a f a c i l i t y serving 250 or more
players daily.
The layout should be challenging and interesting but not too difficult.
Concern for the safety of players and for the movement of t r a f f i c on
the course is also a part of the golf course architect's job.
Course developers
should assure themselves that they have a competent and experienced golf course
architect prepare their plans and specifications.
Courses For Specific Uses

Annother trend to help speed up ¡lay is to provide different types of facilities which may appeal to golfers of varying playing capabilities.
The pattern
that is emerging is for 27 or 36 holes of golf - 18 regulation length and 9 or
18 regular par-3 or executive type (some par 4 h o l e s ) .
Such variety of f a c i l i t i e s
•jlll be challenging and interesting to golfers at all levels of capability.
it

reduces the probability of slow play on the more d i f f i c u l t layouts as individuals
w i l l tend to play the course best suited to them.
The recent trend to build and operate golf courses for kids only is another
movement to ease the pressure on crowded golf courses.
I n the long run i t should
boost speedy play too since the kids w i l l be playing faster golf when they h i t
the adult courses.
Nine such f a c i l i t i e s are known to be in operation in the
United States today.
Six are a part of private club f a c i l i t i e s ; the other three
are municipal*
Bangor, Maine operates-; - in addition to its 18 hole regulation length layouta 4 hole, 335-yard course for youngsters ages 6 through 12.
Play is free.
However, i n order to be e l i g i b l e to use i t , youngsters must take at least one
golf lesson (also f r e e ) .
Lessons are given every Saturday morning.
Juniors up
to age 16 may also attend these classes.
A special city employee supervises play
on the k i d s ' course.
Bangc- municipal golf course o f f i c i a l s retort an average
play from 25 to 30 a day by youngsters during the golfing seasor. ,
Lir. oln's (Nebrr lca) E \.aor Golf Course
for golfers 15 years of age and
under.
Here the rules read "Adult golfers may play only during hours when
school is i n session or after 9 : 0 0 p.m. 11
Over 100 youngsters age 17 ar.d under regularly play the Hazeltine National
Junior Golf Course at Chaska (near Minneapolis), Minn.
This is a 9 hole par-3
layout approximately 820 yards long and b u i l t adjacent to the regular 18 hole
course.
Actually eh-*- mo\ lent to build f a c i l i t i e s for juniors is just one demonstration of a gene ... tre d in recent years to construct courses for a number of
s p e c i f i c uses.
One very familiar use is the course designed as a recreational focal point
for a cluster of subdivision homes.
Some recent hig.x rise apartment and condominium projects also include golf f a c i l i t i e s for use of the occupants.
About 28%
of all the new courses opened i n the nation in 1968 were part of real estate
ventures.
Many schools, colleges, industries, fraternal organizations, military and
Veterans Administration installations throughout the country own and operate golf
courses.
There are also courses for use of male golfers only.
One course developer in northern New Jersey currently has an 18 hole f a c i l i t y
under construction which is to be usedsolely for golf instruction and golf outings.
Present plans call fo~ five 2-week golf schools serving 15C students each.
Facilities include mctel type accetiuiodations s u f f i c i e n t to house the student body
and faculty.
No memberships or daily fee play are contemplated for this operation.
When not being used for the golf academy, the entire f a c i l i t y w i l l be
available on a daily rental basis to industries and other groups wishing to hold
golf outings.
Golf courses are springing up these days i n many small rural areas of the
nation
where until a few years ago country clubs of their own existed only i n
the wishful thinking of a few residents.
Chief assist here has. come from long
term (up to 40 years) low interest rate loans available to nonprofit associations
i n rural communities of 5 , 5 0 0 or less population for recreational purposes through
the Farmers Home Administration, U . S . Department of Agriculture.
Since the program's
inception i n 1 9 6 3 , FHA has approved 800 such loans through f i s c a l 1968 for a total

of $88 million.
About 600 of these projects included golf courses.
often cover 80% of the costs of such ventures.

Loans

Golf Growth W i l l Continue

There is every indication that golf course development w i l l continue to grow
in the years ahead.
312 new regulation length f a c i l i t i e s opened for play in
1968.
Another 374 were i n some stage of construction at the beginning of this
year.
In addition, NGF f i l e s indicate 915 new regulation prospects and 162 new
par-3 prospects for the year.
Leading states in new golf courses opened for play i n 1968 were:
California
( 3 3 ) ; North Carolina ( 2 3 ) ; Pennsylvania ( 1 9 ) ; Michigan, Florida, New York ( 1 6 ) ;
I l l i n o i s , Texas ( 1 2 ) ; New Jersey, Ohio, Wisconsin ( 1 1 ) .
The development of adequate golf playing f a c i l i t i e s is of great concern to
NGF.
Supplementing the work of the headquarters s t a f f are f u l l time trained
regional representatives located i n strategic areas of the nation who are
available to golf course planning groups at no cost.
Good golf courses are expensive to b u i l d .
While the cost may vary from
$ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 to $2 m i l l i o n , an 18 hole regulation length f a c i l i t y - completed and
ready for play - i s seldom accomplished for under $ 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 .
Golf courses are
Annual maintenance budgets for 18 holes run anyalso expensive to maintain.
where from $ 5 0 , 0 0 0 to $ 1 0 0 , 0 0 or more.
There is no indication that there w i l l be any significant decline i n
interest r a t e s , prices of land or construction costs.
I f market research results
for a s p e c i f i c golf project are favorable, the time to build is NOW.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN TURF
by
Elwyn E. Deal
Turf S p e c i a l i s t , Agronomy Department
University of Maryland

Three things which happened on many golf courses in 1968 that nobody needs
to be reminded of are:
1.

D e s s i c a t i o n — i n February.
There was a lot of moist u r e in the s o i l but i t
was too deep and/or frozen.
With a lack of snow cover, high winds dried
out the top 1 to 2 inches of s o i l .
Most of the remaining water was
frozen and could not be used by plants.
As a result a lot of damage
occurred to turf grasses and other plants throughout this area.
Early
January 1969 looks very much l i k e a repeat of these conditions.

2.

Pythium disease—on bentgrass greens.
I n late July pythium started causing
severe damage on some greens i n this area.
I n August several greens were
almost wiped out.
A l l of this occurred despite regular spray programs
using Dexon and/or Zineb to prevent or cure i t .
According to Dr. George
Bean, the leading turf Pathologist in this area, the fungus apparently
was growing so fast under ideal growing conditions during this period that
these fungicides could not control i t .
Description and control measures
for this d i s e a s e , along with that for Fusarium blight which took its toll
of Kentucky bluegrasses, can be found elsewhere i n these proceedings.

3,

Annual bluegrass--made an unusually spectacular exit in July and August.
Several courses, and in other turf areas not on golf courses, were left
with almost no live turf cover despite regular watering programs.
Under
conditions like we had last summer—heat, drought, high humidity, e t c . , ™
about the only way to keep this from happening is to have no annual bluegrass around.

There were also many other problems of the preventable type last year.
For
example:
improper use of herbicides such as arsenic, 2 , 4~D and dicamba, and
improper use of f e r t i l i z e r s such as applying too much or at the wrong time of
year.
Heavy u s e , high day and nighttime temperatures and high humidity also took
their t o l l s .
We are delighted to see several golf course superintendents starting to use
specifications when buying turfgrass seed.
According to our latest information
there is l i t t l e or no difference i n the price per pound of the seed but there can
be a tremendous difference i n the quality of the seed you buy for the same price.
Printed specifications can be used to help assure you that you get what you
want and ask for.
Several superintendents got quite a j o l t last year when they
had some of their seed tested.
Sometimes i t was after the seed was delivered to
them and i n a few cases
after most of i t was already planted.
The important
thing is to use detailed specifications when purchasing seed and follow up to
see that the seed you received meet these s p e c i f i c a t i o n s .
Certified sod is beginning to be used i n the state.
Superintendents should
take advantage of this guarantee of genetic purity and overall high quality when
purchasing sod to use on golf courses.
Insects—chinch bugs and beetle grubs—were quite active
Grubs at one time were considered serious problems but during
they have caused l i t t l e trouble.
Chinch bugs have never been
problem in Maryland but during the summer of 1968 they caused
some areas.

in Maryland last year.
the past few years
considered a serious
severe damage in

Grubs
can be controlled easily \*ith insecticides such as chlordane and
dieldrin.
Chinchbugs can be controlled with insecticides such as diazinon,
d i e l d r i n and sevin.
Be sure to identify these problems before using treatments
to control them.
Several problems cause similar symptoms but for treatments to
be defective, you must f i r s t find the exact cause.
We at the University are working on several research and extension projects
which are of interest to superintendents and others i n the turf f i e l d .
Results
and information from these projects w i l l be presented i n great d e t a i l at various
f i e l d days, conferences and meetings at later dates.

-

21

-

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR THE GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Dr. Gordon Cairns
Dean of Agriculture
University of Maryland

I t is of mutual benefit to share new information and discuss f i e l d problems i n
conferences presented cooperatively by organizations and the University of Maryland,
The Annual Conference of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents
has had a wonderful history.
Meetings and conferences of this type provide an opportunity for educational up-dating annually.
The areas or departments in the College of Agriculture at the University of
Maryland of greatest interest to the golf course superintendent are found in the
Agronomy, Agricultural Engineering, Botany, Entomology, and Horticulture Departments.
Many staff members have cooperated with you on problems of mutual concern.
For a number of years, efforts were made to establish a turf program at the
University.
Eventually the requests bore fruit with the establishment of a faculty
position in this area of work.
Your co-operation is and has been appreciated.
Dr.
Deal has demonstrated effective leadership in that position.
Much has been accomplished in a relatively short time.
In the four year program leading to the B . S . degree, a person prepares for opportunities closely associated with your needs in the plant sciences.
The General
Crops and Turf Management curriculum has been of special interest to several young
men.
At the present time eight undergraduates are interested in turf management.
The graduate program has two men enrolled at the present time.
I t is anticipated
that two more graduate students w i l l be studying in this f i e l d at the University in
the near future.
The course, Turf Management, Agronomy 109 is given i n alternate
years.
I n the f a l l of 1965 there were 22 students enrolled and in 1 9 6 7 , 33 students.
In addition, an evening course was offered in the spring of 1968 with an enrollment
of 38.
The course is scheduled to be given again in the spring semester of 1969.
Of great interest to many people has been the Institute of Applied Agriculture,
a two year terminal program, i n i t i a t e d at the Universtiy in the f a l l of 1965 to
prepare students for s p e c i f i c opportunities in four areas of work.
Of major interest
to you i s the Turfgrass and Golf Course Management Program.
There are some 20 Institute students interested in this f i e l d .
Those who have completed the program are in
responsible positions.
We hope that you w i l l encourage more prospective students
to enroll i n the years ahead.
Appreciation is expressed for the scholarship which
your Association w i l l award to a student in the two year program beginning in 1969.
The contribution made by research to the development of this f i e l d within the
state must be stressed.
Likewise extension programs and those carried out under the
State Board of Agriculture contribute effectively to the implementation of new
knowledge that is available through the campus education and research programs.
The College of Agriculture shares a mutual desire to prepare students trained
i n this f i e l d and to develop and disseminate new knowledge.
We look forward to the
continued fine working relationships with your organization.

NEW TURFGRASS VARIETIES
by
C. Reed Funk
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey
A number of exciting new varieties of Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, perenn i a l ryegrass, and bentgrass are at various stages of development at turfgrass
research centers throughout the country.
A few of these are beginning to be sold
commercially.
Many should be of considerable interest to superintendents improving
golf course turf.
As any professional turf grower knows, each variety has its
own special merits, requirements, and areas of greatest usefulness.
Thorough testing is required i n each region to detect varieties of greatest value.
KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS VARIETIES
Kentucky bluegrass is hardy, attractive, and widely adapted.
New varieties
currently becoming available such as FyIking, A-10, A-20, A-34, and Kenblue w i l l
make this species even more useful.
They w i l l soon be followed by other e l i t e
varieties currently being increased in Western seed f i e l d s , including Pennstar and
Sodco, as well as some outstanding selections in experimental plantings.
FyIking Kentucky bluegrass produces an attractive, dense, moderately lowgrowing turf of a rather fine texture.
I t maintains this leafy appearance during
seed head setting time in May and June when most other bluegrasses become quite
stenony.
An attractive, r i c h , dark green color is developed i n early spring x*hich
is maintained into late f a l l and under moderately adverse growing conditions such
as low f e r t i l i t y and incipient drought.
FyIking has good resistance to both
stripe smut and Helminthosporium leaf spot and melting-out.
This combination gives
i t a tremendous advantage over most of the other bluegrasses in current use.
FyIking is rather tolerant of close mowing.
However, cutting the grass at a
height of 1 1 / 2 inches w i l l aid vigor and help prevent weed invasion.
FyIking has
performed well in mixtures with other bluegrass varieties as w e l l as with the
improved varieties of fine fescue and perennial ryegrass.
Warren f s A-10 Kentucky bluegrass ( Plant Patent #2615) is a narrow leafed,
dark green selection of medium density.
Its most outstanding attribute has been
its excellent summer performance i n St. Louis, Missouri and Dixon Springs, 111,
It has moderate resistance to leaf spot and powdery mildew,
good resistance to
stem rust and stripe smut.
This grass is too highly sexual for reproduction by
seed and must be propagated vegetatively.
Warren's A-20 Kentucky bluegrass has better overall disease resistance than
any of the named selections available today.
It has good to excellent resistance
to leaf spot, stripe smut, mildew and stem rust plus above average resistance to
Fusarium roseum.
Turf produced by A-20 is attractive, dense, dark green
upright
and of medium leaf width.
I t w i l l tolerate rather close mowing,
Unfortunately,
this variety w i l l not reproduce true by seed and must be propagated vegetativley
like Zoysia.
Warren's A-34 Kentucky bluegrass is a vigorous variety with significantly
better shade tolerance than any other bluegrass currently available.
When
maintained at a 2-inch . mowing height, i t w i l l tolerate shade up to 65 percent of
the daylight hours during the tree leafing period.
A-34 is available only as sod
at the present time.
Seed production is being increased.
Kenblue Kentucky bluegrass is a blend of seed harvested from natural stands
in the famous bluegrass region of i.entucky.
I t is typical of the better lots of
Common Kentucky bluegrass available i n past years.
Present purchasers of Common
Kentucky bluegrass are very likely to obtain seed of Newport of some other single
strain variety of bluegrass selected for high seed y i e l d .
Purchase of seed of

certified Kenblue w i l l assure the consumer that he is getting a bluegrass of known
origin and of considerable genetic diversity.
However, it must be realized that
Kenblue is not an improved variety.
It is highly susceptible to Helminthosporium
leaf spot and melting-out, and w i l l not tolerate close mowing.
Its best use w i l l
be i n mixtures with the better turf-type bluegrasses such as Merion and FyIking,
or for seeding areas receiving moderatley low amounts of nitrogen f e r t i l i z e r and
cut high.
Improved Ryegrass

Varieties

Perennial ryegrass is a cool-season grass best adapted in regions having mild
winters and cool, moist summers.
Poor summer performance can be expected i n
warmer regions such as Washington, D . C . and Baltimore, Maryland.
Therefore, it is
highly unlikely that straight seedings of any ryegrass variety w i l l give satisfaction for permanent turf i n this area.
The greatest value of the improved ryegrasses w i l l be for temporary, cool season turf* overseeding, and i n mixtures.
The new turf-type ryegrasses such as nk 1 0 0 , Pelo, and Manhattan are such an improvement over common perennial ryegrass that many people f a i l to recognize them
as ryegrass.
They are finer-textured, much more attractive, more persistant,
lower-growing, l e a f i e r , and have better turf-forming properties.
They are easy to
establish and w i l l grow on a wide range of s o i l types.
The new ryegrasses are
easier to mow than common perennial ryegrass but can be d i f f i c u l t at times.
Frequent cutting and a sharp mower helps maintain top quality.
The new ryegrasses
have usually done w e l l on the sandy coastal plain soils on Long Island and look
promising for overseeding in the South.
Further research and experience is needed
to assess their s p e c i f i c usefulness i n other areas.
Most of the basic germplasm of NK 100 perennial ryegrass originated from
plants surviving for many years in old pastures i n the British I s l e s .
I t is
similar to varieties used extensivley for sports turf i n England.
Such plants
were crossed with Oregon perennial ryegrass and selected for persistance, leafy
growth h a b i t , turf quality, and an attractive, b r i g h t , medium dark green color.
Pelo perennial ryegrass was bred in Holland.
This variety has an attractive,
b r i g h t , moderately light green color.
It is leafy and has shown rather good
resistance to Fusarium snow mold.
Manhattan perennial ryegrass was released by Rutgers University.
Many of the
parental plants of Manhattan were selected from old turf areas in Central Park on
Manhattan Island i n Hew York City.
Manhattan has a very attractive, rich,
medium dark green color.
I t produces a finer textured turf of greater density and
a slower rate of vertical growth than other available ryegrass v a r i e t i e s .
Worlea perennial ryegrass is a rather short-lived variety developed i n Canada.
It is
useful as a nurse or companion grass i f quality seed not contaminated
with annual ryegrass can be obtained.
Fine Fescue Varieties
The fine fescues are tolerant of acid s o i l , low f e r t i l i t y , and shade.
They
w i l l not tolerate wet soils or excessive amounts of nitrogen f e r t i l i z e r in hot
weather.
They perform best i n cool climates.
Summer performance is not as good
as that obtained from a good bluegrass variety unless the fescues are gown in
cool, partly shaded locations or in regions having cool summers.
Highlight chewings fescue, developed in Holland, has an excellent record of
performan(H at the Sports Turf Research Institute at Bingley, England.
High-light

produces an attractive, dense, fine-textured turf.
I t has a pleasing, bright
green color during the cool weather of spring and f a l l .
Ruby creeping red fescue, another Dutch v a r i e t y , is fine-textured and has a
l i g h t , attractive, bright green color.
The slightly more open growth of Ruby
appears to enhance its performance i n mixtures with Kentucky bluegrass.
Tests
by Dr. Glen Wood of the University of Vermont indicate that Ruby has good shade
tolerance.
Seed production has also been i n i t i a t e d on two other e l i t e varieties of
red fescue.
They are Jamestown, developed at the University of Rhode I s l a n d ,
and Wintergreen from Michigan State University.
Hew Bentgrasses
Pennpar creeping bentgrass x^as recently released by Pennsylvania State University.
It had demonstrated the best overall disease resistance of any variety
of creeping bentgrass and showed promise for use on golf course putting greens.
This variety must be propagated vegetatively.
Holfior colonial bentgrass is a Dutch variety which has been tested in the
United States since 1 9 5 6 , shox^ing good performance in many areas.
Holfior has a
medium dark green color, a rather upright growth h a b i t , medium texture, good
density, and rather good disease resistance.
This grass should be of value for
use on fairways, tees, and on the aprons
and collars of greens either alone or
i n mixtures x/ith other grasses.
Exeter colonial bentgrass was developed at the University of Rhode Island.
I t has a very attractive bright green color and a good record of performance in a
number of tests throughout the northern part of the United States.
Exeter shows
promise for use on fairways and similar turf areas.
Kingstown velvet bentgrass can produce a b e a u t i f u l , very fine-textured turf
on golf greens and for sun and shade mixtures on damp soils in its area of
adaptation.
This elegant grass was developedby turf specialists at the University
of Rhode I s l a n d .
I t does best in cool, moist climates where the f e r t i l i z e r program is light to moderate and where mowed at 1 / 4 to 3 / 4 inch.
PRUNING ESTABLISHED TREES AND SHRUBS
by
Francis R. Gouin
Department of Horticulture
However, in order to fully underPruning is an art as w e l l as a science.
stand the principles of pruning, i t is important to know the growth habits of
each variety of plants.
Too often a l l plants are made to look alike as a result
of indiscriminate use of hedge shears.
But by observing the natural growth habits
of plants each tree or shrub can be made to appear natural in the landscape.
To properly prune, i t is important to have good sharp pruning shears, loppers
and saws.
Tree wound dressing is necessary only for covering x^ounds that are 1
inch in diameter or greater, and for covering all open wounds on rose bushes to
prevent borers from entering the rose canes and to prevent dessication.
Pruning rose bushes should begin in the f a l l as soon as the leaves have
fallen.
The canes should be cut to within three feet from the ground in order to
prevent damage to the graft union and roots which may result from the wind

swaying the tops.
Final pruning of the canes should not be completed until the
following spring just before the buds begin growth.
At this time* remove a l l thin
pencil-type growth and canes infested with borers and cankers.
Allow only three
to four large canes to remain on the plant and remove all excess canes as close
to the graft union as possible.
The selected three to four canes should be cut
back to within 12 to 20 inches of the ground l i n e , and the cut ends treated with
tree wound dressing.
Spring flowering shrubs such as forsythia, w e i g e l i a , spiraea, etc. are pruned
as soon as they have finished flowering.
At this time, prune out all old stems
covered with rough flaky bark.
These stems should be removed near the ground
without leaving stubs.
This is most easily done with a sharp pair of loppers.
After all of the old stems have been cut, remove a l l of the thin weak stems with
a pair of hand pruning shears.
Plants that have not been pruned properly or
neglected are best pruned by simply cutting the entire plant down to the ground
and allowing new stems to develop from the crown.
When pruning narrowleaf and broadleaf evergreens, first remove only the
large branches down near the center of the plant.
These branches should be
removed just above a horizontal branch.
Again, avoid leaving stubs because they
w i l l not heal properly and w i l l cause excessive sprouting on some plants.
After
removing the large branches with loppers or saws, use hand pruners to remove the
smaller outside branches.
When pruning trees simply remove a l l suckers or bottom shoots f i r s t .
Inspect
the tree and remove any dead or dying branches, branches that tend to rub together
and branches that detract from the natural looking appearance of the tree.
To
remove large branches, always make the f i r s t cut approximately one to two inches
on the underside of the branch.
This first cut is to prevent the bark from
tearing down the stem of the tree.
The second cut should be made one to two .-c.--.scinches beyond the f i r s t cut starting on the upper side of the branches.
After
the branch has been removed, the third cut should be made flush with the tree and
the cut surface painted.
When repairing bark wounds, remove all the loose and damaged bark and sap
wood using a clean sharp k n i f e .
The upper and lower ends of the wound should be
pointed i n order to promote healing and free drainage of water.
Next, cover the
wound with several applications of tree x^ound dressing.
With a l i t t l e practice, anyone can develop the art of pruning.
Learning to
prune ornamental trees and shrubs properly can save you time and money, and give
you a more natural looking landscape.
NEW TURF CHEMICALS - LABORATORY TO GOLF COURSE
by
R. T. Miller
I n d u s t r i a l & Biochemicals Dept.
E. I . du Pont de Nemours & Company, I n c .
Wilmington, Delaware
Each year Du Pont research men w i l l screen many thousands of different
chemical compounds which are looked upon as potential candidates for new agrichemical product development, and we would assume that many other agricultural
chemical companies are doing similar screening.
The odds on any one of these
compounds finally making the grade as an agricultural chemical are naturally
fairly staggering.
I t is doubtful that even the most ardent enthusiast of a
gaming table in Las Vegas would have much confidence in getting involved in an

operation l i k e t h i s .
The odds against success seem just too great!
The fact i s ,
of course, that sound knowledge and judgment applied at the right places by the
right people
and i n the right way
can help to reduce the odds substantially,
but such knowledge and judgment never really eliminate
questions and unkown
elements that can and do turn promising product candidates into mere laboratory
curiosities.
To reach the grower as a commerial product, "Product X" must survive a
series of increasing complex investigations.
Judgments and decisions w i l l be
made along the way not by just one man, but by a team of individuals trained i n
many and varied disciplines
both i n and out of the Du Pont Company.
And many
years elapse before we or anyone can be sure that "Product X" w i l l indeed live
up to its promise and j u s t i f y the time and money that w i l l have been put into
its development.
The f i r s t c r i t i c a l screen for "Compound X"
assuming this looks like a
prospective selective crop herbicide or fungicide
would occur i n a plant
research greenhouse.
Here our technical people would be interested i n determining
whether the compound controlled weeds or disease at a reasonable rate of application and also what effect the compound might have on major crops.
Tests of
this kind can be carried on with a minimum expenditure of time and e f f o r t .
By
testing thousands of candidates, we have learned to focus our attention on the
most promising ones.
We study these carefully and then select the promising few
for i n i t i a l f i e l d trials on one or more of our f i e l d research stations.
This f i e l d screen represents the second major hurdle for prospective
chemicals.
To carry out tests on this s c a l e , we need a few pounds of product
and we need a f u l l growing season.
We are interested
i n knowing how the compound works on 30 to 40 different crops i n addition to controlling disease or
weeds i n the f i e l d instead of i n a greenhouse pot.
We are not really hoping for a universal chemical, we are merely trying to
develop basic knowledge about the compound to determine where i t may be useful
and where i t shows no promise at a l l .
The principal question is whether any of
the greenhouse successes merit continued effort and attention and, i f s o , at
what l e v e l .
"Product X , " of course, is s t i l l i n the hands of our agrichemical research
people, but it is also being looked at in a preliminary way by the product
development group.
They w i l l act as liaison between the grower and the laboratory; their judgment w i l l be particularly important i n assessing practical
worth under variable use conditions involving s o i l types, climate, disease
organisms,weed species, and crop tolerance.
Nov;, as "Compound X" comes through the i n i t i a l f i e l d screen on our research
farms, we w i l l again have to synthesize a b i t more of i t .
We may modify the
compound a b i t , based on f i r s t year knowledge, but we are naturally very anxious
now to get f i e l d tests i n different parts of the country and indeed throughout
the world.
Environmental factors are suddenly important and f i e l d evaluation passes
into the hands of our own product development representatives.
They work, on
occasion, with trained investigators and experienced growers who assist in planning the tests and evaluating the results.
But our development staff
a highly
s k i l l e d group of agronomists, entomologists, plant physiologists, plant patholog i s t s , and biochemists
is in charge.
Their reports and recommendations may
prove to be the most c r i t i c a l i n all the tests we have run to date or those that
s t i l l l i e ahead.

We have already run i n i t i a l tests on toxicity to determine that the product
can be handled safely by the people who w i l l be involved in using i t .
We have
other toxicity tests ahead of us to determine biological data for product labeling.
The f i r s t of these tests involves a 90-day rat feeding program or "skirmish 11
test to give us general information on chronic toxicity.
This is followed by a
f u l l two-year chronic feeding test
for both rats and dogs, a three generation
rat reproduction study, a study to determine toxicity to fish and w i l d l i f e , and
a feeding study with lactating cows to determine what happens in meat and milk,
all necessary to provide data for the labeling.
But negative or uncertain findings on any of these toxicity tests may throw "Product X" back into the laboratory for modification or may even eliminate the product from any consideration
at a l l .
The preceeding explanation of how new chemicals are born and how they find
their proper niche in the commercial field is interesting, but in the turf f i e l d
many, no doubt, are asking how does this affect me personally and what are you
doing to solve our problems.
To answer these questions we can tell you that a l l of our new agrichemicals
are being tested in the turf f i e l d .
Many of them w i l l do a good job of solving
some problems, but because of cost of manufacturing, competitive products,
potential use, safety to humans or plant l i f e , they do not a l l f i t in the turf
field.
However, as new chemicals are released from the laboratory to our development group for f i e l d evaluation those that f i t in the turf f i e l d are i n i t i a l l y
offered to two or three qualified investigators at experiment stations.
We are
interested i n outside information on the s u i t a b i l i t y of possible new products,
including data on rates of application, effectiveness of treatment and possible
limitations for general use.
I n addition, some of the commercial products that
have shown activity to control turf problems are also included in our continuing
turf t r i a l s .
In our t r i a l s , naturally the first prerequisite is effectiveness
and the n e x t , but very e s s e n t i a l , is a margin of safety for the plant.
The
ideal product would provide control at minimum rates, but \70uld not cause injury
at any rate.
Unfortunately, this type of product is most unusual, and we are
constantly telling our distributors and consumers to be sure to read and heed the
package label as i t is put there for their protection.
Many of our trials never get beyond- the small plot experiment.
Several
years ago, for example, we were testing an organic mercury for weed control and
for about a month or more it looked promising.
Unfortunately the next time we
looked at our plots, we had complete control of a l l vegetation.
Everything was
dead!
Another time, to my embarrassment, I tried a thiram product as a seed
protectant.
We had been s e l l i n g another formulation of thiram to control smut
in onions, but had problems with dust.
With my experimental product, we had
no dust and everything appeared normal until time for seed germination when we
observed one difference.
The seeds treated with the experimental product never
emerged through the s o i l .
Needless to say, neither product was ever sold for this
use.
However, with experiences such as these we do learn that we must check and
re-check results before products can be considered for commercial use.
Fortunately a l l our experimental work is not negative.
On another occasion
we received from our experimental station a mercury-thiram combination product
that has all the advantages of the individual products and none of the disadvanages or injury that may be caused by mercuries alone.
When this combination product was f i r s t t r i e d , there was a chemical breakdoxm; but with formulation changes,

this was corrected.
We were able to supply a stable product x*ith long shelf l i f e
that would be equal or superior in performance to the two ingredients used as a
tank mix.
In another case our research people came up x^ith a pre-emergence crabgrass control that could be used at seeding and yet x^ould not affect the germination of bluegrass, bentgrass or fescue.
At the present time x*e are working x^ith a systemic fungicide.
Several experiment stations have reported a longer residual disease control for certain diseases
with this fungicide than any others they have tested.
Also, i t is reported that
the product w i l l control stripe smut in bluegrass and nothing else has had any
effect on this disease to date.
But more must be learned about timing and rates
of application.
Another product that has recently come out of the Du Pont experiment station
is "Demosan" chloroneb fungicide.
This is "«another non-mercurial fungicide that
has been most effective as a control of seedling blights on cotton seed.
In some
t e s t s , the use of the product has made the difference between a stand of cotton
or a f a i l u r e .
This past year we tested the product on turf and i n a test i n Rhode
Island
i t was outstanding as a control of snow mold.
However, these data must
be duplicated by other investigators and confirmed by the consumer.
"Demosan"
is s t i l l at least a year, and possibly two, away from being a commercial product
for turf
i f future tests confirm the work done i n Rhode I s l a n d .
As ne\<r products are introduced and registered for turf, we s t i l l must be
careful to supervise sale and use of the products to be certain they are sold and
used properly.
Too often, many look at new products to be the ansx^er to a l l
problems.
New chemicals, fungicides, i n s e c t i c i d e s , herbicides and nematocides
w i l l be produced and when usid properly rwill do a particular job.
They are not
intended to replace the man i n management, but to provide a tool to aid the golf
course superintendent to do a better j o b .
To use turf products most e f f e c t i v e l y , they should be applied as recommended
on the l a b e l , and be used as a part of a good management program.
The more we
study diseases, the more we become aware of the interrelationships between
environmental factors and cultural practices.
Good cultural practices alone x*ill
not prevent disease, but when combined with regular applications of a good preventive fungicide, they w i l l keep disease under control.

Pythium and Fusarium Blight
by
Dr. George A. Bean
Department of Botany
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
DISEASE:

Pythium

SYMPTOMS:
Weather is an important factor in the occurrence of Pythium.
An
abundance of moisture either from rain or high humidity plus temperatures i n excess
of 9 0 ° F are necessary for disease development.
Pythium blight f i r s t appears as
dark, water soaked irregular areas of turf ranging from 2 to 4 inches in diameter.
As the leaves are k i l l e d , the color of the areas fade to light brown.
The infected
areas rapidly increase in s i z e and numbers and with optimum environmental conditions, turf can be completely destroyed x^ithin 24 hours.
Since the fungus is
spread by water, the infected areas often occur in elongated streaks corresponding
to the direction of surface water movement.

CONTROL:
The two fungicides found most effective against Pythium are Dexon
and Zineb.
The recommended dosages are 2-4 oz. of Zineb and 3 oz. of Dexon per
1 , 0 0 0 sq. f t . applied as a protective spray before
symptoms occur.
Severe outbreaks of Pythium occurred in the mid-Atlantic states this summer even though
fungicides were used as recommended.
Usually hot and humid conditions over an
extensive period of time probably reduced the efficiency of Dexon and Zineb in
controlling Pythium.
In addition to chemical control, Pythium severity can be greatly reduced by
providing good surface and sub-surface drainage, avoiding over-watering and
maintaining proper pH and f e r t i l i z e r levels.
DISEASE:

Fusarium

SYHTOMS:
Fusarium and Pythium are both high temperature turf diseases.
Fusarium symptoms first appear during early June as daytime temperatures approach
9 0 ° F.
The fungus remains active throughout July and August and occasionally
during September i f the weather has been warm and dry.
Fusarioum f i r s t appears
as circular areas of light brown infected turf.
These infected areas increase in
s i z e i n lumber and occasionally a small amount of healtny sod w i l l occur in the
center resulting i n a "frog eye" e f f e c t .
Disease severity varies directly with
light i n t e n s i t y ; the most severely infected areas receive direct sunlight.
Normally a lawn w i l l recover from Fusarium blight with the approach of f a l l , however, symptoms w i l l occur again the following summer.
CONTROL:
The two fungicides that have been reported effective against Fusarium are Dithane M-45 (FORE) and Tersan OM.
Results from the mid-Atlantic states
using these chemicals have been erratic indicating the need for more studies on
control of this important disease.
Since disease severity is closely correlated with temperature and moisture,
it may be possible to control Fusarium by altering the cultural conditions under
which the grass is grown.
Preliminary studies indicate that grass which is allowed to show drought symptoms before water is applied is more susceptible to
Fusarium.
Periodically "syringing"tturf to lower temperatures may prevent Fusarium
blight development.
Tractor Safety and Maintenance
by
Guy W. Gienger
Agricultural Engineering Department
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
Tractor safety involves most of us, whether we drive tractors or not.
The
loss of l i f e , the loss of time, the s u f f e r i n g , the inconvenience, and f i n a l l y , the
property damage caused by tractor accidents.
In Maryland, during 1968, we have a
record of 28 tractor accidents, 16 of these were f a t a l .
The largest single cause
of tractor accidents was tipping (Lack of stability.) Thirteen tractors were involved in tipping accidents; nine tipped over sideways, four tipped over backwards, 9 were f a t a l .
Next to tipping, falls account for the second largest category of tractor accidents.
This means extra riders on a tractor with a seat
built for just one person, the operator.
Ten f a l l s , s i x f a t a l .
Four P . T . O .
accidents; these were unshielded P . T . O . ? s , a loose floppy coat, or the sleeve
of a coat caught and subsequent i n j u r y .
One fatality with P . T . O . ' s , combining
soy beans during November.
Fire
accounted for one injury.
Collison between a
tractor, and an automobile also one injury.
Twenty-eight tractor accidents, more
than w e ' v e had i n this state since 1 9 6 1 , when we had a record of 35 tractor

accidents.
How about our young people under 20 years?
Eight were involved in
tractor accidents out of the 28 this year.
This is somewhat normal: ' 6 7 , n i n e ;
' 6 6 , five; ' 6 5 , nine.
"Why do tractors upset?"
Three forces that dominate s t a b i l i t y are involved
and three or more safety rules.
Forces dominating s t a b i l i t y :
center of gravity, the point of balance of any
object toward the center of the earth.
The center of gravity is centered approximately at the front end of the swinging drawbar where it normally fastens to the
underpart of the tractor just ahead of the rear axle.
I f the center of gravity can
bepinpointed, then it means that the wheels form a base where they contact the
ground and the front wheels or the pivot on the front axle makes a triangle with
the center of gravity in the center of this three-pointed triangle.
second force dominating s t a b i l i t y is force of power, the force transmitted
to the rear wheels by the engine.
Regardless of the s i z e of the tractor, from the
small tractor that pulls a mower to the hundred horsepower tractor, any time the
rear wheels become stuck i n mud, i n a ditch, in snow or anything where i t becomes an
easier matter for the engine to pick up the front end of the tractor than to rotate
the wheels, this thing w i l l happen.
The American Society of Agricultural Engineers
and others have spent a great deal of time testing tractors for stability and have
specified along with the manufacturers, a maximum drawbar height assuming level
ground.
This drawbar height is normally 15 inches high off the ground.
With hydraulics on modern tractors and the ability to move the drawbar up or down, this
often times becomes a factor in the operator attempting to get the maximum traction
and pull by raising the drawbar s l i g h t l y .
The fact of the matter i s , that the
height of the drawbar is c r i t i c a l and gives the maximum torque and pull at a point
just short of raising the front wheels off the ground.
So the center of gravity and
force of power are two factors we tell our youth that work closely together.
So
long as we keep the center of gravity within the triangle, force of power should
move us along and do all the work.
However, i f the tractor gets into such a position that the center of gravity falls outside of the triangle, the tractor w i l l tip
over sideways or backwards.
The third force dominating stability is centrifugal force, the force exerted on
a body as i t revolves about a point.
Centrifugal force can be considered to be at
the center of gravity.
For figuring centrifugal force:
the weight of the tractor
times the speed squared, divided by the radius of the turn.
Young people have difficulty understanding why we say, slow down before turning.
This is the reason centrifugal force.
A 5000 pound tractor traveling at 5 mph, making a turn with a
20 f t . radius would look like this i f set down in a formula:
5000 (weight) times
5 2 or 25 over 20 feet (radius of turn).
I f we multiply and divide this one out,
w e ' l l find out that it comes out to be 6 , 2 5 0 pounds of centrifugal force, and working with youth, somebody usually hops up and says, l e t ' s double the speed.
In other
words, the formula now reads, 5000 times 10 mph, when squared gives us 100 over 20.
I f we work this out, we find out that it comes out to be 2 5 , 0 0 0 pounds of centrifugal force.
So when we double the speed in making a turn the centrifugal force not
only doubles but increases by the fourth power.
Now l e t ' s go back to the normal
speed of 5 m^h and shorten up the turn from the 20 f t . radius to a 10 foot radius,
5000 times 5 , which is 25 over a ten foot radius and we multiply and divide this
cut, it should come to be 1 2 , 5 0 0 pounds of centrifugal force, which is twice the
force of the original problem when we were making the 20 foot radius turn.
So when
we cut the radius i n h a l f , we increase the centrifugal force by two times.
Thus you
can see the necessity of slowing down before making a turn.

Tractor Maintenance
The tractor i n tip-top mechanical condition properly maintained is a safer
tractor in our books.
Read the manual that comes with the tractor, save this
manual and go back and refer to it from time to time.
Re-read i t ; save all
manuals that come with equipment whether they be mimeographed sheets or sizeable
booklets.
The operator's manual is peculiar in that it is a book specifically
written for the tool or implement.
So first in a series of maintenance, we
would say, read and follow the operator's manual.
Establish a routine
daily,
weekly, monthly, seasonally.
The better care you take of the tractor and internal
combustion engine, like your automobile, or your scooter, the better i t w i l l work,
the more satisfaction and trouble-free service it w i l l give you.
A few rules must
be observed i f you expect to reap dependability and satisfaction with an internal
combustion engine.
I expect an engine to start when I turn the switch or punch the starter button or pull the rope.
I hope you do the same thing.
This is not asking too
much.
This is the expected performance of these engines i f they're working
right.
My students oftimes have troubles, the engines won't start.
I say the
first thing is to check i f there is gas in the tank.
As s i l l y as this may seem,
this is one of the first places to look.
Do we have fuel?
Is the fuel getting
from the tank to the carburetor where i t belongs?
Equal to t h i s , is the engine
getting air?
Our textbooks have told us for years that for every one part of
fuel by weight, the amount of air required to burn that fuel is 15 pounds.
We
learned a long while ago on our 4-H Tractor Program that beys were not accustomed
to weighing air and v i s u a l i z i n g it in pounds so we converted i t to volume.
For
every 5 gallons of gasoline burned in an internal combustion engine, the air
contained in a s i l o that holds 90 tons is required to burn that 5 gallons of f u e l ,
so that the air cleaner or. your engine, b i g or l i t t l e , regardless of what s i z e
uses a tremendous amount of a i r .
Keep the air cleaner clean. In big tractors,
working on farms, e t c . , the recommended procedure in our 4-H Tractor Program is
to service the air cleaner daily.
Keep the fuel clean.
F i l l the tank at the end
of the day to cut down on condensation.
Changing o i l .
As an internal combustion engine operates, with fuel and a i r ,
some of the f u e l , carbon, other by-products, small amounts of acid get down into
the crankcase and ultimately contaminate the o i l .
Owners' manuals normally
recommend change of o i l at some prescribed period o£ time.
During our Annual
Turf Day down at the Coliseum in College Park the last two f a l l s , I talked with
a number of home owners and asked them about changing oil in their mowers.
Most
of them cell me, we don't change oil at a l l .
We just add o i l .
W e l l , this is
not changing o i l and doesn't get rid of the contaminants and the foul material
that is contained i n the o i l .
Our recommendation, then as now, was to change
once a month.
I knew some commerical operators that do this very thing.
In
talking to one of them, I s a i d , "You mean you change o i l twelve times a year?11
" Y e s , " he s a i d , " t h a t ' s right.
First of each month we change o i l whether i t
needs i t or n o t . "
I wouldn't be at a l l surprised that this operator has less
repair b i l l s than the other man who never changes o i l and just adds o i l occasionally and then winds up with burned out bearings and a lot of other repair b i l l s .
S o , change o i l .
Use good o i l .
I f you're running d i e s e l s , for heaven's sake,
use Series 3 o i l .
In a two cycle engine use a non-detergent o i l , "an outboard
motor o i l . "
The next area of emphasis in maintenance is the electrical system, and
herein lies the crux of most of the problems why the engine doesn't start and
why i t doesn't run, etc.
I f the tractor has a battery, the plates must be kept
covered with a liquid material at all times.
D i s t i l l e d water is s t i l l b e s t , but
any kind of water is so much better than no water but why waste a l i t t l e bit of

time saying anything about the quality of water that is put in the battery but
please keep the plates covered.
In visiting
100 farms with tractors in use,
90 plus—X find plates showing when I take the cap off and look i n the battery.
Do a better job than t h i s .
From the battery to the distributor, the breaker
points, the condensor, the coils - if we run tractors the year round, Spring and
F a l l , they should have a tuneup.
The tuneup would normally include a new set
of points with a new condensor.
Wires that carry this high voltage from the
coils and the distributor to the plugs.
Like light b u l b s , these things do have
a l i f e expectancy. There was a time that I w a s n ' t so sure of t h i s , but the longer
I work with internal combustion engines the surer I am that the difference between
the spark plug and the light bulb is that i t goes and leaves you in the dark;
the spark plug quits and leaves you out someplace where you don't want to b e .
Many manufacturers of small engines do not want you to clean the plugs and put
them back in the engine.
I f you read your books carefully, you w i l l find that
the warranty is n u l l and void when you do t h i s .
What then, do you do? Throw
the plugs away and put i n a new s e t .
Again, I have a farm operator who tells
me this story - that once a year, in the F a l l , he buys a l l new plugs for his
rolling stock, cars, pickups, tractors, trucks, snow-machines and everything else
he owns.
He says that before he use to continually have two or three or more
things in the morning that wouldn't s t a r t .
They would tow them and push them and
do all kinds of things.
Since placing new spark plugs in a few years ago, he
tells me he very seldom has trouble that a certain vehicle w o n ' t s t a r t .
So we
keep the electrical system i n good shape.
The cooling system. I f i t ' s an air-cooled engine, keep the fins and the air
passageways free of leaves and grass and mouse nests and this sort of thing.
If
i t ' s a l i q u i d -cooled engine, i n the winter-time, depending on the type of
thermostat, put a coolant in that w i l l stay in and when springtime comes, take it
out, flush the cooling system and put good clean water i n .
H e r e ' s a place probably where d i s t i l l e d water would really pay off i f used with a rust-inhibitor to
keep the minerals and other deposits out of the cooling system.
Between f a l l and
winter , flush the engine of the cooling system again before adding the antifreeze
for winter operations.
Engines that are not used during the wintertime should be winterized.
That
i s , stored for winter by running^engine t i l l i t ' s warm, draining the o i l , putting
in fresh o i l , the kind w e ' l l use the next time we run the engine.
Drain the fuel
tank, the fuel l i n e , and the carburetor of a l l the liquid that's in the fuel
tank and dispose of i t .
Take a couple of tablespoons of light engine o i l and
s q u i r t i t into the spark plug hole and carefully turn the engine over a couple of
times by hand to distribute the oil around the valves and the cylinder.
Respace the spark plug or better s t i l l , put in a new one and i f i t ' s on rubber tires
block it up so that the tires w i l l not be down and i f it has a storage battery,
take the storage battery out and charge i t and put it down in a*room or a place
where it w i l l not freeze.
Drain the coolant, i f i t ' s a liquid-cooled engine
and mark it so that the f i r s t person attempting to start it the following spring
w i l l put coolant in the radiator and fuel in the gas tank and the f i r s t or second
crank or pull on the cord should send the engine on its way.
I t ' s late now to
winterize engines but i f they've been setting since last summer u n t i l now, maybe
i f you winterize them now, they might start next spring.
Otherwise, they might
not start.
Good luck with your tractors i n 1969.

Pesticide Chemicals Program
by
David Shriver
Department of Entomology
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
David Shriver delivered a s l i d e presentation depicting some of the problem
areas which confront turf management specialists when pesticides are used.
Statistics were presented which showed how accidents occur, to whom, when,
and which pesticides were most often involved.
Specific recommendations were made in order to decrease the pesticide
dent rate.

acci-

Living With POA ANNUA
by
Lee C. Dieter
Washingt on Golf and Country Club
Arlington, V i r g i n i a
When I accepted the position of golf course superintendent at Washington Golf
and Country Club i n the spring of 1961 I found the following conditions:
7 £ y L-'.: '«.'•

the greens were extremely small, b u i l t for the day when 200 golfers a week
was heavy play.
Now I would be expected to maintain 3 , 0 0 0 to 4 , 5 0 0 square
foot greens in an era when 2 , 0 0 0 players a week can be expected during the
season.
The s o i l in the greens were tight and compact, percolation was
slow and pore space at a minimum.
The s o i l analysis showed high phosphorus
(500 lb. per acre range) and low potassium (40-72 lb. per acre range).
The
pH was low, in the 5 . 5 to 6 . 1 area.
What could you expect to be growing on these greens other than poa.
It was
the only grass that could survive under these conditions.
"Forty percent to 90%
of the turf cover on the greens was poa annua.
I felt that, i d e a l l y , the answer would be to start from scratch and rebuild
all the greens.
Certain factors made it impossible for me to start on this program at the time, including:
poor member acceptance of newly constructed greens
and financial considerations, among others.
I embarked on the following program and have found it very successful.
Fertilization:
I put 5 lb. nitrogen and 1 lb. of potash on, split in two
applications i n the spring.
The nitrogen source
ureaform; potash
recrystalized
muriate.
I also put 1 oz. of celated iron on at this time
April 1st and May 1 s t .
During the summer I spoon feed the greens by putting 1 / 1 0 lb. N. and 1 / 1 0 lb. K . on
with my spray application.
My f a l l f e r t i l i z a t i o n consists of two applications of
a low phosphorus f e r t i l i z e r (10-3-7, 12-4-8) in quantities enough to apply 1 to 1
1 / 2 lb. N. at each application.
This program has balanced out the f e r t i l i t y and
pH factor of the greens, maintained the poa and seems to have favored what bent I
have in my greens.
Top dressing and aerifying:
A spring and f a l l application of 1 / 4 yard (per
thousand) of topdressing consisting of 70% coarse sand combined with a fairly heavy
aerification and followed by five or s i x aerifications during the spring and f a l l
has greatly improved the top 2 1 / 2 to 3 inches of the green surface.
Compaction
is

reduced, perculation has improved greatly and pore spaces allow air to enter the
root system.
Fungicides:
Thiram has been the main stay of my fungicide program.
Spring and
f a l l , over the years, has seen me go from cadrainates to dyrene and now to daconil.
These chemicals have shown progressively better control of dollar spot for me
1 / 2 oz.-l oz. P . M . A . according to season is added to the main chemical program.
Zineb, over the last three y e a r s , has seemed to have given me a preventative control
of pythium on one problem green.
Watering:
The greens are watered as needed in spring and f a l l .
The watering
pace accelerates* as we get into the hot weather to a maximum of every other night.
We make it standard procedure to syringe the greens any afternoon that the temperature is over the low 8 0 ? s .
Mowing and verticutting:
season, in the spring and f a l l
found that very light verticle
on the green, and improves the

We mow our greens daily through the whole growing
at 1 / 4 inch and i n the summer at 5 / 1 6 inch.
We have
mowing does a lot to reduce the number of seed heads
appearance and putting quality of the greens.

Weed Control:
The only weed that is any real problem is s i l v e r crab and we
remove this by hand.
We don't feel that we can take a chance on thinning our poa
with the present chemicals available.
Soft (hairy) crabgrass is no problem as the
1 / 2 oz. of phenol mercury takes care of that.
Our program has paid off during the past eight years with a minimum of green
problems.
We built a new putting green that helped reduce the reluctance of the
membership to bx^ilding new greens.
This past f a l l we b u i l t three new regular
greens and hope to continue this rebuilding program.
We plan to use chemicals to
keep the poa and silver crab under control i n these greens.
We have lived with poa
and have been successful but we by no means advocate i t .
You are living on a powder
keg when you are living with poa annua.
I f your percentage is too high for your
bent to regain control, by all means rebuild.
But i f you have to live with it perhaps my experience w i l l be of some help.

Control of POA ANNUA With Betasan or Pre-San
by
Dennis McCammon
Springfield Golf and Country Club
S p r i n g f i e l d , Virginia
Kids these days are not much different than they've ever been
run away from home, and get married.
in that order.

they grow up,

The only trouble is that now it i s n ' t

always

There are several things in this old world that have to be done in order so
that the results of the job w i l l be correct.
A striking example is as follows.
You
and I have just recently paid for an all expense round trip ticket to the moon and
back for three astronauts.
I have heard several people express their dismay and
concern at the large amount of money being spent on this project, saying there is
nothing to be gained.
But I imagine many Spaniards said the same thing when Queen Isabella gave •
Columbus his three ships some 500 years ago.

- 35 We aren't here to discuss history, either past or present, but we are here to
discuss Poa annua control.
How the heck is he 'gonna tie astronauts in with
grass you ask? W e l l , just watch.
We talked a minute ago about the order i n which things should be done.
Almost everyone has some kind of a routine by which they live and work, whether i t
is a superintendent or an astronaut.
And in comparing them to u s , l e t ' s take a
quick look at some s i m i l i a r t i e s .
Materi *ls are important to both of us.
They
must be fresh, up to date, and have a f u l l set of directions with them that must
be followed to the l e t t e r .
Personnel is also important.
They must be trained in
their j o b , whether they are going around the moon or spraying a green.
Equipment is importantI t must be adequate to do the job and simple enough
that i t can be operated by the people who have been trained for the job.
Timing
is a b i g factor also.
A simple mis-calculation and the spaceship misses the
moon or we have crabgrass in the fairways.
Weather is another thing that must be considered.
A moonshot w i l l be scrubbed i f weather conditions are not just as optimum as they should be and the
superintendent w i l l net put on h i s material I f he is not assured of a nice shower
right after application.
And the most important factor of course is cost.
This factor w i l l probably
always be the sore spot in s e l l i n g any kind of program to a group of people who
are paying the b i l l , but i f proper j u s t i f i c a t i o n can be shown for i t , the problem
becomes a l i t t l e easier to s e l l .
When we started our Poa program in 1 9 6 6 , I must admit I felt a l i t t l e like an
explorer setting out and charting an unknown course.
But I found my reward with
Poa-—control«
We put just a small test plot out i n i t i a l l y and after we saw the results, began on the fror.t n i n e .
The reason we chose the front was because the population
of Poa was somewhat worse than on the back due to the fact that the front is about
two years older than the back.
After only one year of testing, the results were so outstanding that we
decided to treat the back with the same material.
Not only did we get good Poa
control, but as an extra benefit we got nearly 100% crabgrass and goosegrass
control.
Two applications per year of hensulide material are necessary for good Poa
control on bent greens.
Fall application is the most important since probably
more Poa germinates then, although some Poa germinates throughout most of the
growing season depending on seasonal variations in temperature and r a i n f a l l .
We are finding that complete eradication of Poa from an infested area may
take yearly applications over several years.
To complete this eradication program, the approaches to the greens should also be treated.
Ik
Ideally fairways should be treated, but unfortunately cost on this material
is not low enough yet to warrant its use on large areas.
Safety of bensulide is questionable.
University studies show some root
shortening, top discoloration, and general weakening of the desirable turf after
application.
But i t has been my observation that there is only a slight yellowing
of the good grass after growing season application.
However, i f the turf is under
stress at the time of application, some injury may occur.
Of course this may
happen \<rith many other chemicals besides a bensulide material.

I n areas heavily populated with Poa, thinning is noticed in the Poa clumps.
This is due to the flush of new Poa not coming i n due to inhibited germination.
But i t is amazing to see just how fast the desirable grasses w i l l f i l l in these
bare spots.
Any aerifying or top dressing operations should be done prior to application
because these jobs tend to pull seeds up which w i l l be controlled by the spray.
Bensulide remains active i n the s o i l for a long period of time.
Because of t h i s ,
the period of control is longer than with many other pre-emergence materials.
Re-seeding must be delayed from 4-6 months depending on s o i l type, pH, and irrigation, the latterbeing the most important.
Application methods depend on the formulation used.
Liquid and granular are
both available and both work w e l l , however the liquid is generally preferred.
We
spray our greens with a truckster and have been since 1966.
The method reduces
our labor, time, and particularly on material due to very l i t t l e being lost by
wind d r i f t .
This method of greens spraying has been i?ell accepted by our members and to
my knowledge, no one has ever said anything against i t .
We can spray 4 greens per 100 gallons of water, including 15 feet of approach
or 1 pass around the green.
The average length of time i t takes to spray a green
is from 5-8 minutes.
So f a r , I have not observed any i l l effects to the t u r f , at least not any- *
thing severe.
As I stated, there is
slight yellowing, but it is only temporary
and the grass grows out of i t .
For anyone who has deep roots, I would advise
watching the roots to see whether any shortening does appear.
Controlling POA ANNUA with Arsenates
by
Dr. W. H. Daniel
Purdue University
Lafayette, Indiana
Arsenic toxicity can selectively remove Poa Annua in t u r f , thus Poa annua
free turf
is a reality already proven in research and on entire golf courses.
Recently a speaker used kodachrome pictures from over 30 golf courses to illustrate observed progress in t h i s .
By 1969 over 300 courses currently have some
control program underway.
A four step program is b a s i c :
1.

Add no more soluble phosphorus. Why juggle two items?
higher?

Why build reserves

2.

Start accumulating toxic arsenic.
Repeat lighter application, get uniform
distribution.
Allow time for new grasses to grow and f i l l i n .

3.

Start improving stand of desired turf
by Aero-blade seeder, or any way to
get seed into the s o i l , repeatedly overseed as space is available and weather
permits.

4.

Short days,

cloudy days, wet s o i l and time favor selective Poa annua weakening

to be evident in these periods. Chickweed, Poa annua, crabgrass and goosegrass
are less tolerant to arsenic
than bentgrass or bluegrass.
Arsenic interferes
with the transfer of carbohydrates within the susceptible species.
A WEED
Several states have declared Poa annua a weed in seed.
For example, in 1968
Florida required that the number of Poa anniaseed per pound of grass seed be
listed on the l a b e l .
Further, seed is prohibited from sale if above 5,000 s e e d / l b .
And, i t is hoped this limit can be reduced after one year of review.
Basically there are five points relevant to the control of Poa annua.

These

are:
TECHNOLOGY - principles
TOOLS to accomplish the work
TECHNIQUES of man and equipment use
TIMING for plant and user benefit
TIME for b i o l o g i c a l processes
L e t ' s describe Poa annua.
I t is Poa (of the meadow in Greek).
This includes
hundreds of species scattered almost world-wide of which Poa pratensis compressa
and annua are some representatives.
The early botanist seeing Poa annua germinate
and produce seed i n the same season, which was in contrast to perennial types
called it annua, i . e . , i t seeds i n some s i x to eight weeks after germination under
some conditions. Now i t is just l i k e tomatoes, coleus, etc. - i t w i l l yegetatively
increase u n t i l some adversity k i l l s the plant parts.
You have seen summer desiccation, severe disease smothering under
ice as such damaging failure points.
Also
you have seen a b e a u t i f u l sheen of new Poa annua come up.
I recall seeing such on August 5 at Cleveland Country Club one year.
So,
a normal Poa annua plant under watered fairway conditions in Cleveland would be
f a l l germination, winter s u r v i v a l , spring lushness, summertime weakening, some
disease, some w i l t i n g , and when things get really tough complete loss either in
the winter under ice or in the summer, but then new germination occurs.
We can
break this cycle, we can reduce the competitiveness of Poa annua - the technology
is available.
Examples of success have been observed, reports of progress have
been disseminated.
Club members have seen the bar revised, the kitchen modernized, the locker
room changed, the g r i l l increased.
They expect these things to be major renovation
of high cost with a considerable period when tradesmen may create complete unuse the bar is closed - the g r i l l is out.
Why should i t be different when we start
to change the grass on the golf course?
They expect continued, perfect playability
out there!
It takes time to revise the g r i l l , to tear out the old, to put in the
new, to refinish the w a l l s , and i t takes time out there on the golf course.
Again, someone i n the club made a decision following a policy that led to improvement, and someone must make that type of decision for the club i f they are
going to have Poa annua removal, and it is a major decision.
It requires financing
public relations promotion within the membership, within the community, for we have
all heard statements like - "Say, what's happened to —Country Club? Their fairways are a l l BURNED UP!"and the word gets around when really it is to be expected.
Some of the bottlenecks in observing Poa annua control start out rather insignificant.
F i r s t , things look pretty good; now the club is well-groomed, the
course is always ready for play, the superintendent is on the b a l l , and the turf
survived last y e a r , so why change it?

Second, the other country club tried i t and they sure had some bare areas.
That is not for u s .
I n other words, one decision, one observation and the program is taboo.
Our members won't stand that.
T h i r d , the Greens Chairman catches too much " h e l l " already.
He is f a i r game
for every golfer to lambast as i f it is club policy to beat down the o f f i c i a l .
Again, public relations are important? but somebody needs to make decisions for
the club during their term of office for the benefit of the club; yet I recognize
your problem and appreciate the need for meetings such as t h i s .
Fourth, there is the problem of superintendent and crew, and equipment setup
to do the job e f f i c i e n t l y well and e f f e c t i v e l y .
I have seen many errors in applications, which were unnecessary mistakes.
It does take quality personnel and
adapted equipment, but these are not new to good golf courses and good turf
growers.
Technology
Selective repression of existing Foa annua, selective prevention of new
establishment is the key.
I t is a small job to control Poa annuaI
The BIG job is
to grow desired grass! We know that arsenic accumulated in the root-zcne can over
ride phosphorus uptake and selectively stunt existing Poa annua as well as seedlings . We also know that Betasan, Balan, Bandane, among others, can prevent
seedlings of Poa annua becoming established.
Each chemical has its good and bad
points - that is technology.
Each chemical w i l l do certain things and permit
the turf manager to do certain things.
For example, Balan w i l l prevent both
Poa annua and new bent or bluegrass from seed; so w i l l Betasan and Bandane.
Nevertheless, the turf manager should select a chemical which w i l l be used in
a repeated program that provides him with continued control. Again, technology is
understanding the inter-relationships
of repression of weeds, forcing of growth
of desired grasses, and the principles he must follow to benefit from the selective program.
For example , forcing growth" with f e r t i l i z e r , protecting existing grasses with fungicides, overseeding when thinness is evident - a l l of these
are just technology.
Tools
Tools include the equipment and the manpower.
The new Rogers Aero-blade
seeder combination was recommended to five or s i x golf courses considering Poa
annua renovation just because it does a uniform job of placing wanted seed in the
preferred position for germination and survival.
There are combinations of tools that may be available for spreading the
materials, for applying the seed and reducing the thatch, for applying the water.
Upgrading to automatic i r r i g a t i o n , purchasing of needed equipment are just preliminary steps providing tools for improvement.
Techniques
Techniques vary widely depending on tools, depending on terrain.
Basically
the techniques are related to h a b i t s .
I have seen golf courses start at the edge
of the fairways, overlap i n the middle with arsenicals just l i k e they were mowing.
They crowded together between the sard trap, spread apart in the wide spots, and
then two years later you can see where the man did or did not go twice.
I have
seen x^here sprayers slowed down and k i l l e d everything, where equipment going
down-hill went fast and up-hill slow so that extreme differences in results were
achieved.
Even calibration, simple as i t i s , can be overlooked.

Since this is repeat accumulations, records are important for i f we miss
out on how much has been applied, then uncertainty prevails on what should be
applied, then question arises as to results achieved.
For example, we strongly
recommend that no soluble phosphorus be used when arsenic is being accumulated as
Poa annua is being reduced.
With this irr mind it takes understanding of technology, i t takes different techniques of purchasing, and i f one does change his
program so he uses some soluble phosphorus, then uses arsenic, who knows where
he is?
In contrast, i f only arsenic is used, then one seeing results can interpret ..the end results and know where he i s .
Timing
Timing is always important whether i t be fighting the bull in the arena, .or
working to get the most from nature's normal responses.
When shall the program
start?
Early f a l l is preferred.
When s h a l l i t achieve toxicity?
One year later.
When shall I put on seed? When there are openings.
When shall I put on arsenic?
When stress of climate is medium.
How soon may I repeat overseeding?
Every two
After next rain or i r r i g a t i o n .
How much
weeks.
How often may I apply arsenic?
shall I apply.
A l l of these are related, thus it is very wise to have samples,
models.
It is wise to take trips and see other areas previously treated.
And,
as mentioned e a r l i e r , i t is strongly suggested that timing be concentrated into
one fairway, three fairways or nine fairways.
Don't start on eighteen fairways.
Set some timing fast and some timing slow.
Treating one-half of fairways is
simplest and safest for i n i t i a l program for the " b e s t " half can be used.
All
clubs that I know of starting a program have later enlarged the control program.
(At Brae B u m , Art Anderson used lead arsenate in 1938, ' 4 0 , ' 4 4 , ' 4 7 , ' 5 1 , ' 5 5 ,
'59 and '64 to maintain his program.)
Time
You understand a bluegrass seed.
I t w i l l germinate in s i x to eighteen days,
puts up one l e a f , starts a crown, puts up a second and third l e a f .
As it starts
its fourth leaf i t also starts a t i l l e r at the crown, then a second t i l l e r , now it
has some 8-9 leaves, and i t is at least two months old
s t i l l a seedling.
Then
i t puts out underground rhizomes, a h o r i z o n t a l stem which, as it emerges, causes
spread characteristic of bluegrass.
Now i t i s a teenager.
A bluegrass planted
August 1 with i r r i g a t i o n could have rhizomes in November, but a seedling dropped
carelessly in October may be useless and dried by desiccation in the winter so
there is nothing next spring.
Meanwhile, Poa annua, which grows more normally
and vigorously, completely overmasks i t .
For example, at Meridian H i l l s Country Club in Indianapolis overseedings made
i n two successive falls produced a very sparse bluegrass cover of less than 5%.
When arsenics kept out the Poa annua and crabgrass, the less than 5% advanced to
over 95% i n one season.
The purpose of overseeding is to i n i t i a t e sparse starting plants which, by
spread, can f i l l i n .
Bentgrass grows similarly making stolons.
Bentgrass plants
two to three months old arc s t i l l very small.
Actually where arsenics are being
used at least 90% of the turf increase is from spread of existing plants.
For
high budget courses plugging of thin areas is a real possibility i n c r i t i c a l spots..

Toxicity with arsenic can be summarized by these steps -

1.

Stop applying soluble phosphorus.

2.

Improve poor drainage areas with vertical

3.

Gradually b u i l d arsenic toxicity by repeat divided

4.

Repeatedly Introduce the desired by overseeding and plugging.

5.

Re-sod the worst f i r s t .

6.

Cloudy d a y s , short days, wet soils and time, favor selective
Poa annua weakening.

trenching.
applications.

For example, fronts of tees and aprons.

In summary, when your club determines the policy and budget for your program,
the turf manager carries out the p o l i c y .
Poa annua control should require two
years,, but the results w i l l be worth the e f f o r t .
S o , I am through with Poa annua
the failure grass.
I t is not up to modern standards.
2,4-D took care of broadleaves, Silved took out clover, Dicamba has removed knotweed.
Now i t is Poa
annua 1 s turn at b a t .

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