PROCEEDINGS
of the

19th Annual
Northwest Turfgrass
Conference

September 22, 23, 24, 1965
Hayden Lake, Idaho

N O R T H W E S T T U R F G R A S S M E M B E R S H I P DUES
Golf Courses—
Less than 18 holes
18 holes or more
Nursery, landscaping and ground spraying firms
Architects and engineering firms
Equipment and material supply firms
All others

Annual dues
$20
40
20
20
20
20

Cemeteries—
Less than 400 interments per annum
400 to 600 interments per annum
600 to 800 interments per annum
More than 800 interments per annum

20
25
30
40

Park Departments-—
Less than 150 acres total area
150 acres or more

20
40

1.

Annual Dues payable on or before May 15th each year. Dues
are based on annual due date nonprorated.

2.

Membership includes registration fee for one person at Annual
Turf Conference. Other persons from member organization
registration fee $5.00.

3.

NO I N I T I A T I O N FEES A R E CHARGED.

4.

Nonmembers may attend the annual Conference by paying
$10.00 registration fee. For further information on dues, contact Northwest Turf Treasurer.

It has been an honor and a privilege to have been your
President for the past yearf and I appreciate it more than
I can adequately express. The wonderful cooperation all
of you have given me is most gratifying.
You are to be congratulated upon having Harvey Junor
take over and to him the best of luck and good wishes for
the coming year.
Ken Putnam

N O R T H W E S T TURFGRASS A S S O C I A T I O N
Officers
1966

1965
Ken Putnam

President

Harvey Junor

John Zoller

Vice Pres.

Jack Daniels

Dick Haskell

Treasurer

Dick Haskell

Roy L. Goss

Exec. Secy.

Roy L. Goss

Board of Directors

Milt Bauman

Overlake Golf and C. C., Medina, Wash.

Jack Daniels

Greenup Spray Service, Seattle, Wash.

Manny Gueho

Vancouver Golf and C. C., New Westminster, B.C.

John Harrison

Hayden Lake Golf and C. C., Hayden Lake, Idaho

Dick Haskell

1000 N. E. 135th Street, Seattle, Wash.

Harvey Junor

Portland Country Club, Portland, Oregon

Dick Malpass

Shadow Hills Golf and C. C., Eugene, Oregon

Ken Putnam

Seattle Golf and C. C., Seattle, Wash.

Byron Reed

9817 E. Burnside, Portland, Oregon

Elmer Sears

Forest Lawn Cemetery, Seattle, Wash.

1

Table of Contents
The Place of the University in Future Urban
Development—Mark T # Buchanan
Research Progress on Contolling Turfgrass
Diseases—Charles J. Gould
Does Your Turf Use Everything You
Feed It?—Roy L. Goss
Turf Grass Varieties—Kenneth J, Morrison
Performance of Bluegrass Varieties Under Two
Height of Clipping—Alvin G. Law
Low Temperature Injury of Turfgrass
S. Freyman and V.C. Brink
Winter Damage of Turfgrasses—James B. Beard
Planting Ornamentals- What, When, and Where
Harold T. Abbott
Control of Insects and Diseases in Ornamentals
And Shade Trees—Jack Daniels
Controlling Diseases of Ornamental Trees and
Shrubs—Otis C. Maloy
Are You a Good Boss?—Wm. H. Bengeyfield
Maintenance of Athletic Grounds—Norman Goetze
Will Water Run Uphill?—D.L. Guettinger
Northwest Turfgrass Association Membership
Northwest Turfgrass Conference Attendance 1965

2

3
13
15
24
27
32
38
52
59
62
64
68
75
78
82

The Place of The University
In Future Urban Development
Mark T. Buchanan"1"
The news release that follows is datelined Puget. The
year is 2015. Puget is that part of the city of Pacific that
extends from what was once Vancouver, Washington to Vancouver,
British Columbia. Pacific, the mother city, extends on south
into Mexico.
Puget, North America, October 15, 2015. Samuel D. Smith,
Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs for the world government made appropriate comments today on the role of education in the Superb Society. Speaking at a function in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the passing of the federal
aid to education act of 1965, Dr. Smith congratulated the
United States on its contribution toward world understanding
of the importance of education. "Education,11 he said, "permits increased production without the added use of scarce
resources. Thus it has added to real wealth. In increasing
productivity it has permitted individuals to attain more
leisure which they have used creatively. Improved citizenship and greater personal satisfaction have accrued to each
person."
"Specialists and consultants in an ever-widening array
of subject and service areas are available as a result of
the increasing percentage of the population of college age
who attend institutions of higher learning and who go on
for advanced degrees. These specialists and consultants as
well as citizens in general keep current and pursue general
knowledge during a time each year set aside for each person
to return to school.
"Not alone are the resources of the university available to train specialists and to enhance the citizenship
of all, but additional service is rendered via the creation
1. Director of Research, College of Agriculture, Washington
State University, Pullman, Washington. Talk at 19th Northwest Turfgrass Conference, Hayden Lake, Idaho, September 22,
1965.

3

of new knowledge through research, via the training of
technicians, and via the extension of information to the
public in institutes, workshops, evening schools, in correspondence courses, and in other ways.11
Dr. Smith pointed out that the United States was the
first country to experiment with the idea that education
might be useful to its total citizenry. He said that in
1862 Mr. Abraham Lincoln signed a bill that provided for
the beginning of a system of higher education in the United
States that ultimately resulted in the extension of educational opportunity to all citizens able to benefit by it. It
opened up the curriculum to a large number of specialized
areas far beyond the professions of that time. Prior to
1862, higher education in America, as in the rest of the
world, was pretty much limited to the wealthy and elite;
and it was also fairly well restricted to the learned professions of theology, medicine, and law. The resulting universities resulting from the 1862 Act were called land-grant
institutions because then the United States had much land
and little money, so that grants of land were made by the
federal government to the states. It was expected that the
income from the sale or use of these lands would finance the
physical plants and operation^ of the resulting institutions.
f,
The results from this beginning are such that Mr. Lincoln
might well have been called the Great Emancipator for this
effort as well as for his better known efforts in conjunction
with the Civil War,11 Mr. Smith said.
"The development of the land-grant institution, and the
later extension of their concept of service to other U.S.
universities, was a fitting addition to the concepts of personal freedom as the basis for a new type of national structure that evolved in the United States in the late years of
the 18th and the earliest years of the 19th centuries. In
the establishment of the idea of free public schools the U.S.
recognized the importance of education to the success of its
revolutionary experiment in democracy. The establishment of
the land-grant institutions thus gave powerful reinforcement
to the concept of the political dependence of democracy upon
broad educational opportunity. These colleges also provided
an affirmation of an intimate relationship between education

4

and the general welfare.
"By 1965 education through high school was almost universal. The proportion of people who attended college had
greatly expanded, graduate schools had been developed, and
many campuses had become centers for basic research. Expanding programs of continuing education had eveolved and U.S.
universities were participating in similar programs abroad.
The public had begun to look not only to education but to
the educational institution, itself, for solutions to many
of the social, economic and political problems of the day.
"Since before 1960, however, it had been obvious to the
informed leadership of institutions of higher learning, private and church-supported as well as publicly supported, that
resources from traditional sources were becoming increasingly
inadequate to meet the twin expanding needs of vastly increasing enrollments and demands from the public in general for
equally vast increases in services performed. They began the
quest for really significant increases in support for institutions of higher education which ultimately culminated in
the federal aid to education of 1965, the passage of which is
now being memorialized.
"The federal aid to education act of 1965 was significant
because it signified a reaffirmation in depth of the importance
of education in a modern society. Also, and equally significant, it represented the first evidence of the nationfs willingness to commit the level of resources needed to the job.
Prior to 1965, exccpt for the initial commitment of
funds to land-grant institutions via the Morrill Act and
except for limited training and research programs designed
to complement the missions of certain federal agencies and
philanthropic foundations, funds for the support of universities had some from private donations, from church allotments, and especially from state taxes. Debate was lengthy
and heated, in fact, on three major issues before the act
of 1965 became reality. These were the federalism, control,
and church vs. state issues.
"The issue of federalism involved the question of
states1 and federal rights and responsibilities. Education
was considered to be the responsibility of the states.
University presidents, while appreciative of the genuine efforts made within the states to meet the need, pointed out that

5

the magnitude of the challenge and responsibility really
surpassed the resources of the states. They said that a
really major program of federal supplementation was essential. They also gave reasons why this approach was appropriate and proper at that time. First, there was the matter
of the changing pattern of taxation in the U.S.A. Whereas
in 1913, the year when the Federal income tax was initiated,
32 cents of each tax dollar went to Washington, in 1960, 70
cents of each tax dollar was sent to the nation's capitol.
Realistically, the only possible source of funds of the magnitude needed was the federal government. Not only was this
so, however, but there were other good, sound reasons for
federal assistance. It had become quite evident that the
scientific and general knowledge of the citizenry was a
national resource justifying a national investment. More
and more students were enrolling in schools of their choice,
not necessarily in schools within their home states. After
they had completed their schooling, they typically worked in
another state. The middle-western states particularly provided educational opportunities for many, many scholars who
moved elsewhere for their careers. In fact, the modern equivalent of the itinerant worker is the well-trained scientist
who follows where his discipline leads. Most telling of all
was the proof that the nation as a whole received tremendous
returns on the investmant made in providing educational opportunities for its capable citizens. So large was this return,
in fact, that the extra goods and services produced thereby
would provide the added tax base necessary for the financing
of this and other programs as well.
"The issue of control concerned the proposition that if
the federal government provided a significant part of the funds
used in the educational enterprise, it would also control a
significant part of the program. Fortunately this was easy
to counter as the land-grant universities had been receiving federal funds for more than 100 years with no evidence
whatever of undesirable federal control. There was control
and accountability of the funds supplied. Thus the states
documented that the funds supplied were used in support of
the educational program. Since the grants were for the
purpose of supplementing programs proposed by the states,
this accounting did not impair in any way state initiative

6

and autonomy in the educational enterprise.
f,
The private vs. public and church-state issues took a
bit longer to settle satisfactorily. Ultimately it was decided that all types of institutions then in existence, and
perhaps more, were needed to assure an adequate variety and
balance of educational opportunity. Assistance was badly needed by all types of educational enterprises. Private institutions which had been receiving support for some time already for research and special training programs following
sputnik were quickly added to the list to receive federal
supplementation. And those parts of church-related educational enterprises that were common with other educational
institutions also became eligible for supplementation. To
put it the other way around, the churches continued to support those parts of their activities that were designed to
advance their own particular beliefs and doctrines; they
continued to help as they were able but were also eligible
for supplementation on the aspects of their programs that
were similar to the programs offered in non-denominational
schools—such programs as English, chemistry, physics, engineering, and the like.
"There were other debates concerning whether the services
provided by university staff and graduates should be provided at a fee to be paid by the individual who immediately
benefitted, by some form of insurance arrangement, or at a
social cost on behalf of the general public. Such debates
have continued. It was soon realized that in the context of
the immediate need, however, these debates were academic.
People to man such service activities had to receive education and training before such services could be rendered—
no matter who paid or how payment was arranged.
"Also, for a time there was confusion over plans to provide assistance to the students and to their families via
scholarship and tax credit plans. Such are helpful only if
there is an educational opportunity available at a viable
institution—thus, the need for help to the institutions as
well—not to the students alone. During these times, most
state institutions were forced to limit enrollment to
match funds available. This was done usually by requiring
higher grade-point averages out of high school. Such a procedure was especially deplored as being inimical to the philosophy of state universities. President Elvis Stahr of the
University of Indiana put it as follows:
7

"Our forefathers1 concept was that education should be
free—free all the way through the university level.
The Articles of Compact of the Northwest Ordinance
first stated the high importance of education for the
Territory's inhabitants. Then, the authors of the
Indiana State Constitution of 1816 developed this
statement of principle by incorporating provisions
for the free pursuit of education. Article IX, Section
2, read: 'It shall be the duty of the general assembly,
as soon as circumstances will permit, to provide by law,
for a general system of education, ascending in a
regular gradation from township schools to a state
university, wherein tuition shall be gratis, and equally
open to all.'
"This mandate was solemnly written by our pioneer forefathers a century and a half ago, yet some people
today, ignorant of the State's and the Nation's historical traditions, appear to believe that free education
is a great socialistic scheme, a pernicious product of
some foreign ideology. In actuality, this great American
principle, which led, in Indiana, to the establishment
of Indiana and (later) Purdue Universities, and also
to the founding of public colleges and universities
in many of our states, is being diluted not by alien
inflitration but, sadly, by native neglect. It was in
the period from the end of the Civil War forward to
World War II that the concept of the publicly supported
institution, open to all with sufficient preparation
and ambition to profit from it, really came into its
own in America. And concurrently, large numbers of
additional private colleges were founded while some of
the older ones began to achieve worldwide prestige.
"The important thing, gentlemen, is that it was no
coincidence that as America's institutions achieved an
increasing degree of academic excellence and wider
availability, the Nation as a whole was enabled to
change from a primarily rural, isolated, underdeveloped
Nation to the greatest Nation on earth—a Nation strong
not only in her original political concepts, but economically strong, highly productive, with social mobility
8

and with military power to back up and preserve her and
her concepts of freedom from the threats of fascism
and communism.
"In study after study, it has been shown that the greatest single factor in the growth of the Gross National
Product in this century has been education, not capital,
not the size of the labor force. The productivity of
the work force, all the way through top management, has
reflected the mounting economec effect of education.
As I pointed out in a speech for the International Management Congress in 1963: 'One of the increasingly visible
phenomena of the post-war world is the emergence of the
modern university as a central factor in almost all
advances in this society, and not least in the field
of economic growth. This is because universities not
only have become our primary sources of highly trained
intelligence but also are contributing so greatly to the
explosive pace of the discovery of new knovrledge. • I
mentioned there too, by the way, a fact that some of us
are prone to forget—that the University is concerned
above all with the high development of the human intellect,
by far the most important resource on this planet.
"Curiously enough, the percent of GNP spent on higher
education during this time grew scarcely at all,
despite the fact that it was basically responsible for
the GNP growth. In fact, we have failed to reinvest
enough to keep opportunity as open as it had been.
"Concomitantly, an erosion of the principle of educationfor-all began. Public institutions began to charge
fees, increasingly, to make up the difference. Private
institutions began to raise their tuition markedly.
How ironic that even though far fewer real sacrifices
are required of us today, the willingness to sacrifice
at all has lessened so much!
"A curious theory, or rationalization, has arisen that
it is the student alone who benefits from higher education
and therefore he alone should pay for it. The theory

9

in part grew out of the observation that over the lifetime of a student, he is likely to have much higher earnings than if he hadn't attended college. This is, of
course, so, and applied to high school as well. But
it is a strange warping of logic to reason that since
the student will in time benefit, he must be charged
for future benefits while he is still a student and no
one else should be charged at all, even though everybody else benefits too! This pattern of thinking overlooks two basic considerations: 1) the principle, recognized by our forefathers, that society does indeed
benefit from an educated citizenry, indeed cannot survive without it, and therefore in equity should bear at
least part of the burden; and 2) the fact that graduates
become members of society and quickly begin to repay the
cost of their education in taxes and other ways during
their many productive years. Their education is far
from a free ride at society's expense; for they with
their higher earnings, are keeping the investment in
education constantly renewed. The basic principle, as
our pioneer ancestors perceived, is the same as for,
say, elementary schools; society, not the pupil, pays
for them; but the principle has now been badly bent
after the 12th grade!
"But really, you may ask, what of the citizen without
a college education? Why should he pay for others to
be educated? The answer, obviously, is that he too
benefits from those who have had the advantage of
college. What kind of society would it be for noncollege graduates if there were no lawyers, no doctors,
no engineers, no well-educated people at all? I might
draw an analogy from the Congo. The Congo obviously
has abundant manpower and almost limitless natural resources, but there is a critical lack of education
among the Congolese. As a result, they have little
indeed in their way of life that we would want for ourselves or our children. The developing countries,
striving to move forward, haven't a chance of succeeding without more and better education. The point is,
neither have we. Yes, education requires an investment,
as I've often told our Legislature, but it is an in10

vestment and not an expenditure, and it should always
be regarded that way. The cost of not making it would
soon be far too expensive to be supportable.
"When we escalate the cost to the student, on the other
hand, we are escalating far more—the ultimate cost to
society. For if we raise economic barriers that only
the exceptional young man and very few young women
indeed can hurdle, we are in effect decreeing that they
shall be less productive than they could have been.
May I remind you that the cost of an unemployable to
society is far greater than the relatively small investment required of society for his education. No one
proposes college education for everyone; but I submit
that the vital thing is to include and exclude not on
the basis of ability to pay, but of ability to learn.
"This is my public issue number one tonight—and it is a
real one as well as a philosophical one, a practical one,
a live one, and one that should be discussed when the
legislature is not in session, rather than just biennially. For the people really decide, and you are
leaders among the people."
"The culmination of these efforts and debates was the
passage in the Congress of the United States on October 15,
1965 of the aforementioned federal aid to education act.
"For some time following the passage of this act, priority had to be reserved strictly to the teaching function
in many subject matter areas. The supply of good professors
was very small in relation to the need. Only that part of
research which provided the apprenticeship by which a graduate student became a replacement professor or scientist could
have priority equal to teaching. As in the cattle cycle, the
number of professors available for other uses became for some
time smaller still as they (the breeding stock) were held
back to produce the expanded numbers of their kind needed
for the ever-increasing teaching job plus the missionoriented research jobs, the numerous extension and other
service jobs. For a short while there were disturbing signs
of continuing student unrest, such as were exhibited in the
11

then recent Berkeley incident! Had the anti-university,
anti-order attitude exhibited by some leadership of that day
prevailed we would not now be having this ceremony. Fortunately, as with many other radical movements, calmer heads
prevailed.
"Ultimately, with increased resources and good management, the universities provided the opportunities for
education that resulted in expanded numbers of professors
and scientists. These were sufficient to meet teaching needs
and provide an overage who are today engaged in an everincreasing variety of research, extension and consulting
services. Our Super Society of 2015 might be said to be
the result of the events that transpired 50 years ago in
education; certainly it is much richer thereby. It is
appropriate, therefore, that we pay our respects today to
the leaders of institutions of higher education in the U.S.A.
and to the Executive and Congress of the United States who
approached this legislation in a truly bi-partisan way and
who obtained its passage with a large majority, Dr. Smith
concluded."
Of such is my own "message" of optimism on 22 September,
1965. The university, meaning all higher education, is in
position to make tremendous contributions to urban and other
development by providing educational opportunities, research,
extension and community service. The extent and quality of
the university's response to these and other public needs
will be dependent, in turn, on the availability of funds of
a new order of magnitude. In my opinion, society can afford
no less. Meanwhile, the university will make the best use
possible of whatever resources are put at its disposal.
The priority will be teaching first,research second, and
extension third.

12

Research Progress On Controlling Turfgrass Diseases
Charles J. Gould1
Fusarium Patch continues to exceed all other diseases in
importance in both eastern and western Washington. However, Ophiobolus Patch has moved into second place in western Washington. Typhula Snow Mold ranks second in eastern
Washington. Corticium Red Thread is the third worst turfgrass disease in western Washington in general. On fescues
it is the most important disease.
Research has been underway for several years on Fusarium,
Ophiobolus and Corticium. This is a preliminary summary of
all our work on fungicides and fertilizers. It has been
done in cooperation with Roy L. Goss and Vernon L. Miller.
The financial assistance from the Northwest Turf Association
during the past year is gratefully acknowledged.
Fusarium Patch
Fungicidal Research:
Phenylmercurv acetate (PMA) formulations (at 3/4 oz/10
gal water/1000 sq ft) have continued to give good control.
The new, more finely ground, Calo-Clor was found to be as
effective as PMA, had a longer residual action, but is more
expensive. Certain Washington State University experimental
combinations of mercury and cadmium appeared very promising.
Caddy and Panogen gave some control. A summary of the fungicidal research on this disease between 1961 and 1965 will
be published in the November, 1965 issue of the PLant Disease
Reporter.
Fertilizer Research:
Nitrogen- high levels have usually resulted in more
loss from Fusarium Patch. Milorganite and ammonium sulfate
produced less disease than other nitrogen sources.
Potash- high levels usually increased this disease.
Plant Pathologist, Washington State University, Western
Washington Research and Extension Center, Puyallup, Washington. Work conducted under Project 1394.

13

Phosphorus- helped reduce attack by this fungus.
Sulfur- markedly reduced the number of diseased areas
in a small ^eale test in 1964. Research on this element will
be expanded.
Corticium Red Thread
Fungicidal Research:
Cadmium fungicides were found to be best for control of
this fungus, giv ing rapid control and having a long residual
action. Such mercury compounds as PMA, Calo-Clor and Panogen
also produced rapid control but they did not provide as long
residual control as did the cadmiums. Panogen was somewhat
better than PMA in this regard and both were slightly superior
to Calo-Clor.
The WSU experimantal mixtures of mercury plus cadmium
also gave excellent control. The control was almost perfect
when these mixtures were applied 4 times a year but was very
poor when applied only once. Two applications (once in
spring and once in fall) of cadmium-containing fungicides
would probably be adequate under average conditions. One
application might be sufficient if mercurials are also applied at other times.
Fertilizer Research:
Nitrogen continued to be the most effective element in
reducing losses from Red Thread. The higher the nitrogen
level, the less Red Thread developed.
Potash- indefinite response.
Phosphorus- reduced disease attacks somewhat.
Milorganite- gave a good reduction of Red Thread in a
small acale experiment.
Ophiobolus Patch
The Ophiobolus Patch disease is a very complex one.
The disease appears and disappears often for no apparent
reason. This erratic behavior has seriously complicated
efforts at finding suitable control measures. The final
solution will likely be a complicated one and it may vary
from place to place. At the present time the best treatments appear to be continuous use of ammonium sulfate or
chlordane until the disease disappears. Certain fungicides
such as Calo-Clor and other mercurials seem to suppress

14

the fungus but the latter often reappears after applications
cease. In addition to ammonium sulfate and chlordane, the
most promising treatment appears to be heavy applications of
cadmium-containing fungicides. Certain zinc and iron compounds also appear promising.
The fertilizer-disease response is also confusing.
Our high nitrogen experimental plots at first had the most
disease but during the last two years the plots with lower
levels of nitrogen were among the most heavily affected.
In general, an unbalanced nutritional program appears to
result in more Ophiobolus Patch. Phosphorus apparently helps
reduce losses.
In view of some of our results, and research elsewhere,
it appears that some of the effects of our treatments may be
indirect ones, whereby certain beneficial (antagonistic)
organisms in the soil are stimulated to develop and in the
process either suppress or eradicate the Ophiobolus fungus.
Consequently, although fungicides may help, we suspect that
the best control of this pathogen will come from use of
certain cultural procedures. We believe that more research
is needed on organic materials which may be used to stimulate
development of beneficial organisms and also to discover
which materials may be promoting development of the Ophiobolus.

Does Your Turf Use Everything You Feed I t ? 1
Roy L. Goss2
Fertilizer! What happens to it? When do we apply it?
How much do we put on? Should it be organic or inorganic?
What is organic, inorganic, and synthetic organic? How
often should we put it on? When shouldn't we put it on?
What is a complete fertilizer? What is a ratio? What effect
do fertilizers have on diseases? And, there are many other
1. Paper presented at the 19th annual Northwest Turfgrass
Conference, Hayden Lake, Idaho, September 22, 23, and 24, 1965.
2. Assistant Agronomist and Extension Turfgrass Specialist,
Western Washington Research and Extension Center, Washington
State University, Puyallup, Washington.
15

questions that could be added to this list.
In this paper I shall not attempt to answer all these
questions, but will touch on a few in detail and some of
them in general.
Fertilizer studies have been in progress at the Western
Washington Research and Extension Center for over six years.
Both lawn and putting green turf have been under investigation, however, only the putting green turf shall be considered
at this time.
About the Experiment
Colonial bentgrass was established on Puyallup fine
sandy loam soil in 1959 and, since that time, has been subjected to 18 different fertilizer treatments and one check
plot. Nitrogen has been applied at 3 levels—20, 12, and
6 pounds per 1000 sq. ft. per season. Phosphorus has been
applied at 0 and 4 pounds, and potassium at 0,
and 8
pounds per 1000 sq. ft. per season. Every combination of
these 3 elements has been applied over this period of time.
Every treatment except the check has received nitrogen,
whereas certain plots have received no phosphorus, no potassium, or neither phosphorus nor potassium. All clippings
have been removed from these plots from the beginning, hence,
no fertilizer has returned to the soil from the plant itself. Every plot was tested for PH, organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium before any treatment was
made. They have been tested periodically since. In order
to have a clearer understanding of what has happened to the
fertilizers we have applied, let's take a look at the following table to observe the initial and present soil nutrient levels.

16

Table II.

Initial and Present Soil Nutrient Levels
Treatment in Pounds
Per 1000 Sq. Ft.
Per Season
N
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.

Initial (1959)

Present(1965)

P

K

P

K

Ca

P

K

Ca

20
0
4
20
4
20
20
4
Check
20
0
20
0
12
0
12
0
12
0
4
12
4
12
4
12
0
6
6
0
6
0
4
6
4
6
6
4

0
0
4
8

15
16
15
15
15
16
14
14
15
16
16
17
17
17
18
18
19
18
18

500
491
481
488
481
500
498
500
482
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
500

2650
2600
2500
2375
2430
2200
2400
2450
2300
2410
2385
2350
2280
2180
2195
2120
2130
2180
2100

12.6
24+
24+
24+
15
16 .
13
16
16
16
24+
24
24
18.2
19.5
21.0
24+
24+
24+

215
145
200
350
255
280
435
200
270
475
170
250
385
195
330
500
190
380
440

1930
1790
1790
1790
2210
800
1265
2070
2070
1930
2210
2210
2210
1930
1930
1790
2070
2070
1930

4
8
0
4
8
0
4
8
0
4
8
0
4
8

What Has Happened To Phosphorus?
It is obvious from the table above that phosphorus soil
levels have increased during the last 5 years. In only a few
cases did phosphorus actually decrease, and this was with high
nitrogen applications and no phosphorus. About 870 pounds of
P2O5 have been applied to the highest phosphorus treated plots
over the five-year period.
What Has Happened To Potassium?
This is probably the place where the greatest change

17

has occurred. From the table above, it is seen that potassium
levels have decreased in every case, regardless of the amount
applied. The heaviest potassium treated plots (8 pounds per
1000 sq. ft. per season) have received about 1, 940 pounds of
K2O over the last 5 years.
Calcium?
Soil calcium levels have consistently lowered during
the 5-year period, however, none are critical with the possible
exception of treatments No. 6 and 7. It is interesting to note
here that these are the only two plots not responding to 20
pounds per 1000 sq. ft. nitrogen' treatment. All other plots,
regardless of pH, are responding to-N applications.
How Do We Interpret These Data?
About the only conclusions that can be drawn from the
above data are that large amounts of plant nutrients have
been applied but are not in the soil now. Such variables as
how much leached, became fixed in the soil, was removed in the
plant tissue, or was mineralized from the soil are not considered.
If we knew how much the plants removed, this would control
one important variable. Therefore, studies were set up to
investigate plant removal.
Tissue Studies
Since the analyses of plant parts for N, P, and K can
become expensive, only 6 treatments out of 19 were selected for
tissue studies. These were 20-4-8, 12-0-0, 12-4-0, 12-0-4,
12-4-4, and 12-4-8. Experience has shown that 12 pounds of N
is more practical for putting turf, hence, the reason for more
of the 12-pound N treatments.
Clipping samples were collected from these plots approximately once each week, dried, and weighed as a measure of
yield. There were 29 weeks of sampling, however, the turf was
cut about 85 times for the year. Out of the 29 weeks, 14 were
selected for tissue analyses. The following table shows the
results of these analyses.

18

Table II.
Dry Matter Yield and Nutrient Recovery as Estimated
by Tissue Analyses

Treatment

Mean Dry Matter Yield
Pounds Per Acre-

Nutrient Recovery
Pounds Per Acre*
N

20-4-8
12-0-0
12-0-4
12-0-8
12-4-4
12-4-8

5,472
5,675
4,746
4,608
5,406
6,288

279
278
243
233
273
299

P
18.6
17.0
15.0
15.2
18.4
21.7

K
158
138
124
130
144
172

^Figures extrapolated from 14 weeks dry matter and nitrogen
yields to 85 weeks. Each 14-week yield was multiplied by a
factor of 6.1 as an estimate of annual totals.

It may be surprising to some to note that the 12-4-8
treatment resulted in a significantly higher yield of dry
matter, N, P, and K than the 20-4-8 plots. There may be
two significant explanations: (1) the grass cannot assimilate this much nitrogen, allowing it to be leached away
(2) a combination of nitrogen and potassium at thf*se levels
definitely caused turf injury, especially during the hotter
months of July and August.
It is felt by the writer that tissue analyses are the
best measure of nutrient status, with the exception of tissue
and lysimeter studies. Of course, we cannot ignore the
standard chemical soil test as an excellent tool, also, since
this gives us a measure of what is available in the soil.
Considering that the treatment 12-4-8 received 522
pounds N, 174 pounds P20si and 348 pounds K2O in one year,

19

we account for about 299 pounds N, 21.7 pounds P2°5> anc* 1 7 2
pounds KgO. This leaves 223 pounds N, 152 pounds P2O5* and
176 pounds K 2 0 either left in the soil, tied up (fixed), or
leached. It is reasonable to expect that a large amount
leached away with excessive rainfall and irrigation water.
These data do point out one important thing: OVER HALF OF
WHAT IS APPLIED PROBABLY NEVER GETS INTO THE PLANT, especially at the higher rates.
It is also important to point out that 12 pounds of N
and 4 pounds and 8 pounds of K 2 0 in combination resulted in
the lowest recovery of N, P, and K. This is probably due to
inadequate levels of available phosphorus and perhaps inadaquate levels of calcium.
What About Nutrient Ratios?
For sometime we have indicated that plants remove
nutrients in about a 3-1-2 ratio of N, P, and K. If we
consider that the 12-4-8 treatment above is the best one,
then we find that potassium (K20) is about 58% as much as N
in the tissue. This is an average for the entire year, but
during peak growth, the K 2 0 level comes up to over 61% as much
as N. Furthermore, soil test results indicate that this
ratio and intensity are maintaining adequately high soil
levels of K 2 0.
These data also indicate that 4 pounds of P 2 0 5 is
ample for excellent quality turfgrass. Also, it is found
that over 8 times as much potassium is removed from the soil
in the 12-4-8 treatment as phosphorus. Therefore, when we
put one part of phosphorus in a 3-1-2 ratio fertilizer, we
are being extremely generous.
What About Fertilizer and Diseases?
Fusarium Patch—This disease continues to develop to
the greatest extent with higher levels of N, especially urea.
Interestingly enough, it has been found that applications of
2 and 3 pounds of wettable sulfur per 1000 sq. ft. in
August caused a significant reduction in this disease, as
well as stimulated a greener turf color. This is being reported in detail by Dr. C. J. Gould.

20

Ophiobolus Patch— This disease has caused more concern
in the research area than many due to its changing habit
from year to year. In 1960 and 1961, the greatest infection
occurred on plots receiving the highest levels of N. Little
or no Ophiobolus Patch occurred in the lawn turf that was
getting up to 8 pounds of N per 1000 sq. ft. per season.
As time went on, the disease shifted its attack to the 12
pounds of N plots and, presently, the greatest infection
is on the 6 pounds of N plots.
Oddly enough, the only consistent infection during the
last 3 years in the fertility plots has been in those receiving only N and K, and especially at the 6 pounds of N
level. This certainly points an accusing finger at phosphorus availability, but more studies need to be conducted.
The most serious infections of Ophiobolus Patch did
not occur on the lawn turf until the last 2 years; The
most significant observation is that it has developed
significantly more on all plots not receiving phosphorus.
SUMMARY
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Avoid excessive applications of nitrogen. Twelve
pounds per 1000 sq. ft. per season appears to be ample.
Maintain a 3-1-2 ratio of N, P, and K.
Try to get most of your potassium on the turf during the
cool months and avoid July and August if possible.
Use good laboratory chemical soil tests to help determine your soil levels.
Heavy N applications lower the pH, therefore, watch
this as well as your calcium levels.
Fertility programs alone will not control turfgrass
diseases. Be sure to follow good fungicidal programs.

Gratitude is hereby expressed to the Northwest Turfgrass Association and the Soil Improvement Committee of the
Northwest Plant Food Association for financial assistance
in making these investigations possible.

21

Agronomic Research Report For The
Northwest Turfgrass Conference
September 22f 23, 24, 1965

Hayden Lake, Idaho

Roy L. Goss
NUTRITIONAL STUDIES REPORT
After six years of applying fertilizer elements, notably
nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium at various rates, it has
been found that a ratio of three parts nitrogen, one part
phosphorus, and two parts potassium are maintaining adequate
soil levels of these elements. This is further backed up by
findings in tissue analysis, which indicates this is the
ratio at which the plants are removing these nutrients from
the soil.
It was previously believed that phosphorus was one of
the most heavily used elements in the soil, except for
nitrogen, and probably accounts for many of the old fertilizer
formulas being so high in phosphorus and low in potassium.
It is known that turfgrasses utilize more nitrogen than any
other single element, but it is closely followed by potassium.
In other words, we are using about sixty per cent as much
potassium as nitrogen if we wish to maintain adequate soil
levels of potassium.
During the season when the grass is growing the fastest,
particularly in May and June, grass leaves are lower in
nitrogen than they are when the grass is growing more
slowly. This is not so with potassium. During the period of
most rapid growth, potassium levels are higher than they
are during the periods of slower growth in the fall and
winter.
Phosphorus seemed to be essentially unchanged by the season, and remained at very low levels in the tissue at all
times.
EFFECT OF FERTILIZERS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF OPHIQBQLUS
PATCH DISEASE
Research results indicate that areas deficient in
phosphorus are one of the first to be attacked by Ophiobolus

22

Patch disease. Even though phosphorus is used at relatively
low levels by the plant, there must be an adequate supply
at all times to keep the plant in a state of vigor, and
perhaps to ward off certain diseases. Experimental plots where
the disease has vigorously developed are not completely
deficient in phosphorus, but they have had no applications of
this element for a period of six years. Soil Testing Laboratory results of tests on these plots indicate that there is
sufficient phosphorus for reasonably normal growth, meaning
then, that a slightly higher level may be most optimum in
reducing this disease.
There is also evidence that slightly higher levels of
nitrogen, when adequately balanced with phosphorus and
potassium, have some suppressing effect upon the disease.
In lawn turf grasses, there is no evidence of disease outbreak where nitrogen levels are six to eight pounds per 1000
square feet per season, and particularly when the ratio of
3-1-2 is followed. There are many other complicating factors
in what may be causing Ophiobolus Patch and other factors
in its fungicidal control; however, there does seem to be a
considerable correlation between fertilizer balance and
intensity of this disease.
WEED CONTROL STUDIES
Speedwell, also botanically known as Veronica filiformis,
has been one of the most difficult to control weeds in the
Pacific Northwest in recent years. It furthermore appears
that Veronica is becoming even more widespread than previously. It is difficult to say what is causing the increase
in this weed unless that more seed is available and it is
being transported more quickly. There is always the possibility that changing fertility levels, or changing management practices with the turfgrasses, is also causing this.
However, since these are unknown factors, and many herbicides
are available to us today, it would appear normal first of
all to try to eliminate the weed, and then conduct basic
investigations as to the cause of this development.
A series of fourteen different herbicides on the
Capitol grounds at Olympia, Washington produced an extremely
desirable results during the summer of 1965. Apparently

23

almost any mixture of herbicides containing Zytron will do
a good job in controlling Speedwell. Zytron was initially
developed for pre-emergence control of crabgrass, annual
bluegrass, and certain other annual weedy plants. The
best controls were produced with Zytron alone at 15 pounds
per acre, Banvel-D-Zytron combination at one pound Banvel
and 15 pounds Zytron, and the other treatment was TortonZytron at 1/2 pound Torton and 15 pounds Zytron per acre.
It is not known at this time whether or not the controls
will be permanent; however, excellent control was observed from the time the herbicides first took effect in
June through August. It will be desirable to see if controls continue on through the fall, winter and spring of this
next year.

Turf Grass Varieties

1

Kenneth J. Morrison2
Kentucky bluegrass is the most common grass used for
turf in the northern United States. Bluegrass will grow
in most sections of Washington if it has adequate moisture.
Some parts of Washington, particularly western Washington,
other grasses such as bentgrass or creeping red fescue
are more desirable for a lawn than bluegrass.
Bluegrass Varieties
Cougar is a hardy low growing deep green turf grass
for lawns, golf courses, parks, and playfields in the
Pacific Northwest. The variety was developed at Washington
State University from a Danish introduction. Cougar produces a weed-resistant tight turf. It starts growing early

1. Presented at 19th Northwest Turfgrass Conference, Hayden
Lake, Idaho, September 23, 1965.
2. Extension Agronomist, Washington State University,
Pullman, Washington.

24

in the spring and remains green well into the winter. It
has faster germination and emergence than Merion and retains more desirable color in the off-season.
It is resistant to mildew and moderately resistant
to leaf rust and leaf spot. Cougar, like Merion, requires
high rates of nitrogen for the best turf and color.
Merion Kentucky bluegrass has received more publicity
than other bluegrasses because it was one of the first improved
bluegrasses available for turf purposes. It was selected at
the Merion Golf Club near Philadelphia. Merion is superior
to common Kentucky bluegrass when properly managed. It
starts growth later in the spring but produces a tighter
firmer turf that requires less mowing. Merion seed is
slower germinating than other turfgrasses and it takes a
longer time to become established. When Merion turf is
established it will take more wear and spread faster into
damaged areas than common Kentucky bluegrass.
Merion is susceptible to leaf and stem rust but Merion
requires higher nitrogen fertilizers than common bluegrass and
tends to develop a thatch problem if mowed too high.
Nebraska Dwarf is a selection of bluegrass from Nebraska.
It is a finer-leafed variety than either Merion or Cougar.
Newport is a selection made in Oregon that is a high
seed-producing Kentucky bluegrass. It produces a dense
tight turf similar to Merion. It does not have as good
a color as Merion and it does not have as good a color as
Cougar. It does have better seedling vigor than Merion.
Delta is a selection of common bluegrass from Canada.
The chief advantage of this variety is its high seed production. It does not produce as tight or dense turf as
Newport, Merion, or Cougar in the Pacific Northwest. It
does have good seedling vigor. Where common bluegrass is
going to be used, Delta is the best common type Kentucky
bluegrass.
A number of seed companies have developed or are working on Kentucky bluegrass varieties for the future. Washington state will test these new selections that are made
available for tests in the future. Information on their
performance will be made available to the turf growers in

25

the Pacific Northwest.
Interest in blends of different varieties of Kentucky bluegrass has been expressed in the mid-west areas.
At the present time we are not recommending blends of
varieties because of the management problem in relation
to fertilizer and mowing. Common type Kentucky bluegrass
varieties included with Merion or Cougar or Newport would
require more mowing than the last three. If adequate
fertilizer was not applied there would be no advantage to
having Cougarf Merionf or Newport in a seed mixture.
Fine-Leaved Fescues
The fine-leaved fescues are widely used for turf.
They are particularly important in eastern Washington and
other areas of the United States that enjoy relatively cool
summers. They are a favorite of many home lawn owners
because they start growth early in the spring. Most of
the fescues have a bright green color and are tolerant to
moderate to heavy shade.
Varieties s
Pennlawn red fescue was developed at Pennsylvania
State University, and is well adapted as a lawn grass in
eastern Washington. It is somewhat more disease resistant
than other red fescue varieties.
Illahee and Rainier red fescue are varieties developed
on Oregon. They produce good turf in western Washington as
they are adapted to the cool, humid climate of that area.
Olds red fescue has been used in turf plantings for
many years. It is superior in turf quality to Rainier
and Illahee in eastern Washinton, but not better than Pennlawn.
Chewings fescue is a fine-leaved bunchgrass that does
not spread to any extent. While it will not fill in bare
spots or heal rapidly, it does not spread into flower
beds or other lawn borders. For this reason it is a popular lawn grass. It is a tough grass and therefore the homeowner should have a sharp mower in good adjustment to keep
the grass looking nice after mowing; otherwise, the grass

26

tips are bruised and turn to a light brown or straw color.
This produces an unsightly lawn.
Sheep fescue and Hard fescue are the most drought resistant of the turf grasses. They are extremely difficult
to mow. They are adapted to dry land turf in eastern Washington where close mowing is not essential. They are wéll
suited for holding steep clay banks, roadsides and golf
course roughs where it is not necessary to keep a fine turf.

Performance of Bluegrass Varieties
Under Two Heights of Clipping
Alvin G. Law1
With the availability of several so called "dwarf"
varieties of bluegrass has come an interest in the use of
these dwarf bluegrasses for specialized turf. Can the
newer varieties in fact be used on golf course tees where
mowing heights are 1/2 inch or even less? Do the dwarf
varieties perform in a superior fashion to the erect growing
bluegrasses under these intensive management treatments?
Bluegrass varieties generally are well adapted for use on
many soil types in the Inland Empire area of the Pacific
Northwest. These varieties are widely used in park,
cemeteries, lawns and on golf course fairways. Moreover,
Kentucky bluegrasses are used throughout the northern 1/3
of the United States. This widespread adaptation has
prompted a more intensive study of the response of these
grasses to intensive management practices.
Research Methods
Seven bluegrass varieties were seeded in turf trials in
the spring of 1962. They were clipped at 1 inch in height
during the extablishment year. They were fertilized at a

1. Agronomist, Washington State University, Pullman,
Washington.

27

level of 4 pounds of actual nitrogen per thousand square
feet. Phosphorus and potassium levels were maintained at
a high level based on soil tests. The plots were irrigated
as needed to keep the soil moisture above the wilting point.
In 1963f 1964 and 1965 the plots were split, one half being
mowed at 1 inch in height, the other half at 1/2 inch.
They were nowed twice weekly during the growing season,
extending from the middle of April to October 1 of each year.
During the three treatment years the plots all received the
equivalent of ten pounds of available N in the form of ammonium
sulphate. In June and September of 1965 the plots were
sampled with a core sampler which cut a plug 4 inches in diameter and 6 inches deep. These plugs were carefully washed
out after the technique developed by Goss in 1960 and
root production recorded. Additional data obtained included
color rating and density ratings in both the fall and spring
of each of the tears. We can consider the numbered entries
602, 402 and 205 as "Cougar", the recent release from the
Washington Agricultural Experiment Station.
Experimental Results
Data on the average root production per core are shown
in Table 1. It should be noted that the erect growing variety
Delta shows the lowest production of roots at the 1 inch
height compared to all other varieties cut at this height.
It should be noted also that the production of Delta roots
in June and in September are essentially similar for the 1
inch height. The dwarf types, 0217, 602, 402, 205 and Merion
are higher than Delta in root production both in June and
September at the 1 inch height of cut.
Considering the 1/2 inch cutting height it can be seen
that Delta, the tall growing bluegrass, is much lower than
any of the other varieties. This is a typical response to
close mowing of the tall growing bluegrasses such as Delta,
Park, Troy and most of the common bluegrass currently on
todayfs market.
As with the one inch clippings the plots cut 1/2 inch
high produced more roots by September than they had in June
with the exception of 0217. With this latter variety, the

28

production was essentially the same for both June and September. 0217, an experimental line developed by the Jacklin Seed Company shows one other characteristic different
from the other dwarf bluegrasses in this test. It required
almost twice as much time to wash the soil from the root
plugs of 0217 as from the other dwarf bluegrasses. This
washing time appears to be related to the greater density
of fibrous roots and the resultant lower amount of rhizomes
in the upper six inch profile of the 0217 plugs when compared
to other dwarf varieties. Density readings at the surface
of the turf indicate that there was approximately a 50%
reduction in density of Delta compared to the low growing
bluegrasses cut at the half inch height.
Table 2 shows the root yield, percent rhizomes, and
surface density of bluegrass varieties grown in trials by
Dr. Goss and reported in his doctorial thesis in 1960.
These plots were also clipped at 1/2 and at 1 inch in height.
They received both high and low nitrogen treatments and were
irrigated to prevent any indication of wilting in the plots.
Table 2 shows root data from these plots taken in the fall of
the second clipping year. Here again it can be noted that
Delta, a tall growing variety, produces much less root
growth under both the 1 inch and 1/2 inch cut. Also the
surface density of Delta is significantly less than that of
the dwarf varieties indicating that this variety cannot
tolerate close clipping for any extended period. In addition the percent rhizomes, as determined by Dr. Goss in
this study, shows a highly significant difference between
the three dwarf varieties, Newport, Cougar and Merion compared with the tall growing variety, Delta. Similar data
have been reported by other workers with many plants. In
every case the dwarf plants will consistantly withstand
closer defoliation than the erect growing plants.
The data obtained from this present study, and those
obtained by Dr. Goss are in agreement in that they indicate
that many of the failures of bluegrass plantings on such
specialized sites as golf course tees can be attributed to
the use of tall growing varieties rather than the modern
dwarf types that are currently available.
Returning to Table 1, the data reported for Cougar

29

and Nebraska blend are from plots seeded in the fall of
1963. The inch and half inch cutting heights were applied
to these plots in the spring of 1964 and during 1965. Note
particularly the root production of these two varieties cut
at the 1/2 inch height when they were not allowed to become well established before initiating the close clipping.
This is an indication of the necessity of allowing bluegrasses to become well established before clipping back
to 1/2 inch. At the 1 inch height Cougar root production
was comparable to that of the varieties in the older trial.
Table 3 reports some seedling characteristics of four
bluegrass varieties. Here we were attempting to identify
some morphological characteristic that could be measured
in the laboratory that would define the difference in
growth habit of these various bluegrass varieties. The
number of tillers and the length of leaf sheaths have been
proposed by varioxs investigators as possible distinguishing
characteristics. In our trials we have not yet arrived at
a satisfactory standard for measuring leaf sheaths as is
indicated by the data in Table 3. Cougar and 0217 in seed
production plots have the shortest mature plant stature and
thus are considered the most nearly true dwarfs of the
varieties in this study. Yet, Delta and Nebraska dwarf
have the shortest leaf sheaths from these initial trials.
On the other hand Cougar and 0217 show the greatest tillering ability which is one measure of the ability of a
grass variety to heal after mechanical injury. It is
planned to refine these tests in some greenhouse trials this
winter.

30

Table 1.
Average root production under bluegrass
varieties cut at two heights and harvested at two dates.

Variety

One Inch
June
Sept.

One Half Inch
June
Sept

0217
602
205
402
Merion
Newport
Delta

17.2
11.5
17.5
16.0
12.2
10.7
11.0

19.8
14.0
20.0
24.6
20.3
17.4
12.9

14.9
10.1
14.4
9.7
10.3
9.6
7.1

14.1
18.7
15.9
19.8
14.4
16.9
10.5

Cougar^/
Nebr. blendi/

14.9
4.2

20.6
19.7

5.8
7.4

9.2
9.6

1/ These varieties in the second cutting year; all others
Tn third cutting year.

Table 2. Root yield, percent rhizomes, and surface density
of bluegrass varieties grown in 1957 and 1958^/

Variety

Newport
Cougar
Merion
Delta
1/

Yield Grams
1" cut
1/2" cut
5.5
4.8
3.4
2.4

4.1
3.8
3.1
2.2

%
Rhizomes
47
48
40
12

Surface
Density
100
100
92
65

Data adapted from PhD. thesis by Cr. R.L. Goss, 1960.

31

Table 3«
Seedling characteristics of some bluegrass
varieties in 1965.
Average Number.1/
Tillers
2.0
2.3
0.9
1.7

Cougar
0217
Delta
Nebr. Dwarf

1/

Average Leaf1/
Sheath Length
7.1

8.0
7.0
6.5

9 weeks after planting

Low Temperature Injury of Turfgrass
S. Freyman and V. C. Brink1
Low temperature injury to turfgrass takes many forms.
The nature and causes of injury vary widely from region to
region on this continent.
In our area in British Columbia, we have chosen to
study three types of winter damage to turfgrass:
1. needle ice injury of autumn seeded grass
2. winter water saturation of turfgrass
3. ice sheet injury of turf.
Our studies do not cover all facets of winter damage;
these three facets happen to be those which, for a variety
of reasons, we have chosen to study.
1. Needle ice injury of autumn seeded grass.
Substantial areas of turf are now seeded in autumn in

1. Graduate student and Chairman, Division of Plant
Sciences, Respectively. University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, British Columbia.

32

the maritime areas of Southwestern B.C. Construction projects, roadside seedings, etc., often push seeding dates
late into the autumn in our area into a time of year when
times of wet weather and saturated soil are followed by clear
nights, skyward radiation and temperatures dropping below
the freezing point by a few degrees. Such conditions favor
the development of needle ice at night which lifts soil
particles, stones, and poorly established seedlings night
after night 1/4", 1/2", or even 1" or 2". During the day the
needle ice commonly melts. For several years now, we have
kept careful records of the "needle ice nights" occurring at
the University of British Columbia farm and find that in some
years they are many and in some years, few. In one winter,
1960-61, we recorded over 50 needle ice nights - 50 nights
on which grass seedlings at a time of year when growth is
very slow - were tugged at and pulled out, or during which
soil was removed from around their roots and crowns.
To make a fairly long story short, we found that to
reduce needle ice damage, we could alter the microclimate at
the soil surface sufficiently to prevent or reduce needle
ice formation and damage by:
a) heavier rates of seeding - to produce a very solid mat
of living seedlings, or by
b) creating a thin organic mulch of straw or other
coarse material over the seedbed, or by
c) earlier seeding and better stand establishment.
We found also that some soils produced a good deal of
needle ice and others tended to produce little. Certain
organic and muck soils produced a great deal as did our
light upland Alderwood soil. Heavy soils tended to surficial
freezing and little needle ice. Severe damage to new grass
seedings was associated with pronounced and frequent needle
ice development.
2« Winter water saturation of turf
There are parts of the Pacific Northwest, advertised
widely as the "Evergreen Playground", where, in winter, the
turf is green but where it is saturated with water for such
long periods of time as to be a mite misleading regarding
play. Nonetheless, under these conditions there are legions

33

who insist on playing on water saturated greens and playing fields.
Temperatures are commonly near to freezing and growth
of turf is exceedingly slow. The injury to turf under
conditions of use and non-use at this time of year is complex, and we feel we are just beginning to know our problem.
We have established that even on quite well drained turf
roots die and often we have found ourselves working with a
superficial turf growing under a hydroponic culture not
more than 1/4" deep. The turf under these conditions is very
subject to wear and slow to recover, is very subject to
sharp frost or snow cover, and is often quite susceptible to
fungus attack.
Alternate greens, better draining profiles, aerification
are all measures which alleviate but don't prevent damage
to turf or reduce susceptibility to damage. Currently we are
following the lead of the Sportsturf Research Association
at Bingley, Yorkshire, England, and we are laying out
electric heating cable in a green with thermostatic controls to see if some of our winter saturation difficulties
can be met.
3.

Ice Sheet Injury to Turf by S. Freyman
a. Extent of Damage— Damage to turfgrass and forage
crops due to ice-sheet Is sporadic, but often widespread
and devastating.
For example, in British Columbia, widespread damage
is attributed to ice sheets which lay over large areas
for long periods of time in 1940-41, 1948-49, 1952-53,
1958-59, 1964-65. Of these, by far the most serious was
the 1940-41 ice sheet which blanketed the soil surface in
open areas from Terrace to Edmonton, Alberta - an eastwest distance of over 400 miles, and also extended a
considerable distance to the south.
Elsewhere in North America, particularly in the middle western states and adjacent to Canada, widespread ice
sheets are well known.
b. Nature of the Ice Sheet—Ice sheet injury appears
to be associated with the development of a continuous ice

34

cover of variable thickness and of long duration, usually
over unfrozen soil. Ice sheets are often associated with
alternate freezing and thawing with intermittent snow;
frequently the ice and snow crusts may be several inches in
thickness; moreover these ice sheets may persist for many weeks
or months.
c. Nature of the Damage—It has been widely assumed
that damage is in some way directly associated with the
ice cover, and not necessarily with sharp frosts and freezing of plants. However, injury associated with ice sheets
per se is not always easily distinguished from winter injury associated with winter drying or desiccation, winter
crown rots and other low temperature organisms. The most
general reason given for ice sheet damage is suffocation
or inability of the soil to exchange gases with the atmosphere because of ice impermeability. Experimentation has
by no means proven that gas exchange is the responsible
factor, and many workers question suffocation as a cause.
New techniques such as gas chromatography and oxygen diffusion determinations make a new experimental approach to
the problem of gas exchange desirable. This is the basis
of our work.
d. Resume of earlier work— Workers in Wisconsin have
long displayed an interest in ice sheet injury. In the
1930fs, Sprague and Graber (1) as a result of a series of
experiments with alfalfa concluded that smothering resulting from an accumulation in the soil and plant of the byproducts, chiefly gaseous, of respiration, was fundamental
in ice sheet injury. Brierley and associates (2) in Minnesota were of the opinion that much of the injury in the
field commonly attributed to "ice smothering" is due to
lethal temperatures, excess water at the time the plants
emerge from the dormant condition or a disease that may
have had its inception in winter injury such as broken
roots. Bergman (8), earlier found that water under ice
in cranberry bogs was deficient in oxygen. Vasil'yev (5)
states definitely that perennial grasses under Russian
conditions do not die no matter how long they are under

35

ice and commence their growth in spring like plants wintering under snow. Beard (3), (4), in several studies of ice
sheet injury in turfgrasses found that bentgrass exhibited
greater tolerance than bluegrass to injury associated with
ice-cover, and is of the opinion that increased tissue moisture content which raised the killing temperature was an
important factor. Sufficient of a fairly large amount of
literature has been reviewed to indicate the fact that ice
sheet damage to turf and herbaceous perennials is widespread,
but that the reasons for and nature of injury or injuries
under ice sheets has not clearly been established.
e. Our Statement of the Problem—The problem as it
exists today may be described briefly as follows:
1. Vasil'yev (5) states unequivocally that ice under
the conditions of his experiments has proven to be quite
permeable to air and is representative of opinion opposing
suffocation as a factor in ice sheet injury.
2. Hemmingsen (6) of the Institute of Zoophysiology
in Oslo, Norway, found CO2 permeation through ice to be about
two million times less than in water and no permeation of
oxygen through ice could be detected. In sea ice gas permeates through intercrystalline brine films rather than
through ice crystals. In asking the question whether or not
gas exchange can possibly take place through ice which entombs organisms, Scholander and associates (7) found that
ice is extremely gas tight, indeed as tight as is glass to
helium.
3. There seems every reason for believing on theoretical grounds that ice impermeability to the gases of soil
and air is a factor in ice sheet injury of turfgrasses and
other perennial herbs.
f. Experimentation in Field and Laboratory— With
recent developments in gas chromatography and oxygen
diffusion measurement we believe that it is possible in
laboratory and field to establish whether or not oxygen
deficiency or carbon dioxide toxicity or both, developed
under ice sheets of prolonged duration over turfgrass.
The advantage present workers possess is that modern equipment permits measurements of oxygen and carbon dioxide in
36

soil and plant simultaneously and precisely.
The equipment for field and laboratory determination is
quite sophisticated and probably does not warrant description
at this meeting. Climate did not cooperate very well for our
field determinations last year and there is nothing to report
from our field trials. Under laboratory conditions, however,
success attended efforts. Greatest difficulties encountered
were the establishment of gas tight systems to include living
plants in environments closely simulating those of the field.
Care was needed to produce small ice sheets artificially with
gas tight margins; it was found, for example, that thickwalled plastic pots commonly employed by experimentalists
were not gas tight. Progress was further complicated by the
long periods of time, several weeks to months, required to
produce responses in plants.
The stage was reached where with confidence we could say
that overwintering alfalfa plants were killed in several weeks
experimentally, on a number of occasions after being encased
in an artificial ice sheet. Furthermore marked changes in
the composition of the soil atmosphere were concurrent with
the death of the plants. Carbon dioxide accumulation was
marked, although residual oxygen was considerable.
Work, of course, is still in progress. The relationship of the lethal effect to initial soil atmosphere volume,
soil water volume, soil temperature, activity of soil organisms, root respiration, and breaks in the ice sheet due to
organic matter in the ice, to turf damage have yet to be
completely assessed. Root volume variation and tolerance of
different species to low temperature anaerobic systems have
yet to be determined. This winter we will attempt to confirm with our equipment the differences found by Beard between bluegrass and bentgrass under ice sheets and probably
extend them to include some other north temperate species
such as ryegrass, fescue, and orchard grass.
REFERENCES
1.

Sppague, V.G., and Graber, L.F.
in ice sheet injury to alfalfa.
66-673. (1940).

37

Physiological factors
Plant Phvsiol. 15.

2.

Brierly, W.G., Landon, R.H. and Nylund, R.E. The effect
of ice upon the survival of strawberry plants. American
Society for Horticultural Science Proc. 557-563. (1940).

3.

Beard, J.B. The effects of ice, snow and water covers on
Kentucky bluegrass, annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass. Crop Sci. 4: 638-640. (1964).

4.

Beard, J.B. Effects of ice covers in the field on two
perennial grasses. Crop Science. 139-140. (1965).

5.

Vasil'yev, J.M. Wintering of Plants. Roger and Roger,
Inc., 1956 (1961 English translation by A.I.B.S.)

6.

Hemmingsen, E. Permeation of gases through ice.
Tellus XI. 355-359. (1959).

7.

Scholander, P.F., Flagg, W., Hock, R.J., and Irving, L.
Studies on the physiology of froxen plants and animals
in the arctic. J. Cell. Comp. Physiol. 42. Suppl. 1.

8.

Bergman, H.F. The oxygen content of water in winterflooded bogs under ice. Proc. Wis. Cranberry Growers1
Assos1n. 44. 32-40. (1930).

Winter Damage of Turfgrasses

1

James B. Beard2
The results presented in this paper are based on
findings obtained under Michigan conditions. It is hoped

ÏT Contribution from the Department of Crop Science,
Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, East Lansing.
A portion of this work was supported by a grant from the
Michigan Turfgrass Foundation.
2. Assistant Professor, Department of Crop Science,
Michigan State University.
38

that these results will assist the Pacific Northwest turfmen in better understanding winterkill which occurs under
their particular regional conditions.
Discussion and research on the causal factors involved
in winter injury of turfgrasses may appear at first to be
academic. However, the causes of winter injury must be
described and understood before the best cultural and management practices can be developed to minimize winter injury.
With the advent of fall weather, gradual cooling of the
earth's atmosphere and soil occurs. This cooler environment
results in a slowdown of plant metabolic reactions and
growth. During this period from late fall to spring when
soil temperatures are below 40° F. there are a number of
different causes of turf stress which can result in winterkill.
For the purpose of this discussion, the causal agents
of winter injury of turfgrasses have been divided into eight
categories. The order of presentation is not related to
their relative importance. The degree of injury caused by
any one causal agent may vary from year to year and from one
location to another. However, under Michigan conditions, three
main causes of winterkill are: direct low temperature injury,
desiccation, and winter diseases.
Direct Low Temperature Injury to Hardened Plant Tissue
Injury caused by freezing temperatures involves mechanical destruction of the protoplasm in plant cells. Hardened plant tissue is more able to survive low temperatures
as a result of changes which occur within the cell. The
changes include an increase in soluble carbohydrates, a
reduction in level of hydration or water content in the
plant tissue, and an alteration in the proteins. Temperature conditions averaging between 30 and 40° F. for a
period of three to four weeks will result in a plant which
is low temperature hardy. Any management practice which
stimulates growth, such as nitrogen fertilization, will
reduce the hardiness level.
Considerable variation can be found in the low temperature hardiness of the more commonly used turfgrasses.
The relative low temperature tolerance of 11 turfgrasses
I.

39

is presented in Table 1. The ranking is from most to least
tolerant and is based on observations made under Michigan
conditions.
Table Is The relative low temperature tolerance of 11
field hardened turfgrasses ranked from most to least
tolerant.

1. Bentgrass
2. Roughstalk bluegrass
3. Kentucky bluegrass
Annual bluegrass
5. Red fescue
6. Redtop
7. Tall fescue
8.
9.
10.
11.

Perennial ryegrass
Zoysia
Annual ryegrass
Bermudagrass

Creeping bentgrass and roughstalk bluegrass have proved
to be by far the most low temperature tolerant turfgrasses.
The colonial bentgrass, Astoria, is much less low temperature
tolerant than the creeping bentgrasses.
Next in degree of tolerance are the Kantucky bluegrasses with Merion being more hardy than either common or
Newport. Characteristically, Merion discolors and stops
growth in early fall—thus permitting it to achieve maximum hardiness. On the other hand, Newport continues to
grow throughout the fall period and, therefore, is the least
low temperature tolerant of the three varieties.
Annual bluegrass, red fescue, redtop, and tall fescue
are intermediate in low temperature tolerance. Although
normally considered a weed, annual bluegrass is included
because it constitutes a major portion of many close-cut,
irrigated turfs in certain areas. Kentucky 31 tall fescue

40

is more low temperature tolerant than Alta fall fescue.
A third group, including perennial ryegrass, zoysia,
annual ryegrass, and Bermudagrass, show the least low temperature tolerance of the turfgrasses. The Norlea variety of
perennial ryegrass is more winter hardy than common perennial.
Although there are bermudagrass and zoysia selections that
are quite low temperature tolerant, as a group the commonly
used varieties rank low.
The degree of low temperature kill at any one temperature
depends upon a number of factors. These include: (a) rate
of freezing, (b) rate of thawing, (c) number of times frozen,
(d) length of time frozen, (e) hydration level of the tissue,
and (f) the post-thawing treatment.
Turfs killed by low temperatures during the MSU studies
had a distinctive odor similar to that noted under field
conditions.
II. Direct low temperature injury to plants in a reduced
state of hardiness.
This type of injury is closely related to category I
but is discussed separately for emphasis.
Turfgrasses usually reach peak hardiness in December
followed by a gradual decrease. The decrease is relatively
slow during the month of January but is then accelerated
during February. The least low temperature tolerance of the
entire winter period occurs in March and April.
The two critical periods of low temperature injury of
turfgrasses are: (a) during late winter thaws, and (b) just
after spring thaw.
The first critical period is during periods of alternate
freezing and thawing in late winter when plants are in a
reduced hardiness state. Certain combinations of freezing
and then thawing for a period of four hours or more, followed
by refreezing to below 25° F. can cause serious injury to
turfgrasses. Annual bluegrass is particularly susceptible to
this type of kill since it initiates growth processes quite
rapidly resulting in reduced hardiness and greater susceptibility to low temperature kill. The more hardy, perennial
grasses, such as Toronto creeping bentgrass and Kentucky
bluegrass, do not exhibit any great degree of susceptibility

41

to injury of this type.
The second cretical period occurs when the grass appears
to have survived the winter in excellent condition. Subsequently, the weather may turn warm for several days which
accelerates the loss of low temperature hardiness. This loss
of hardiness results from the premature initiation of plant
growth processes causing an increased hydration level within
the plant. Should temperatures drop below 25° F. at this
time, serious direct low temperature injury to turfgrasses
may occur. The grasses most susceptible to kill under these
conditions are annual bluegrass, red fescue, tall fescue,
and ryegrass.
Low temperature injury to turfgrasses which are in a
reduced state of hardiness seems most prominent in the region
from Chicago east through Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
New York, and the New England states.
III. Desiccation
Kill from desiccation occurs when water loss from the
above-ground plant tissue exceeds uptake and transport from
the roots. The inability of roots to take up water may be
due to a lack of soil moisture or to the water being in an
unavailable, frozen state. Kill of this type commonly occurs
on elevated locations which are exposed to drying winds and
is more prevalent in open, dry winters. This is a ma^jor cause
of winter injury in the northern plains states and Canadian
provinces.
Desiccation can also be the secondary cause of winter
injury where extensive damage to the plant root system renders
the plant incapable of providing water for the above-ground
plant parts. In this case, the primary causal factor would
be direct low temperature injury to the root meristematic
tissue or lower crown with subsequent total kill of the plant
caused by the secondary factor, desiccation.
IV. Toxic accumulation of respiratory products under ice
sheets
Carbon dioxide is a by-product of plant respiration
processes. Even at below freezing temperatures a minimum

42

respiration rate exists. Thus, it is possible in time for
killing concentrations of carbon dioxide or similar toxic
breakdown products to accumulate.
Sprague and Graber (8) of Wisconsin have reported
injury of this type in alfalfa. However, investigations at
Michigan State (2) have not shown toxic accumulations of
plant respiratory products after 90 days of ice coverage
to be a serious problem in winterkill of perennial grasses.
The degree of kill from four different types of ice cover
was evaluated. Table 2 shows the percent survival of
hardened Toronto creeping bentgrass, common Kentucky bluegrass and annual bluegrass which were flooded, frozen,
and held at 25° F. for intervals up to 90 days. Note
that the bentgrass survived 100 percent after 90 days
coverage. Kentucky bluegrass and annual bluegrass showed
no significant injury after 75 days, but 30 and 50 percent
kill, respectively, after 90 days.

Table 2: The percent survival of field hardened Toronto
creeping bentgrass, common Kentucky bluegrass, and annual
bluegrass after having been flooded, frozen, and held at
25° F. for intervals of up to 90 days.

Percent Survival
Treatment
Interval
(Days)
0
15
30
45
60
75
90

Toronto
Creeping
Bentgrass

Common
Kentucky
Bluegrass

Annual
Bluegrass

100
100
100
100
100
100
100

100
100
100
100
100
100
70

100
100
100
100
100
80
50

43

The effects of ice sheets under field conditions was
also investigated (3). The ice covers remained in place
for 51 days, which is the longest period that has been
achieved in the last five winters. The survival of common
Kentucky bluegrass and Toronto creeping bentgrass was evaluated under these two treatments and is presented in Table 3.

Table 3: Percent survival of common Kentucky bluegrass and
Toronto creeping bentgrass leaves, crowns, rhizomes, and
stolons resulting from a two inch ice coverage for a period
of 51 days.

Treatment

Direct ice coverage
Direct ice coverage
Ice layer over snow
Ice layer over snow

Species

Ky. bluegr.
Tor. bentgr
Ky. bluegr.
Tor. bentgr

%survival after 51 days
Leaves Crowns Rhizomes
or
stolons
100
30
100
100

100
100
100
100

100
100
100
100

Results showed no injury to common Kentucky bluegrass
and Toronto creeping bentgrass crowns, stolons, or rhizomes
after 51 days of coverage inder a two-inch ice layer. Kill
to bentgrass leaves occurred after 51 days, but new growth
from buds in the spring readily replaced the injured leaves.
Generally, bentgrass was less susceptible than bluegrass
to injury associated with ice sheets. Also, a snow layer
under the ice reduced injury.
Although toxic accumulations of plant respiratory
products may cause kill from ice coverages in excess of 50
to 60 days, it still must be proven that it is a major cause
of winterkill of turfgrasses. These studies were conducted
on relatively thatch-free material and do not rule out kill
caused by toxic accumulations produced by fungi or fungicides

44

which have not been evident in these studies.
V. Oxygen suffocation under an ice sheet
The respiring plant requires oxygen for maintenance of
plant tissue even at extremely low temperatures. It has been
suggested that the ice sheet could impair oxygen diffusion
to the extent that, in time, it might become limiting. The
MSU results presented in the previous paragraph cast doubt
on this.
VI. Leaching of vital cellular constituents when plants are
submerged in water
During thawing periods, the grass leaves and crowns
may be submerged in water for a period of time due to poor
internal or surface drainage. Injury due to severe leaching
during submergence has been observed in small grains. Turfgrass injury caused by leaching was investigated at Michigan
State (2). Shown in Table 4 is the percent survival of field
hardened Toronto creeping bentgrass, common Kentucky bluegrass
and annual bluegrass after being submerged in water at 35° F.
for periods of up to 90 days.
Table 4: The percent survival of field hardened Toronto
creeping bentgrass, common Kentucky bluegrass and annual bluegrass after having been submerged in water at 35° F. and held
for intervals up to 90 days.

Treatment
Interval
(Days)
0
15
30
45
60
75
90

Toronto
Creeping
Bentgrass

Percent Survival
Common
Kentucky
Bluegrass

100
100
100
100
100
100
100

100
100
100
90
90
85
80

45

Annual
Bluegrass

100
100
100
100
100
95
90

No significant kill of the three species was observed
during the 90-day period when held at near-freezing temperatures and provided with a 12-hour low intensity light
period. This suggests that leaching of vital cellular
constituents is not a primary cause of winter injury at nearfreezing temperatures.
VII. Heaving
Kill due to soil frost heaving is not a problem in
established sod. However, on late fall or early spring planted
grasses, heaving and kill of young seedlings can be a serious
problem.
VIII. Winter diseases of turfgrasses
Low temperature parasitic fungi of concern include: snow
mold (Fusarium spp., Typhula spp., etc.) and spring dead
spot. These diseases can cause serious injury if steps are not
taken for their control. If the soil does not freeze before
a lasting snow cover is established, then microclimatic conditions under the snow are especially favorable for low temperature fungal activity. The potential seriousness of winter
diseases is widely recognized and fungicides are available for
protection and control.

Factors Contributing to Winter Injury
The following six factors are not basic causes of
winter injury but can result in increased kill. For the
most part, these factors are under the control of the professional turfman. He should be cognizant of these factors
and attampt whenever possible to follow management practices
that will insure the best possible winter survival.
A.

Increased Water Content in the Plant Tissue
Any increase in tissue moisture content will reduce
the hardiness level of the plant and increase its susceptibility to low temperature kill. Investigations by 01ien(7)
show that as the tissue moisture content of hardened barley
plants is increased, the killing temperature is also raised
(Table 5). Also, root meristems or the lower crown,
showed greater injury at higher temperatures than shoot
meristems or upper crown tissue.
46

Table 5: Freezing processes in two regions of barley
plants adjusted to three moisture contents. Olien, East
Lansing, Michigan. 1964.

Moisture
content
(gm. H 2 0/
gm. of dry
tissue)
3.5
2.5
1.5

Temperature of Severe Injury
Young roots
Young leaves
and root
Killing
and leaf
meristem
temperature
meristem
25°F.
0°
0°

25°F.
25°
0°

25°F.
5°
0°

This differential susceptibility to injury of shoot and
root meristems was observed in annual bluegrass by Beard
and 01ien(4). Microscopic examinations of longitudinal
cross-sections of injured annual bluegrass crowns, collected from Michigan fairways in early April, showed the
lower crown and root tissues to be completely degenerated
while the young leaf and meristematic areas were uninjured.
Kill to the lower crown and root system resulted from low
temperatures which probably occurred sometime during the
late winter or early spring period.
Kill caused by low temperature injury to the roots and
lower crown is characterized by the following symptoms.
The turf exhibits healthy foliage at the time of spring thaw
but subsequently dies after several warm, sunny days. Warm
temperatures promote growth and transpiration of aboveground tissue as well as degeneration of injured root and
crown tissue. Plants with severely injured crowns may not
be capable of providing a new root system rapidly enough to
meet the water uptake requirements of transpiration. Under
these conditions, the upper plant tissue becomes desiccated
and dies. The ultimate cause of death, is desiccation. However, the primary cause was low temperature injury to the
annual bluegrass roots and lower crown.
Physical and environmental factors which can cause

47

increased tissue hydration levels (water content) include
the following: (a) Poor surface drainage. Low spots accumulate water causing the grass crowns to be submerged;
(b) Inadequate internal drainage of the soil. Compacted
soils impair drainage causing the submergence of grass crowns.
It is commonly observed that greater injury occurs on heavier
soils, areas of concentrated traffic, and older, more compacted
turf areas; (c) Ice or snow accumulations which impair surface
drainage and cause ponding of water and resulting submergence
of the grass crowns; (d) Melting from beneath the ice or snow
layer with no means of draining the water away from the
grass crowns. In this condition, the grass crown may be submerged for an extended period of time. The removal of ice
or snow layers from a turf may simply be a means of mechanically draining or removing the water from the area.
All four conditions cause submergence of grass crowns.
As indicated earlier, this submergence will not cause
serious injury due to leaching. However, submergence does
result in increased water levels within the tissue. If
these tissues are subsequently exposed to temperatures below
25° F. serious kill may result.
B.

Excessive or Late Fall Nitrogen Fertilization
Any factor which stimulates growth, tends to increase
the tissue hydration level and to reduce low temperature
hardiness. The effect of high nitrogen fertilization in
increasing low temperature kill of 16 turfgrasses was reported by Carrol (5) of Ohio in 1943. Table 6 shows the
effect of high nitrogen fertilization on five of the grasses
included in this study. In every instance, the grass survived better at the lower nitrogen level. Other studies,
Carrol and Welton (6) showed that late fall nitrogen
fertilization of common Kentucky bluegrass caused increased
low temperature kill.

48

Table 6: Percent survival of five field hardened turfgrasses following a single cooling to different soil temperatures, Carrol, Wooster, Ohio. 1943.

Grass

23°F.
LoN HiN

LoN

Common Kentucky
bluegrass
Annual bluegrass
Astoria bentgrass
Red fescue
Perennial ryegrass

100
80
90
80
70

80
40
60
60
0

90
50
80
65
20

14°F
HiN

60
10
50
25
0

LoN

25
3
0
0
0

5°F.
HiN

5
1
0
0
0

-4°F.
LoN HiN

20
5
0
0
0

C.

Potassium Deficiencies
Adams and Twerskv (1) in Georgia have shown that increased potassium levels reduce low temperature injury of
coastal Bermudagrass. Using potash rates of 0, 50, 100,
and 200 pounds per acre, the degree of stand survival was
increased with each increased increment of potash. The
effect of potassium in reducing kill was greater at higher
rates of nitrogen.
Similar responses from potassium have been reported in
legumes, but no detailed work has been done on the cool
season grasses. However, the findings from legumes and
warm season grasses suggest that a similar response to
potassium might be expected on the cool season grasses.
D.

Height of Cut
General field observations indicate that grass cut
at one inch or more survives low temperature injury better
than when cut shorter. The higher cutting height could
function in two ways: a) as an insulating factor, or
b) by providing increased photosynthetic area for carbohydrate production and ultimate storage for increased low
temperature hardiness. It might prove beneficial to permit
fairways, particularly annual bluegrass fairways, to go
into the winter at a one-inch height or higher.

49

5
0
0
0
0

E.

Excessive Thatch Accumulation
Thatch tends to elevate the grass crowns, rhizomes,
and stolens above the soil where there is a greater chance
of low temperature injury. This is due to a reduction in
the protective influence of the soil, since soil temperature minimums are generally not as low as air temperature.
Also, turfs with excessive thatch are more susceptible to
injury by low temperature fungi and desiccation.
F.

Traffic Control
Areas subjected to human and mechanical traffic during
the winter will have a greater chance of being injured. The
effect of a 160-pound man stepping on a 5 by 5 foot plot
of hardened common Kentucky bluegrass when covered with
slush was evaluated at Michigan State University. Results
of this traffic showed complete kill of Kentucky bluegrass
leaves, crowns, and rhizomes, with no recovery throughout
the remainder of the subsequent growing season. This illustrates the importance of judicious traffic control, particularly during periods of freezing and thawing when high
soil moisture conditions exist.

SUMMARY
Direct low temperature kill, desiccation, and low temperature fungi are three major causes of winterkill which concern turfmen. Injury from these three causes can be
minimized by:
1. Employing management and construction practices which
insure adequate surface and internal drainage for the
removal of excess water, plus mechanical removal of
ice or snow layers when warranted.
2. Avoidance of excessive thatch accumulation.
3. Judicious, early fall nitrogen fertilization.
4. Insuring adequate soil potassium levels.
5. Avoidance of any cultural practice which stimulates
late fall growth.
6. Raising the height of cut in late fall, especially
fairways and tees.

50

7. Proper use of fungicides.
8. Use of covers, snow traps and similar devices in areas
prone to desiccations, plus mid-winter applications of
water when needed.
9. Eliminating traffic on dormant turfs, especially
during periods of freezing and thawing and when soil
moisture levels are at or near saturation.
10..Avoiding any practice which will prematurely initiate
eárly spring grass growth.
11. Use of management practices to reduce or eliminate
annual bluegrass.

LITERATURE CITED
1.

2.

3.
4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Adams, W. E. and Twersky, M. Effect of soil fertility
on winterkilling of coastal bermudagrass. Agronomy
Journal 52: 325-326. 1959.
Beard, J. B. The effects of ice, snow, and water
covers on Kentucky bluegrass, annual bluegrass, and
creeping bentgrass. Crop Science 4: 638-640. 1964.
Beard, J. B. Effects of ice covers in the field on two
perennial grasses. Crop Science 5: 139-140. 1965.
Beard, J. B. and Olien, C. R. Low temperature injury
in the lower portion of Poa annua L. crowns. Crop
Science 3: 362-363. 1963.
Carroll, J. C. Effects of drought, temperature, and
nitrogen on turfgrasses. Plant Physiology 18: 19-36.
1943.
Carroll, J. C. and Welton, F. A. Effects of heavy and
late applications of nitrogenous fertilizer on the cold
resistance of Kentucky bluegrass. Plant Physiology 14:
297-308. 1939.
Olien, C. R. Freezing processes in the crown in "Hudson"
barley, Hordeum vulgare (L., emend. Lam.) Hudson. Crop
Science 4: 91-95. 1964.
Sprague, V. G. and Graber, L. F. Physiological factors
operative in ice-sheet injury of alfalfa. PLant
Physiol. 15: 661-673. 1940.

51

Planting Ornamentals — What, When, and Where
Harold T. Abbottl
What
Early in the summer, Dr. Roy Goss invited me to share
with you some thoughts regarding landscaping, ornamental
plants, or management of outdoor areas. And although this
organization is the Northwest Turfgrass Association, I recall that many of you are not golf superintendents, but park
superintendents and cemetery superintendents. You all work
with turf and you all must also be familiar with the other
classes of plant materials.
So it seems fitting that we take a few minutes to review some of the basic facts regarding these materials as
they apply to our areas of authority and responsibility.
We speak of these plant materials generally as "ornamentals"
a term often misconstrued along with "beauty" and
"beautification". It is most fortunate that all of a sudden,
these terms have been given national status and are now
being highly respected by even those who at one time ridiculed anyone who spoke of a beautiful America or highway
beautification. Ornamentals in the sense in which we use it
is a term applied to plant materials grown for the enhancement of our environment, and to create architectural forms
significant in defining outdoor space. The growing of maple
trees in a nursery may be for ornamental purposes or for
reforestation, which in itself would not be considered as other
than a commercial crop, like wheat or strawberries.
Ornamentals are regarded not as a crop to be harvested but
as a relatively permanent planting, subject to all the skill
and attention possible for an indefinite period of time.
If we were to spend the time to analyze the ourposes of
ornamentals, we would be required to look at the entire field
of planting design. We would see that the sense of enclosure,
the defining of distance, the determination of space, and
the description of extrinsic and intrinsic values constitute
1. Associate Professor of Landscape Design, Washington
State University, Pullman, Washington.

52

some of the functions of ornamentals when used in the planned landscape development.
Plantings consist of turf, shrubs (including woody
groundcovers), trees, and herbaceous plants such as perennials and annuals. Turf, because it is our major plant material, I mention separately, even though it is made up of
herbaceous plants, both perennial and annual.
Turf is the basic material in all landscape work. It
is the most practical and economical to maintain. It is
essential for a wide scope of outdoor uses in recreation, for
erosion control, and as the background for architecture.
In combination with other plant materials its texture and col
color contrasts with and enhances these materials. It
serves as a background or a ground cover upon which the
cast shadows from taller plants may be of advantage in defining distance.
Shrubs are multistem woody plants. In structure, they
generally branch from a crown at ground level, but they may
develop their branching from a single stem just above the
surface. The range of forms is variable, from exceedingly
dwarf structure to tall treelike clumps. There are types
that are horizontal or procumbent; others of compact vertical habit, suitable as conspicuous accents or for combining
into excellent hedge masses. Our selection of appropriate
materials will require fundamental knowledge of the chief
characteristics, whether evergreen or deciduous, broadleaf, s
scalelike, or needlelike. We must determine whether we
desire shrubs for flower, fruit, colored foliage, or colored
and textured bark. The seasons of outstanding attraction,
and the length of time when such attractions can be counted
on, are factors to be figured in the planning of ornamentals
for display.
The maintenance of deciduous shrubs as compared with evergreens should be a matter for consideration. In those regions where broadleaf evergreen shrubs are not generally
reliable, needletype evergreens must many times be substituted. Where deciduous shrubs are used, a much more regular
program of pruning than where slower evergreens serve the
purpose.
Trees are woody plants having single main trunks or

53

axes. Often they are so trained in their early days that
a shrublike form is encouraged. When several are planted
together, the popular clump, as used often today, will develop. Trees are the basis for the principal structure in
the landscape plan. Trees are generally regarded as the
permanent plant material, presenting height or great width
in the design. There is a tremendously wide range of forms
within the classifications listed for the planting designer.
Within recent vears, the common forest tyDe trees have given
way to improved forms, many of them ideally suited for
restricted areas or where special effects are desired.
In the selection of trees, as with shrubs, their value
will be dependent upon characteristics of quality and refinement. They should be durable, reliably hardy, free from
insects and diseases, and be free from litter. They should
be distinctive for their foliage color and texture. rlowers
and fruits should not be of an objectionable odor. They
should have fruits of color and persistence. Root growth
should not be unduly aggressive.
Herbaceous plants are those referred to as annuals and
perennials. Some are biennial in habit and the bulbs are
usually referred to as perennials. They are transient in the
garden, require skillful and regular maintenance. For
dramatic color effects, these plants are nonular attractions
in parks, cemeteries and in other public and private areas
where adequate personnel is available. With shrub plantings, annuals and perennials may be used for effective color
after the flowering season of the shrubbery.
When
Louis Sullivan's apt phrase "Farm follows function"
could be applied rather appropriately to our discussion
here with the paraphrase "Planting follows Planning".
Far too often planting design is left to the end of the
program of landscape development. Even among people who
claim to recognize the importance of planning in their
own professional work, there are some who will treat with
casual indifference the coordinated planning of outdoor
space, and in particular, the development of the land and
its plantings.

54

The extent of the work is immaterial. A single tree
improperly placed may be in conflict with the efficient use
of the entire area. Once planted, sometimes at considerable
expense, it is difficult to move or destroy the tree to carry
out the original plan.
Time for planting depends upon two main issues, first, the
determination that the design is satisfactory, and second, the
suitable season for guaranteeing successful plant growth.
When to plant is determined by the normal local conditions,
the experience of qualified plantsmen in the area, and t^e
availability of the materials themselves. Fall planting
versus spring planting is often a matter of discussion in
eastern Washington. I am one of those advocates of late
winter and spring planting, because of the opportunity then
offered to follow through with proper attention to the protection of newly planted materials particularly in the main1taining of adequate moisture in the plant during its critical
period of change of environment. Where the extremes of
winter temperature, moisture loss, and excessive drying winds
must be watched, it is recommended that fall planting be
done only in very favorable locations.
Planting seasons have been extended in recent years by
the increase in container grown materials. Even through
the summer months, trees and shrubs in full leaf may be
moved with real success, with the aid of plastic sprays applied
to the foliage before and after planting. Plastic sprays
have proven highly desirable when used in the fall to reduce
winter foliage burn on plants being established during their
first growing season. The spiral wrapping of the trunks of
newly planted trees reduces the incidence of sunscald and
drying also during the first couple of growing seasons,
especially on trees such as horse chestnuts, beeches, maples,
birches, lindens, and other smooth barked trees. In western Washington, where winters are comparatively mild and the
periods of severe frost conditions are of short duration,
planting may be carried on throughout the year. As we cross
the Cascades and enter the middle hardiness zones of 5 and 6,
we find it difficult to decide when to plant.
For large scale work involving the moving of sizable
specimens of both evergreen and deciduous trees, it may be

55

good planning to root prune for at least two years in
advance, and then to proceed with the work of moving when the
balls of earth are frozen. Modern equipment is available
whereby large trees may be cut free from their established
location and within a few minutes be transported to their
new locations without any serious loss of roots and soil
moisture. With proper care, trees and shrubs may be kept,
balled and burlapped, out of the ground for long periods
awaiting a convenient time for planting, but such delavs
should be accompanied only by well organized Drograms of
protection against winds, maintenance of soil content in the
balls, and application of adequate mulches and screens.
Where
Again, plan before planting to be assured of the correct
location for plant materials or ornamentals. Whether it is
a golf course, highway right-of-way, a cemetery, a school,
park or residence, the work may be impaired bv not studying
the planting requirements along with the architectural plans,
the grading plans, and all related details. Far too often
the outdoor spaces are planned after the buildings have been
conceived, in fact, often times, constructed.
Many lists are available giving the names of trees and
shrubs best suited to specific growing co-ditions. Recognition of the types of habitats in which introduced ornamentals
have been growing mean far greater success to the plantsman as he prepares new growing conditions for these exotics.
He will review his inquiry concerning hardiness, the need
for protection against driving winds, dependence upon other
compatible plants, the depth of soil for adequate root growth,
and the relative demands for moisture, heat, and light.
The selection of plants for landscape use cannot be
covered within the scope of this discussion. We can merely
cite a few examples as we examine some of the illustrations
of plant materials in representative works of landscape
design. There is an increasing need in our design offices,
for men and women well trained in planting design, people who
have a good background in the appreciation of outdoor use
areas and what plant materials will enhance these spaces and
encourage their efficiency for many years. They must know

56

what sort of maintenance equipment will be used, in order to
assure adequate spacing to allow convenient access for such
equipment. Appropriateness of materials, such as moisture
loving plants for bogs, swamps, stream banks and other wet
locations, means more suitable growing conditions will be
in areas of this character. For parking area islands, it
is reasonable to assume that upright, narrow trees would be
more satisfactory than forest type trees with extensive spread
that would annoy car owners. It is surely reasonable for the
golf course designer to understand why the silver poplar or
the silver pendent linden could prove to be nuisances to
players during the fall season, when hundreds of white
leaves camouflage a well placed golf ball.
Where adequate maintenance is available, mixed plantings of shrubs, ground covers, and flowers are desirable; however, it is more economical to maintain larger plantings of
a single species where possible. Trees whose beauty lies in
the preservation of the lower limbs, will lose much of their
attractiveness if the use area requires the removal of all
limbs to a height of a tractor mower and its operator. The
browsing line may be acceptable in an English pasture, but
not on a well landscaped golf course.
Planted areas are properly placed if they can be enjoyed
as background for recreation. They must be so located that
they do not handicap the public in their use of the adjacent
open space. It has often been stated that a tree on a golf
course that poses an unfair handicap to the player should be
removed. Encroaching or invading roots of trees near by
often become the reason for the removal of excellent specimens.
An eastern nurseryman has in recent years built up quite
a business selling what he calls "Tailored Trees". He
maintains that there is a tree for every special need. The
demand is greater than the supply, and the number of new
species in the trade is growing year by year. In the slides
that we shall now examine, some of the potential values of
representative ornamentals will be more graphically
described.

57

Slides of Ornamentals
Trees for Shade
Acer platanoides Cleveland
Acer rubrum Gerling
Acer rubrum Armstrong
Acer rubrum ScanIon
Acer rubrum columnare
Acer sccharum Newton Sentry
Tilia petiolaris
Phellodendron amurense
Gleditsia triacanthos inermis
Sorbus aucuparia
Liquidambar styraciflua
Gymnocladus dioicus
Sophora japonica
Acer palmatum

Cleveland Norway Maple
Gerling Red Maple
Armstrong Red Maple
Scanion Red Maple
Columnar Red Maple
Sentry Sugar Maple
Silver Pendent Linden
Amur Cork Tree
Thornless Honeylocust
European Mountain Ash
Sweetgum
Kentucky Coffeetree
Japanese Scholartree
Japanese Red Maple

Flowering Trees
Amelanchier canadensis
Prunus sargenti
Prunus sargenti Rancho Columnar
Prunus avium Scanlon
Prunus yedoensis
Cornus florida rubra
Aesculus carnea
Koelreuteria paniculata
Robinia pseudacacia Idaho
Magnolia stellata
Magnolia soulangeana
Malus Van Eseltine

Eastern Serviceberry
Sargent Cherry
Rancho Columnar Cherry
Scanlon Cherry
Yoshino Cherry
PLnk Flowering Dogwood
Pink Horsechestnut
Golden-rain Tree
Idaho Pink Locust
Star Magnolia
Saucer Magnolia
Van Eseltine Crabapple

Conifers
Pinus strobus nana
Picea abies conica
Picea abies nidiformis

Dwarf Eastern White Pine
Arrowhead Norway Spruce
Nest Spruce

58

Shrubs
Leatherleaf Viburnum
Japanese Snowball
French Hybrid Lilac
Chinese Lilac
Winged Spindletree-Burning
Bush
Dwarf Winged Euonymus
Nanking Cherry
Rose Daphne
Germander

Viburnum rhytidophyllum
Viburnum tomentosum sterile
Syrings vulgaris hyb.
Syrings chinensis
Euonymus alatus
Euonymus alatus compactus
Prunus tomentosa
Daphne cneorum
Teuerium chamaedrys

Control of Insects and Diseases
In Ornamentals and Shade Trees

1

Jack Daniels
PHYTOTOXICITY £ COMPATIBILITY OF PESTICIDES
Phytotoxicity is the tendency of chemicals to injure
plants. It can be determined only by actual trial under
various conditions and the damage is determined by many
factors such as the nature of the chemical, the nature
of the additives, the species and variety of the plant
treated, the condition of the plant, the vigor of the
plant, the season of the year, the concentration of the
material used, the temperature and atmospheric humidity.
Some chemicals are called active if they react with the
plant tissue causing death of the plant. Others are called
inert if there is no detrimental reaction. For instance,
lime sulphur or dormant oil applied to foliage can damage
while safened coppers, highly refined oils and DDT are
relatively safe on foliage. Solvents used in pesticides can
be toxic to plants and usually are the offenders in the
emulsifiable products, particularly where there are combinations of materials used. Wetting and spreading agents can
cause penetration of the pesticide into susceptible plant
1. Presented at 19th Northwest Turfgrass Conference, Hayden
Lake, Idaho, September 23, 1965.
59

parts with ensuing damage. A combination of chemicals
in the same family can sometimes cause injury to plants,
such as a mixture of several chlorinated hydrocarbons. An
example would be the combination of Kelthane, Lindane and
DDT. A whole botanical family may show tolerance for a
certain chemical but this is the exception to the rule.
On the other hand a single horticultural variety can be
highly susceptible to injury whereas some other species or
variety which are related can be very tolerant of the same
material. Ethion is an example, most rhododendrons will
tolerate it but the Loderi will be damaged severely. The
young growth of trees and shrubs can be much more susceptible to toxic materials than the old growth. During fall
and winter, concentrations can be increased but only on
the deciduous types of plants. Concentration of material
is very important. You must adjust the concentrations to
meet with the variations of plant species, varieties,
temperatures, season, etc. Any chemical regardless of how
toxic it may be to plant life can be diluted to a point
of plant safety. However, it should not be diluted to the
point where it is too weak to do the job. The amount of
finished spray material applied is not too important. AS
a rule of thumb, get complete coverage of the plant,
usually to a run-off point without wasting too much
material. Temperatures and atmospheric humidity are to be
considered when applying pesticides. Dormant oil SDrays
should not be applied when there is danger of freezing
within 48 hours after application. At high temperatures
no pesticide should be applied and low humidity can cause
absorbtion of materials into the plant system. Dew or
heavy dampness and rainfall of course would tend to dilute and reduce the effectiveness of materials.
Plant diseases as well as insects are predators of
plants. These partners in crime can be controlled in
mpny instances simultaneously. It may well be convenient and
economical to put the materials on in combination if thev
are compatible. The ability of an insecticide to be
combined with a fungicide without impairing the inherent
efficiency of either material, or causing injury to the
plant that is treated is referred to as compatibility.

60

There are many compatibility charts available which indicate which materials may be safely combined. Generally,
alkaline fungicides should not be combined with organic
insecticides. Sometimes the emulsifiers used in products
will create a physical imcompatibility when used together.
This would result in excessive precipitation or buttery
masses in the spray tank. The use of nonionic surfactants
will eliminate this problem. Chemical incompatibility
can cause phytotoxicity, decomposition of either material
or reduce the residual action of the materials.
I would like to mention a few plants used in the Northwest which do react unfavorably to the application of various
pesticides. Bechtel crabapples will not tolerate any spray
materials, sometimes plain water will cause leaf drop and
spotting, regrettably the crabapple trees are hosts to many
insects and diseases and require repeated sprayings. We like
to refer to the Bechtels as being the sprayer's dilemma. Cut
leafs and some of the other red maple trees and shrubs respond
poorly to plain water on the foliage. On the other hand the
crabapples and maples will tolerate a dormant oil spray. DDT
will defoliate the horse chestnut tree. Defoliation will occur
from the usage of Cvgon on prunus varieties and as I said
before Ethion will burn rhododendrons of the Loderi hybrids.
Thiodan, a very effective and broad spectrum insecticide will
cause erratic phytotOxic effects on birches. From what we
have observed, birches lacking vigor or those which have been
in a dry environment will be affected by the material whereas
vigorous trees setting in moist areas will be unaffected.
Koster spruces and other conifers can be burned severely with
spray oils if soaked too heavily or if they are exposed to
slow drying conditions after the application of the oil. Oils
used in combination with copper compounds or sulphurs should
not be used on foliage and coppers used alone can be disastrous
to holly. If in doubt about the results of pesticide applications call your county agent first. Most manufacturers of
pesticides carry specific compatibility information on their
labels. If everything else fails go back and read the label.

61

Controlling Diseases of Ornamental Trees and Shrubs

1

Otis C. Malov2
Ornamental trees and shrubs contribute greatly to the
appearance and design of golf courses. The fact that trees
and shrubs require many years to develop their full potential
in golf courses makes their loss a serious problem. Disease
may be one cause of this loss. Two broad categories of
disease problems may affect trees and shrubs. The first are
the non -parasitic or physiologic diseases that are caused,
not by living agents, but by some chemical or environmental
factor such as drought, winter injury, herbicide damage,
fertilizer burn, or mechanical injury. Control of these
diseases is not usually difficult providing the plant is
adapted to the site and the problem and its cause are
accurately determined before permanent damage is done.
Accurate diagnosis is equally important in attempting
control of the diseases belonging to the second main
category, namely the parasitic ones. These are diseases
caused by living agents, such as bacteria, fungi, nematodes,
viruses, or even other green plants such as mistletoes.
The parasitic diseases may be categorized further on the
basis of the part of the plant affected. There are diseases
that affect only the foliage, such as mildews, leaf spots,
and needle casts. Some diseases affect only the shoots
and branches, such as stem rusts and various canker diseases.
Diseases such as willow scab and sycamore anthracnose affect
both leaves and twigs. Some diseases such as Phytophthora
collar rot and Armillaria root rot affect only the lower
stem and roots.
Although specific disease problems require specific
control measures, there are certain basic approaches to
disease control.
The initial selection of species and varieties to be
planted is a primary consideration where diseases may be a
problem. Many plants vary considerably in their susceptibility
1.Presented at 19th Northwest Turfgrass Conference, Havden
Lake, Idaho.
2. Extension Plant Pathologist, Washington State University,
Pullman, Washington.
62

to certain plant diseases. And many disease agents have a
very wide host range: the root rot fungus, Armillaria
mellea, has been reported to attack 562 species and varieties
of plants. Knowing the disease history of an area is a
great help in selecting varieties for planting.
Cultural practices also play a major role in the control of many plant diseases. These practices may either control a disease or actually contribute to its severity.
Heavy irrigation and fertilization which favor lush vigorous
growth also favor the development of diseases such as mildews
and rusts. Pruning can be en effective method of disease
control in removing sources of infection from the plant.
Pruning also improves air movement through trees and shrubs
reducing the amount of moisture in and around the foliage and
making conditions less favorable for disease organisms to
develop. Raking and burning fallen diseased foliage is
another measure that helps to eliminate sources of infection. Some diseases such as dwarfmistletoe on conifers,
and western gall rust on lodgepole and ponderosa pines can
be effectively controlled by merely pruning out affected
branches.
Chemical sprays are a valuable aid in reducing losses
from many foliar diseases. Powdery mildews are effectively
controlled by timely applications of sulfur or Karathane.
Maneb, zineb, captan, ferbam, and bordeaux mixture are some
of the sprays that are successfully used to control many
leaf and twig diseases. Often, timing of a spray, is a
more important consideration than which chemical is used.
There is no single solution for disease problems on
ornamental trees and shrubs and an accurate identification
of each problem is necessary for effective disease control.
But proper selection of planting material, well balanced
cultural practices and a well planned sprav program will go
a long way toward keeping disease problems to a minimum.

63

Are You A Good Boss?
Wm. H. Bengeyfield

1

2

Since this is the age of "do it yourself", I am going
to attempt, in the next fifteen or twenty minutes, to put
you to work both physically and mentally—and thereby avoid
having to work too hard myself. You can see that this is
going to be an unorthodox presentation and you are in for
a treatment rather than a treat. When it is all over however,
I hope that the experience will be a memorable one and perhaps,
because of it, you will have a greater insight to the emotions
and feelings of the new worker on a rather important day in
his life—starting a new job.
We are going to attempt some very simple projects and
I will need your full interest, cooperation and participation
if this undertaking is to prove to be worthwhile. For this
reason, I should like to ask you to relax and to consider
this an informal affair.
Each of you have received three of the 5 x 8 cards
normally used for office indexing. Now the first project
that I ask is for everyone to take one of your index cards
and make one of these simple paper boxes exactly like the
one I hold in my hand. It is a very simple box made from a
flat piece of paper similar to the one you will use. With
this audience of above average intelligence, we will surely
have no difficulty in solving this fourth grade problem.
Incidentally, this is a leakproof box as there are no cracks
in the bottom or on any of the box sides. All of the edges
of the paper are at or above the top level of the sides of
these boxes. Your cooperation is desperately needed as the
rest of my presentation depends upon you making such a box
right now
(At this point, you might point out and name three or

1. Presented at 19th Northwest Turfgrass Conference, Havden
Lake, Idaho, September 23, 1965.
2. Western Director, United States Golf Association, Green
Section, Garden Grove, California.

64

four individuals in the audience and encourage them to get
started on this first project. After a short delay—perhaps one or two minutes—continue with below)
Well, I can see that things are not going to rapidly
on this first project so let's have a brief word of explanation. Now if you will all stop your present work, I will
show you very briefly how to make this box so that we can
proceed.
First, let's take a new sheet of paper. This should
be folded into three equal parts. This is done in width
as well as in depth of the paper. (Demonstrate with a fresh
card. Then, before the audience has completed their work,
proceed to the next explanation).
Now, in the upper left hand square that has been formed
by these folds, all you need do is fold from the center
of the left hand margin to the lower right hand corner of
this upper left hand square. Repeat this on all four corners.
Very simple—it's simply a fourth grade problem.
(Carry out your work without showing exactly what you are
doing to the audience. Complete the box and hold it up to show
the audience).
Now, if you will complete your box as rapidly as possible we can go on to the next project. I am surprised that
in this room of men who have been very successful in a number of fields of endeavor, including turfgrass management
are having so much difficulty with this very simple problem.
Let's apply ourselves and move forward to the next project.
Here is the box, it was made from the same type of paper
that I asked you to make yours. It was done right here before you. It is a leakproof box with all of the paper edges
at or above the top level of the box. There is no need to
tear the paper as this is a simple folding operation.
( Step up comments and urge the audience ever onward
with no repeat explanation as to how the box was made.
After several moments delay, continue).
Well, let's all stop our work again and see if we
can't get together on this very simple undertaking. There
is not a great deal of mental or physical skill required
and yet something has obviously gone wrong. Why didn't
this work out? (attempt to get answers and reactions from the

65

audience).
1. You have never been exposed to this type of work
before.
2. Speed of explanation.
3. Terminology used.
4. Mirror effect.
5. No motivation.
6. Poor physical relation in this room.
7. There was not a "successful environment".
Alright, let us correct as many of these reasons as we
possibly can and put together one of these simple boxes.
Before taking the third piece of paper, let me try to develop
your interest or motivation in this undertaking. After all,
you should know what these boxes are good for, if anything.
Well, the terminology and correct name for this type of box
is a "painter's box". Painters use them quite frequently
I am told, when they are doing field work such as painting
signs along the road, on store fronts, etc. This simple box
holds paint indefinitely, it is leakproof, the paint cannot
run out and it gives the painter an opportunity to mix paints
for a particular tone or shade that he may desire without
having to use a lot of extra equipment. After it has been
used, it may be easily destroyed and no cleaning or great expense has been involved. Now if you are not a painter, this
box may still come in handy as it could be used in a meeting
such as this one for an ash tray if one is not provided. It
could also be used on camping trips as a cup or small container. If nothing else, you can amaze your friends, the
wife and the children tonight by your ability to make a cup
from a flat piece of paper that is absolutely leakproof—
at least until the paper disintegrates. I'll make a bet that
there will be some "painter's boxes" made by some members of
this audience at home or in their office in the next few days.
Now, let's all take the third sheet of paper and we
will slowly go through a complete explanation that, in the
end, you will find very simple.
As we did in the beginning, fold the piece into three
equal parts in width as well as in depth. Then, starting
with the upper left hand square, fold the paper from the
center of the left paper margin to the lower corner of the

66

top left square. In this manner, (slowly demonstrate and
perhaps draw a line showing where the fold should be made).
Repeat this on the other four corners. After completion,
fold the ends into place—and finally, fold the flap down
to lock the cup together.
In the last several minutes, I have tried to reverse
tables on you. You have been put in the subordinate's
place. Exactly the same position that a new worker faces
in a totally unfamiliar job. You have experienced some of
his emotions and feelings. When we first started the project, there seemed to be a sense of frustration in the
audience and I believe you resented me a bit when I expected you to know how to build one of these boxes without an
explanation.
They say that "the first step in solving any problem
is in recognizing that a problem does exist". When any of
us are exposed to a totally new experience or requirement,
regardless of our intelligence, we are in a difficult position and not always 'ourselves'. If, in the past twenty
minutes, this message has been brought home to you in a
forceable manner, then our "do it yourself" visit together
has been a successful one.
How many times have you heard people say, "I've told
that fellow a dozen times how to do that job, and still
he doesn't know how." This shows that someone has done
a poor job of training. "Telling" is not instructing.
Instructing is telling, plus showing, plus try-out
performance and follow-up. Let the worker do the job.
You ask him questions. Let him ask you questions, and
before putting him on his own, make sure that you know that
he knows.
It is difficult to be a good instructor. It does
require patience, tolerance, tact and an honest desire to
"know your people". Re-check yourself on these points
every so often. Most people want to do a good job and it
is up to you to motivate them and to show them exactly
what is expected of them. If you will do this, you will
surely succeed along with your new crew.
My thanks to this audience for your patience, tolerance, tact and your honest desire to follow this presentation.

67

Maintenance of Athletic Grounds
Norman Goetze

1

9

The purpose of an athletic field is to provide the
facilities for the proper support of athletic events
which are conducted for enjoyment of the spectators or for
the physical development of the participants. The requirements of certain sports have dictated that the fields should
be covered with a protective mantle of turfgrass vegetation.
Such vegetation may provide better footing for the athletes,
a cushion to avoid serious injury and a pleasing atmosphere
for the spectators. If turfgrasses are properly used during
the athletic activities, they most undoubtedly will be
damaged by heavy use and frequent repair operations are
required. A perfect stand of turfgrass would probably not
support much athletic wear. Hard, coninual use of the
athletic areas will damage the stands. Thus, the overall
management procedures to be used on the field are a compromise
between requirements of the particular sport and best principles of turfgrass management. The purpose of this paper is
to relate peculiar management practices that differ from
classical turfgrass management as they relate to management
of athletic areas.
Management of existing facilities
There is no greater controversy in athletic ground
maintenance than mowing heights. The coaches want large
amounts of cushion obtained by high mowing heights. They
also want little interference to the foot traffic, which is
lessened by shorter mowing heights. Obviously, both requests
cannot be met. Grasses vary in their reaction to mowing
heights. The bentgrasses should be mowed at 1-1/2 to 2
inches in height when used for athletic purposes. Ryegrasses and tall fescue should be mowed no closer than
1. Presented at Northwest Turfgrass Association Annual
Meeting, September 24, 1965.
2. Farm Crops Extension Specialist, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.

68

2-1/2 to 3 inches in height. The fine leafed fescues are
not very precise in their mowing height requirements and
they can be mowed at heights most suitable to other grasses
in the mixture. Frequency of mowing should be determined
by the rate of grass growth and the accumulation of clippings. Clippings need not be removed if they dry up and
fall into the turf within two days after mowing. Grass should
be mowed more frequently during the rapid spring growing
periods and need not be mowed very frequently during the midsummer period. Frequent mowing during the fall periods will
create a more uniform turf with less clipping disposal
problem.
The changing of the height of mowing during different
seasons of the year is a very popular practice. Reasons for
this changing of heights are not too clear. The vigor
of the grass is lessened each time the mowing height is
changed. The grass will be less affected by altering the
frequency of mowing instead of the height of cut. If
grasses are being maintained during the playing season at
heights lower than those recommended above, some recovery
of the root system can be obtained by raising the height of
cut to the desirable height during the seasons of the year
when the turf is not being used. If adjustments in cutting
heights must be made, they should be made drastically so
that the grass will have sufficient time to adjust to the
new mowing heights rather than over a wider period of time.
The irrigation problems on athletic fields are the
same as for other turf uses and are often compounded by
surface compaction which reduces the water infiltration
rate. Also, many athletic field installations have poor
internal drainage resulting from improper soil mixtures.
These factors create needs for better designed irrigation
systems which apply water at lower rates and over longer
periods of time. Since surface compaction results from
traffic when the soil is more nearly saturated with water,
the irrigation schedules should be adjusted to fit the
periods of activity on the field. The best time to
irrigate a football field would be immediately after a
game and far enough ahead of the next game so that the
field is nearly dry when it is being subjected to the

69

heaviest play.
The fertility requirements of athletic turf are the
same as for other turf uses, but certain adjustments in
seasonal schedules must be made. Grass roots tend to be
weakened by heavy application of nitrogen fertilizer.
Therefore, nitrogen applications should not be made during
the periods of heaviest use. Nitrogen applications should
be made immediately following the cessation of activity and
the seasonal requirements of the nitrogen should be met
from that time up through three or four weeks prior to the
first activity of the next season. If the period of use
extends throughout the year, or if additional amounts of
nitrogen are needed during the season of use, then single
application should never consist of more than 40 pounds
of nitrogen per acre. Because the resistance of the grass
plant to heavy athletic use depends so much on good root
growth, extra amounts of phosphorus and potassium should be
used in comparison to other turf useages. The greatest
response from phosphorus applications can be obtained by
fall and early spring applications. There are no problems
involved with the use of phosphorus fertilizers during the
playing season. Since phosphorus moves so slowly in turf
soils, we can get the best response from it by making
applications during the rainy season. Potassium can cause
serious burning like nitrogen; therefore, it is advisable
to use it during the seasons when possible damage from
burning are slight. An ideal yearly fertilizer application
for athletic turf would consist of 240 pounds of nitrogen,
80 pounds K 2 0, and 160 pounds of P 2 °5 P e r acre. The
nitrogen should be applied during the late fall and early
spring periods, and the potassium can be applied at the
same time as nitrogen or any time during the season when
the turf is not being used. Potassium should be handled
with as much care as nitrogen, insofar as turfgrass burning
is concerned.
On athletic sites where excessive irrigation has been
used or where natural leaching has occurred, responses
from lime can be expected. Lime can be applied anytime during
the season but most rapid responses would be expected from
fall or early spring applications. The amounts to apply

70

should be based on soil tests and local recommendations.
The elimination of compaction problems is a continual
problem on athletic areas. Alterations in the watering
schedule to prevent the heaviest traffic on saturated soil
surfaces will prevent compaction. Control of traffic concentrations on specific areas of the field will also eliminate the most severely compacted areas. Aerification
schedules should be adjusted so that the greatest benefit
can be obtained during periods when grass is making its
maximum growth and when traffic will not close ud the aerification hchles so quickly. On a football field, aerification
could best be done during the mid-spring periods so that good
air penetration can occur throughout the summer period when
the turf is not being used. Aerification during the football season will not have such a long lasting effect.
Spiking has not been shown to be permanently beneficial for
heavily trafficked areas.
Regardless of how well athletic turfgrass is maintained, it still sustains some injury which must be repaired on an emergency basis. Divots which are removed by
heavy foot traffic should be replaced immediately following
an athletic event. If such replacement is delayed and the
divot thoroughly dries out, healing will not occur.
Grasses like the fescues and ryegrasses do not have
vegetative means of reproduction and if a small area of the
stand is lost through mechanical damage, overseeding of the
damaged area must be done. With these grasses a seasonal
overseeding operation should be part of the management
schedule. Overseeding can be done in the early fall, late
fall, or early spring period with a fair degree of success.
Late spring overseeding operations are generally not successful. Overseeding can be carried on in conjunction with an
aerification program. Greater success will be obtained if
the cores from the aerification operation are broken up
and used as a mulch for the new seedlings.
Some of the more heavily damaged areas could be most
efficiently repaired by sodding. Production of the sod
can be done on the areas of the athletic fields which do not
receive intensive use, such as the sideline and end zone
areas on football fields, or the outfield areas of base-

71

ball diamonds. If sod were produced on the existing
facility, the total cost of resodding the damaged areas
would not be great. A common mistake being made in sodding
is that the sod is being cut too thick. All of the research data indicate that the fastest healing time occurs
with thinly cut sod. Sodding should be done immediately
after the end of the season, to allow for maximum time of
healing prior to the next season of heavy use.
Establishment of New Athletic Areas
Many of the management problems on athletic areas could
be prevented by proper construction techniques. More attention
needs to be given the soil composition used in the field. An
ideal athletic area soil should have excellent internal
drainage. This can best be accomplished by using coarse
sands which have had most of the fine clay and sand particles removed. Fields which have high clay content do not
drain properly after surface compaction. Such a soil mixture should be to a depth of at least 12 inches. If it
is impractical to use an ideal soil mixture composed of coarse
sand and a minimum amount of silt and organic matter, many of
the drainage problems can be solved by having a slope of at
least one percent. This gives excellent surface drainage
which will cut down the time that the field remains in a
saturated soil moisture condition. For surface drainage to be
effective, however, there must be ample disposal of the surface water. Slopes of less than one percent will not provide
much surface drainage after uneven traffic or settling has
occurred. When using high percentages of sand, additional
amounts of organic matter may be desirable to increase the
nutrient and water holding capacity of the soil. This is
not too important where good irrigation facilities are used.
All of the soil requirements for lime, phosphorus, and
potassium should be met by soil incorporation of these
nutrients prior to planting. They can be mixed into the top
6 inches of the seedbed by rototilling or other conventional tillage treatments. By incorporation, these nutrients
will provide a much more effective response than from surface
applications after seeding. Rates of application should be

72

based on soil tests and local interpratations but generally
we don't expect to get a response from liming on soils having
pH's above 6. We can use relatively large amounts of phosphorus which will be available for several vears following
treatment. Potassium is readily leached from new seedbeds
and there is no advantage in providing more than one season's
supply during the soil incorporation procedures. Approximately 80 pounds of nitrogen per acre can be incorporated
into the seedbed just before seeding. Subsequent applications of 40 pounds of nitrogen per acre should be made to
the seedlings as required, based on the general appearance
of the grass.
There often is a desire to shorten the establishment
time of athletic fields by the excessive use of nitrogen.
This is a very unwise procedure, because such treatments
cause a shallow root system which is quite susceptible to
damage from heavy play during the first year.
There is no one best grass for all conditions of
athletic fields. A choice of the grass or mixture depends
upon the soils, the use being made of the field and the
level of management being planned for the area. Tall fescue
is one of the toughest grass species available in this area.
It has a very deep root system which is extremely resistant
to mechanical wear. The grass also is very drought tolerant
and has the longest season of growth and is adapted to a very
wide range of soil pH. It must be cut at 2-1/2 to 3 inches
in height and is extremely slow in establishment. No plans
should be made to use it for at least one year after establishment. It does not have a rhizome system and any permanent mechanical injury must be repaired by sodding or
overseeding. Once firmly established, it produces the toughest athletic turf known. The ryegrasses are nearly as tough
as tall fescue, but are not so long lasting and are more
difficult to mow. They are especially valuable in that they
require the shortest period of time for establishment. They
are not very well adapted to areas having severe cold winter
temperatures. Like the tall fescues, they do not have
rhizomes and any damage must be repaired by overseeding.
As a group, the bluegrasses are extremely valuable for

73

use in athletic fields in the interior of the Northwest,
east of the Cascade Mountains. They are not well adapted
to extremely acid soils. On soils having pH's above 6.0,
they provide good athletic turf. They have a vigorous
rhizome system which forms a very tight sod which will
repair itself readily. For maximum sod strength, they
should not be mowed closer than 1-1/2 inches.
The fine fescues are often used in mixtures with other
grasses. They have a wide range of adaptation and will
tolerate almost any practical mowing height. As a solid
planting, however, they do not offer much resistance to
heavy mechanical wear. They are quite well adapted to
outfields of baseball and softball diamonds and intramural
areas of primary and secondary schools. The bentgrasses are
often included in athletic turf mixtures quite by accident.
They must be mowed very short for maximum turf quality, and
even then are very unsatisfactory for athletic turf because of the exremely shallow root system and noor resistance to mechanical wear. When included in mixtures with
other grasses, they tend to dominate the mixture under good
management procedures, and eventually most fields become
solid bentgrass.
The early management of seedling grasses on athletic
areas is often very critical. The mowing schedule should
be started as soon as there is enough grass and the soil
if firm enough to support the machinery. Mowing to the
planned height during the seedling stages will tend to
develop a stronger turf much earlier and will avoid any
future shock to the turf by changing of mowing heights.
If proper soil incorporation of phosphorus and potassium
has been done, only light infrequent anplications of
nitrogen fertilizer will be required during the first
year. This is especially important in cutting down the
number of mowing operations that are required before the
turf is firmly established, and will also develop a stronger root system.
Summary
High quality athletic turfgrass requires a year-

74

around management schedule for most efficient use of resources. If an annual maintenance schedule is properly
designed, there need be little reason for emergency changes
in the procedures» Usually such emergency changes are a
reflection of poor long range planning and are usually
rather detrimental to the quality of the playing field.

Will Water Run Uphill? 1
Dr. D. L. Guettinger2
This summary could be entitled "Water Does Not Run
Downhill" as well as the present title, "Will Water Run
Uphill?". We all know, of course, that water does not
run uphill—at least not in the usual sense. But it can
move "uphill" against the force of gravity.
This means
that gravity is not always the most important force acting
on water.
Before we consider how water moves in soils, we must
first be familiar with some of the properties of water and
its surroundings and the term used to describe these properties. The first of these terms is adhesion. It is used to
describe the attraction of particle surfaces for water
molecules. The action of this property can best be likened
to that of adhesive tape; that is, the adherence of one
object to an unlike object.
The next term needed to describe water is cohesion.
Cohesive forces are the forces that hold water molecules
together. This force of attraction between water molecules
allows water to rise to great heights as, for example, in a
tree. Capilarity is used to describe the rise of water on
a wettable surface. We are all familiar with the action of
a wick. Different size capilary tubes can be used to
L. Presented at 19th Annual Northwest Turfgrass Conference,
Hayden Lake, Idaho, September 22, 23, 24, 1965.
2. Extension Soils Specialist, Washington State University,
Pullman, Washington.

75

illustrate the point that the smaller the tube the higher
the water will rise in the tube.
The capilary tube concept can be used to visualize
what may happen in the soil. Water will rise much higher
in a soil consisting of fine particles such as clay which
has small pores than it will in a soil consisting of large
particles such as sand where the pores are large. Another
term commonly used to describe the properties of water and
its surroundings is tension. Tension is a measure of the
tenacity or strength that water is held in the soil.
We have just discussed some of the mechanics of how
water is held and how it will move in the soil. We have
shown how it can move much higher in a "fine-textured soil"
than in a "course-textured soil". Besides the upward movement of water, movement by attraction or capilarity is very
important in the lateral movement of water.
Under saturated conditions the dominant force controlling water movement is gravity. The speed that water moves
through soils under these conditions is governed by the size
of the pores. In general, large pores exist where the particles are large and small pores are present in fine-textured
soils.
Although water intake rates are a problem in fine-textured
soils, water management problems are not usually too complex
when soils are uniform. Management problems are intensified
when soils are layered; that is, when either a fine-textured
soil is layered within courser material or conversely, when
course-textured soil is layered within fine material. Whenever layering is present, the forces affecting the downward movement of water must be considered from the capilary
as well as the gravity standpoint.
When water is added to a course-textured material it will
flow quite readily through the large pores. When it meets a
layer of finer-textured material it will adhere more firmlv
to the finer particles and will move into the fine material.
However, flow will be restricted because the pores are small.
When water is applied to a fine-textured material that
contains a layer of course-textured material, similar problems result. Before the water can move from the fine laver

76

into the course, the fine material must be saturated.
Although the factors causing the surface to be saturated are
different, the effect is the same. Water will move from
the course material into the finer material, but flow is
restricted because of pore size.
By these two examples it is obvious that any layering of
soils causes definite water management problems. Water
management problems may be a problem on a uniform soil but
they are very small compared to the problem of soils with
various layers.
In the past, many people have held that a fine-textured
material overlaying a courser-textured material would be an
ideal situation for plant growth. It was felt that water
would move readily into the courser-textured material and
drain away. I hope that the previous examples have shown
that this would not be the case. The water in the finetextured material must be saturated before it will move
into the courser-textured materials.

77

Members of Northwest Turfgrass Association
A-l Spray Service
Agate Beach Golf Course
Agricultural Dealers '
Supply (Tacoma Seed Co)
Astoria Golf and C Club
Baltz E. P. 6 Sons
Bellevue Lawn
Bellingham G 6 C Club
Bently Co.
Blue Lakes Golf Course
Broadmoor Golf Course
Capilano G 6 C Club
City of American Falls,
Cabinet View C Club
Cedarcrest Golf Course
Clarkston G 6 C Club
College Golf Course
(Pacific LUth. U.)
Columbia-Edgewater CC
Dalles C Club
Dow Chemical Co.
Diamond Alkali Co.
Early Bird Spray and
Garden Service
Elks G 6 C Club
Eastside Spraying 6
Fogging Service
Enumclaw G 6 C Club
Eugene C Club
Everett G 6 C Club
Evergreen Memorial Park
Fircrest Golf Course
Fisher J. R.
Faulkner Spray Service
Fischer, Bernie
(Buckner Ind, Inc.)

520 S. 53rd St. Tacoma, 98408
Box 1416
Newport, Ore.
Box 468

Tacoma 98410
Astoria, Ore.

9817 E. Burnside
St.
Portland 97216
311-16th S. E. Bellevue
3729 Meridian St. Bellingham
4126 Airport Way Seattle 98108
Box 127
Twin Falls, Ida.
2340 Broadmoor Dr. Seattle 98102
420 Southborough Dr. West Vancouver,
B.C.
American Falls, Idaho
Box 441
Libby, Montana
Rt. 1
Marysville, Wn.
Box 72
Clarkston, Wn.
Box 2446
Parkland, Wn. 98444
2137 N. E. Brighten Rd. Portland 97211
The Dalles, Ore.
307 Broad St.
Seattle 98101
3945 S.W. 57th Ave, Portland
1523-63rd St.
Box 187

Everett, Wn. 98202
Selah, Wn.

10021 126th NE Kirkland, Wn.
Enumclaw, Wn.
Te 3, Box 599
255 CC Road
Eugene, Ore.
Box 146
Everett, Wn.
11111 Aurora Ave N. Seattle 98133
6520 Regents Blvd Tacoma, Wn.
Rt.3 Box 65434 Issaquah, Wn.
2820 S. 150th
Seattle 98188
6508 Ustick Road, Boise, Idaho

78

Forest Lawn Cemetery
Forest Lawn, Inc.
Ft. Lewis Golf Course
Floral Hills, Inc.
Fowler H. D. Inc.
General Spray Service
of Magnolia
Glendale C Club
Glendoveer Golf Course
Greenup Spray Service
Greenwood Memorial
Terrace Co.
Grays Harbor C Club
Haines, John S.
Hemphill Bros, Inc.
Hayden Lake C Club
Hillcrest C Club
Hogan Don
Holms John
Inglewood C Club
Jacklin Seed Co.
Jackson Park G Course
Jefferson Park G C
Kelso Elks G Course
Kitsap G 6 C Club
Lewiston G S C Club
Liberty Lake G Course
Lilly Co
Longview G 6 C Club
NcChord Air Force GC
Manito G 6 C Club
Morton Chemical Co.
Michel Lumber Co.

5409 Kitsap Way,Box 1279, Bremerton
6701 30th Ave. S.W. Seattle, 98106
Rt. 3
Ft. Lewis, Wn.
409 Filbert Rd. Alderwood Manor, Wn.
13440 30th SE St. Bellevue, 98004
1031 NE 114th
Seattle, Wn.
Box 797
Bellevue, Wn.
14015 NE Glisan St. Portland, Ore.
12437 1st Ave SW Seattle, Wn.
Rt. 4, Government Way, Spokane, Wn.
Rt. 1
Aberdeen, Wn.
4700 E. Oregan St. Rt. 4 Bellingham
201 Boren Ave N. Seattle, 98109
Rt. 2, Box 14
Hayden Lake, Ida. 83835
Boise, Ida.
Box 1083
9060 37th Ave. S. Seattle 98108
Fairbanks, Alaska
Box 1196
Kenmore, Wn.
Rt. 6
8803 E. Sprange Dishman, Wn.
1000 NE 135th St. Seattle, 98125
4101 Beacon Ave S. Seattle, 98144
Box 247
Kelso,Wn.
Box 397
Bremerton, Wn.
Lewiston, Ida.
Box 235
Liberty Lake, Wn.
1900 Alaskan Way Seattle, Wn.98101
Box 1075
Longview, Wn.
McChord, Wn.
Box 8025 Manito Sta. Spokane
1620 SW Custer Portland, Ore. 97219
Box 55, 338 An. State St. Lake Oswego
Ore.
7737 NE Killingsworth, Portland 98201

Miller Products Co.
Mountain View Memorial
Park
4100 Steilacoom Blvd, Tacoma 98409
Box 632
Walla Walla, Wn.
Mount View Cemetery
Mt. Si G Course
Box 68
North Bend, Wn.
Moses Lake G Course T, K. Nanto Box 1694, Moses Lake, Wn.

79

7710 24th NW
Seattle 98107
Northwest Mower
Great Falls, Mont.
New Meadow Lark C Club Inc.
2030 Lincoln Ave. Tacoma Wn.
NuLife Fertilizer Co.
Box 1063
Olympia, Wn.
Olympia G 6 C Club
Box 97
Medina, Wn.
Overlake G Course
20 Iron Mt. Blvd. Oswego, Ore.
Oswego Lake C Club
3308 Harbor Ave. SW, Seattle 98106
Pacific Agro Co.
1001 S. Jackson ST. Seattle,Wn.98104
Pacific Equipment Co.
190 King George Hwy, White Rock, B.C.
Peace Portal G Course
5900 SW Schölls Ferry Rd. Portland
Portland G Course
133 E. 3rd St. Prineville, Ore.
Prineville G Course
1530 Westlake Ave. N. Seattle Wn.
Puget Sound Seed Co.
1235 College St. Pullman, Wn.
Pullman G Course
1856 S. 112th St. Seattle 98188
Rainier G S C Club
Box 5173
Eugene, Ore.
Ramsey Waite Co.
Riverside G & C Club
8105 NE Sunderland Ave. Portland
Rogue Valley G & C Club Box 427
Medford, Ore.
Roseburg G Course
Rt. 2
Roseburg, Ore.
Royal Oaks C Club
8917 NE 4th Plain Rd. Vancouver, Wn.
Salisham Beach G Course
Gleneden, Ore.
Sand Point C Club
8333 55th Ave NE Seattle 98105
Scott O.M. 6 Sons
Box 327
Salem, Ore.
Seattle G Course
145th N and N Greenwood, Seattle
Seattle Park Dept.
100 Dexter Ave.N. Seattle 98109
Shoreline School Dist.412,NE 158th 6 20th Seattle 98125
Box 89
Shelton, Wn.
Shelton-Bayshore G C
Sirmais, Peter A.
Asst. Supt. Great Falls
140-1/2 3d Ave S. Great Falls, Mont.
C Club
2400 6th Ave S. Seattle 98104
Short, Ed, Co.
Rt. 5
Spokane C Club
Spokane 53
504 City Hall
Spokane Park Dept.
Spokane, Wn
Box 55
Sumner Cemetery
Sumner, Wn.
Sunset Hills Memorial
Park
Box 561
Bellevue, Wn.
321 W. Prairie Wheaton, Illinois
Stitt Loyd
Tacoma G 6 C Club
Gravelley Lake Dr. SW Tacoma 98499
Taylor, Pearson 6
Carlson (B.C.) Ltd.
1100 Venables St. Vancouver, B.C.
Three Lakes Public G C
Box 234
Wenatchee, Wn.

80

Tri-City G Course
Box 456
Kennewick, Wn.
Turfco Industries Inc.
1340 N. Northlake Way, Seattle 98103
Turf and Toro Supply Co. 1200 Stewart ST. Seattle 98101
Twin Falls, City of
Box 867
Twin Falls, Ida.
Box
1236
Tacoma, Wn. 98401
United Supply Co.
Van Waters 6 Rogers, Inc.4000 1st Ave. S. Seattle 98104
Walla Walla, Wn.
Veterans Memorial GC
341
E.
Ohio
St
Chicago, 60611
Velsicol Chemical Corp.
Box
3417
Tacoma,
Wn. 98499
Wagner, Croydon
Rt.
5
Spokane,
Wn.
Wandermere G Course
Bothell,
Wn.
Walters C.R. Co.
Walla
Walla,
Wn.
Box
523
Walla Walla C Club
28th
Ave,
NE,
Seattle
98155
17868
Washington Tree Service
1100 SE Waverley Dr. Portland 98222
Waverly C Club
Woodinville, Wn.
Wellington Hills G C
Box 1479
Wenatchee, Wn.
Wenatchee G 6 C C
Western Farmers Association, 201 Eliot W. Seattle 98119
1240 SE. 12th Ave. Portland, Ore.
Western GC Supply
Box 727
Bainbridge Island,
Wing Point G 6 CC
Wn. 98110
Western Plastics Corp.
3110 Ruston Way Tacoma Wn. 98402
4470 35th Ave SW, Seattle Wn. 98106
West Seattle G Course
Box 204, Sta A Vancouver 1, B.C.
Woods, Norman H.
Yakima Metropolitan
Park Dist.
Box 171
Yakima, Wn.

81

Conference Attendance
19TH NORTHWEST TURFGRASS CONFERENCE
HAYDEN LAKE, IDAHO, SEPTEMBER 22, 23, 24, 1965.

H. T. Abbott, WSU
Chet Allbee
Bud Ashworth

Pullman, Wn.
Seattle, Wn.
Spokane, Wn.

Harvey Banks
Clayton Bauman
Milt Bauman
Lee Bean
James B. Beard
Norris Beardsley
John E. Beheyt
Bill Bengeyfield, USGA
George Bevan
Al Blain
Wilbur L. Bluhm
Robert G. Bowers
Vernon C. Brink, UBC
Babe Brinkworth
Dave Brown
Dr. M.T. Buchanan, WSU

Bremerton, Wn.
Bellevue, Wn.
Medina, Wn.
Seattle, Wn.
East Lansing, Michigan
Spokane, Wn.
Kirkland, Wn.
Garden Grove, Calif.
Seattle, Wn.
Seattle, Wn.
Salem, Ore.
Tacoma, Wn.
Vancouver, B.C.
Minneapolis, Minn.
LaGrande, Ore.
Pullman, Wn.

Reg. Caddy
Jack Chase
Virgil Clark
Ray Collier
Jack W. Daniels
Wayne Dean
Chas. Deming
R.E. Donaldson

New Westminster, B.C.
Seattle, Wn.
Everett, Wn.
Portland, Ore.
Seattle, Wn.
Yakima, Wn.
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Vancouver B.C.

A.D. Elliott
Cliff Everhart
Fred Federspiel
Francis Fischer
Ed Fluter
Russ Fouts

Seattle, Wn.
Spokane, Wn.
Lake Oswego, Ore.
Spokane, Wn.
Portland, Ore.
Albany, Ore.

82

Stan Freymanm UBC
Bill Gabel
Gray Galbreath
Al Gleeson
Muri Goddard
Norm Goetze OSU
Roy Goss WSU
Chuck Gould
Wm. Griffing
Manny Gueho
Dr. D. Guettinger, WSU

Vancouver, B.C.
Walla Walla, Wn.
Ritzville, Wn.
Richmond, B.C.
Selah, Wn.
Corvallis, Ore.
Puyallup, Wn.
Puyallup, Wn.
Bainbridge Island, Wn
New Westminister, B.C.
Pullman, Wn.

George Harrison
Larry W. Harriman
John Harrison
William R. Harshaw
Allen Hart
Dick Martmann
Dick Haskell
Leonard Hays
John H. Heinrichs
Don Hogan

Tacoma, Wn.
Walla Walla, Wn.
Hayden Lake, Ida.
Great Falls, Mont.
Oakland, Calif.
Portland, Ore.
Seattle, Wn.
Gleneden Beach, Ore.
Missoula, Mont.
Seattle, Wn.

John Jaslowski
Walt Jefferson
Jack Jung
Harvey Junor
Roger Junot

Seattle, Wn.
Wenatchee, Wn.
Oakland, Calif.
Portland, Ore.
Seattle, Wn.

George Kide
Dale Knott
Don Kolassa
Herman D. Kruiswyk
Keith Kuechmann
Carl M. Kuhn

Oakland, Calif.
Spokane, Wn.
Spokane, Wn.
Spokane, Wn.
Yakima, Wn.
Seattle, Wn.

Henry W. Land, Sr.
Bob Larson
Howard R. Larson
Dean W. Latiner
AI Law WSU
Wes Ledford
Willard Lighty

Tacoma, Wn.
Bellingham, Wn.
Olympia, Wn.
Ft. Lewis, Wn.
Pullman, Wn.
Spokane, Wn.
Gresham, Ore.
83

Daryl J. McClelland
Duane McCracken
Lester McCracken
Ken McKenzie
Jim Magers
Dick Malpass
Donald D. Metzler
Don Miller
Charlie Mitchell
Virgil J. Martenson
Ken Morrison, WSU

Spokane, Wn.
Boise, Ida.
Boise, Ida.
Seattle, Wn.
Spokane, Wn.
Eugene, Ore.
Vernon, B.C.
Tacoma, Wn.
Clarkston, Wn.
Spokane, Wn.
Pullman, Wn.

Peter Nason
T.K. Nanto
Tom Neidlinger

Riverside, Calif.
Moses Lake, Wn.
Diamond Alkali Co.

Richard Oliphant

Portland, Ore.

Ray Perry
Don Postlewaite
Glen Proctor
Larry Proctor
Joe Pottenger
Ken Putnam

Spokane, Wn.
Beaverton, Ore.
Seattle, Wn.
Tacoma, Wn.
Yakima, Wn.
Seattle, Wn.

Stan G. Raplee, Jr.
Byron Reed
Earl L. Ripley
Albert Rock
Ed Rogers
Cecil Rose
Chen Rowe
Bill Russell

Seattle, Wn.
Portland, Ore.
Ontario, Ore.
Walla Walla, Wn.
Seattle, Wn.
Spokane, Wn.
Tacoma, Wn.
Salem, Ore.

C.A. Schmidt
Richard A. Schwabauer
Elmer Sears
Chas. E. Seibold
Bill Senske
Dewey Shepherd
Bob Staib

Coeur D'Alene, Ida.
Bend, Ore.
Seattle, Wn.
Portland, Ore.
Spokane, Wn.
Los Altos, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif

84

Phil Stecker
LeRoy Sutphin

Tacoma, Wn.
Kennewick, Wn.

A1 Tomiuk
Charles Thurman
Vern Turgeon
R.H. Turley

Christina Lake, Ida,
Spokane, Wn.
Seattle, Wn.
Saanichton, B.C.

Marc Venable

Seattle, Wn.

Douglas Weddle
Rudy Werth
Lester Winslon
Vernon W. Wright

Olympia,
Seattle,
Ontario,
Spokane,

Sam Zook
Frank Zook

Portland, Ore.
Vancouver, Wn.

Frank Yoshitake

Redmond, Wn.

85

Wn.
Wn.
Ore.
Wn.