TURFCOMMS crv V . 7 # X Ł 2 ^^ J JAN Ł 2 # #93 PURPOSE: To pass on what we learn willingly and happily to others in the profession so as to improve turf conditions around the country. I GOOFED: To those who looked at the issue number of the Dec. 1st issue and thought they had missed six issues of TurfComms, you didn't. I'm not sure how the last issue got labeled V.7, 1.7 but, it was really V.7, 1.1. TORO'S HYDROJECT: Generally the feeling on this machine has been that it is too expensive but would be nice to have for localized dry spots. Had word that it was selling well in Colorado where with their bright sun and low humidity localized dry spots are often plentiful. Also heard it was good for treating those problem areas at the end of cart paths. Need to go slow with a long squirt in those areas. Have also heard from many sources that multiple backup filters to the one in the machine are very desirable. Usually a series of two to three sizes. One 
commercial user had three; a coarse size, medium size and a fine the same size as in the machine. All of these were reusable. % WILL THE EPA BAN THE CHLORI NAT I ON OF DRINKING WATER? I keep looking for such a headline after reading an article in Sci. News, July 11, 1992 edition, pg. 23. A statistical analysis by Robert Morris of the Medical College of Wisconsin found "that people who drink chlorinated water run a 21 percent greater risk 
of bladder cancer and a 38 percent greater risk of rectal cancer than people who drink water with little or no chlorine." It must be assumed therefore that the EPA will be court mandated not to allow the use of chlorinated water in the production of food. TURFCOMMS is published at unpredictable intervals by the editor and publisher: Douglas T. Hawes, Ph.D. 2408 Roundrock Trail Certified Professional Agronomist Piano, Texas 75075 Specializing in Golf Course (214) 867-0176 Maintenance Consulting Subscription cost is $15. Send checks to Doug Hawes at the above addressŁ Stop and think what that would do to the food preparation industry. One can easily say that more good than harm comes from the chlorination of drinking water but, statements like that haven't stopped the EPA before. In fact a recent court ruling said the EPA had no choice on a similar case, it had to carry out Congress's directive. This may well force Congress to repeal the Delaney Amendment. #as quoted froa Pesticides k Politics: the Life Cycle of a Public Issue by Bosso, 1989. USGA: Since my 1984 firing for refusing to move to N.J. I have not been enamored with the USGA but I thought Jeff Rude7s remarks in his column on pg. 6B of the 9/2/92 issue of The Dallas Morning News a bit much. 'Requisites for a DSGA conitteeian are blue blazer, goofy hat, can of dandruff, nearsightedness and the ability to stunble to the ground daily. It helps if you like red vine too." I haven't caught Rude before. He was a bit sarcastic through out this column, living up to his last name I guess. Wonder who he was picking on in those lines. SOIL TESTING: The purpose of this article is to emphasis the importance of using the same laboratory for your year to year testing. DO NOT EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO COMPARE ONE LABORATORY'S RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS WITH ANOTHER. They use different methods and thus get different results and the recommendations given depend on whether they are selling fertilizers or not. We sent McMaster's Rice Hull Compost to three laboratories last spring and got back three sets of results that made it appear we had sent in three different materials that were in no way related to each other. The same can happen to your soil samples. Hopefully the test results you get back won't be as different as ours were. I personally recommend Harris Lab. for putting green samples and use the local state testing lab. for the rest of the golf course. 
The reasoning behind this is cost. I firmly believe the golf 
course can afford to spend dollars for the best soil test for 
greens but, find it much harder to justify for other areas. SEPARATE IRRIGATION SYSTEM FOR GREENS: In the July issue I noted that one club in Texas had a separate irrigation system for 
greens so that they could economically remove the salts from only 
that water that was to be used on the less salt tolerant and more valuable bentgrass putting greens. Another reason for a separate irrigation system has come to mind. To make it economically feasible to use filtered water free of fine sand, silt and clay. In the west where large amounts of water are pumped on to greens each season and the quality of the water both chemically and 
physically is not good for the irrigation of bentgrass greens such an option as a separate irrigation system for greens is worth considering. Of course another option might be to go to the new African bermudagrass strains to be released. TEXAS TURF CONFERENCE: Well saw there the latest in cooling fans, PORT-A-COOL. This is a large fan with the water saturated pads behind it like a western "swamp cooler" or like cooling apparatus in many greenhouses. The difference is that this unit is portable. With its moist breeze you wouldn't need to syringe. While we're on the subject of fans I had a superintendent there 
with lots of fan experience tell me that Patterson fans were a lot better constructed than Dayton fans for greens. BUFFALOGRASS - Engelke presented data showing that buffalograss was a much cooler surface under dry stressed conditions then zoysia. Nebraska 609 is now called Oasis. California has two vegetative buffalograsses on the market called Highlite 17 and Highlite 24. There is also a new strain called Buffalawn. ST. AUGUSTINE - Engelke said Nortam and Raleigh have the best cold TOLERANCE. TEXAS BLUEGRASS, Poa grachnifera L, - Engelke said it hybridizes w/ Ky. Blue and has long rhizomes and is DIOECIOUS. Ed., thus like buffalograss will have male and female plants. RINGER PRODUCTS - Dr. Charles Peacock, N.C. Raleigh - noted that in their research they were unable to document any improvement in physical or chemical soil properties using Ringer products. They found no enhanced microbial activity even with Ringer microbial amended material. Also no increase in rooting. But did have less nitrate leaching. As to disease suppression - he pointed out you can get an increase in Brown Patch activity in cool season grasses with natural organic fertilizers. BIOSTIMULANTS - In a talk entitled "Biostimulants for Turf", Dr. Keith Karnok, U. of Georgia, Athens, GA. reported on some work done on Penncross bentgrass with various biostimulants. He found no statistical difference over the long run. There were some months where one of the other material would improve color, root length or numbers. But, he concluded that no product effected turf positively or negatively over the long run. He thought you MIGHT try a biostimulant in a stress situation IF you had taken care of all the other plant needs to the best of your ability. IPM - Dr. Pat Cobb, Auburn U., Auburn, AL. put a new twist to IPM by calling it Intelligent Plant Management. MOLE CRICKET, TAWNY - Dr. Cobb pointed out that this species of mole cricket tended to be active in the same area year after year because the female does not move much. SPITTLEBUG, TWO-LINED - Dr. Cobb noted that this is the main insect pest in Alabama, it requires high humidity and thrives in irrigated lawns. Dethatching helps reduce population. CREEPING BENTGRASS CULTIVARS - David Stone, superintendent of the Honors Course, TN, noted that the bentgrasses that looked best at his golf course after one year of observation and maintenance at putting green height were Syn 3, Biska, Lopez, Procup, Putter, and SouthShore. He has set this up as a valid research set of plots and is having them evaluated in an unbiased manner. Suggest you stop in and see them if you're in that area. Good chance to see zoysia at work also. GROWTH REGULATORS FOR BERMUDAGRASS - Wallace Menn, spent most of the time discussing Primo (trinexapac), Ciba Geigy's new material. This material he says is foliar absorbed in one hour. It is a type II suppressor. When used on bermudagrass it gives improved color, decreases shoot elongation and normally increases density. However, Primo gives poor control of lateral growth and would therefore will not be satisfactory at edging. On the plus side divots recover just as well as in untreated areas. Primo at high rates may enhance root growth. It gives you more suppression of 419 and 328 than on common bermuda. The best 
response from this material is in late spring and early summer. USGA SPECIFICATIONS, NEWEST REVISIONS - Jim Moore spoke about these in great detail. You will be reading a lot about them in the next year. As this has occupied a great deal of my time lately and also due to my bias on some aspects I will not comment on them at this moment. So far I have written five pages of letters on them just discussing a few lines of a 30 page rough draft. RESPONSES TO MY ARTICLE ON TX A & M UNIV. PROMOTING PRAIRIE BUFFALOGRASS: (1) Seed industry rep., "You were too hard on them." (2) Fellow consultant, "Right on!" (3) Sod industry rep., "your comments about the University to serve the Public are very true." "greed for money has taken over and the interest of the taxpayer which foots most of the bill has gone by the wayside. Mainly because we as taxpayers are silent." He then went on to write about the Univ. selling off the rights to a new Texas-Kentucky bluegrass cultivar to an out of state company for $50,000/year for five years. Didn't even put it out to bid. (4) Golf course supt., "I'm not sure I dare stand next to you.", said 
during the TX Turf Conf. - END -