TURF COMMS V. I . » pr-^iOCT. 31 , '87 PURPOSE: To pass on what we learn willingly and happily to others in the profession so as to improve turf conditions around the country. FOR THE BEST ARTICLE YOU MAY READ THIS YEAR SEE PAGE TWO. CADMIUM FUNGICIDES - now restricted to use only on golf course greens and tees. Did you catch this little announcement by the EPA? FAST AERIFIERS - The new faster positive piston aerifiers (Toro and Ryan's new machine) have encourage more superintendents to do a summer aerification. Most superintendents that have one of these faster machines are using 1/4 inch tines for the summer aerification of bentgrass greens. They then leave the holes 
open. Some do the whole surface area of all their greens. Most however are only doing steep slopes, localized dry spots, collars, cleanup and fairy ring areas. That list may seem to include most of the green but, in actuality is usually less than 1/2 and leaves the green in play. Some careful watering of aerified areas is necessary for a few days after aerification. The small size of the holes results in a quick covering over of the holes. Most important the results of summer aerification were so positively impressive that each superintendent I talked to planned to do more next year. and publisher« Doug lam T. Ha we», Ph D 240B Roundrock Trail Certified Professional Agronomist Planof Texas 75075 Specializing in Golf Course (214) B67-0176 Maintenance Consulting Subscription cost is »10. Send checks to Doug Hawes at the above address. LATHAM'S ARTICLE IS THE BEST I'VE READ THIS YEAR ! Mr. James M. Latham, Jr., Director USGA Green Section, Great Lakes Region Dear Mr. Latham: Thank you for the excellent article "The Agronomics of Sand in Construction and Topdressing" published in the Sept/Oct, '87 Green Section RECORD. Why a thank you? Because it agreed with my thoughts on the subject with only one minor exception. Now if you could get every superintendent and green chairman in the country to read it carefully 2 or 3 times it would do the golf course maintenance industry wonders. I particularly enjoyed the article's review of Madison's article and tho way you tisd "black layer" into the need for light frequent topdressing to prevent layers of organic matter from accumulating. These organic matter layers do appear to often be the barrier to water movement that result in black layer years after they have been laid down. Organic matter and dust layers in the western states are the prime culprits of black layer in my opinion. Of course, they have to be combined with over watering. But in a long dry windy season common to western states you would have to have a perfectly designed irrigation system not to do some over watering. I agree strongly with your statement below indicating a lack of apparent need for organic matter in topdressing, "It seems, however, that the grass itself can produce an adequate amount of 
organic matter by simply growing." pg. 4, col. 1. I also agree with the importance of continuing to aerify even when using a frequent sand topdressing program. Keep up the good work. Yours for better turf, Douglas T. Hawes O.M. SCOTT'S NEW TGR - This is the same material you have been seeing at Turfgrass Field Days labeled PP-333. This year a fair amount of this product was used on bentgrass fairways and greens for Poa annua control. The results looked promising. However, when used at the full recommended rate disease often followed. That disease was often Pythium. It usually just attacked the Poa for faster removal. Removal at a rate much faster than desired. This material does stunt Poa. It appears to need more testing for best timing and rate. The 1/2 rate is safe on greens. The full rate safe on fairways if you don't have too much Poa. DRAINAGE - DRAINAGE - DRAINAGE - AGAIN Do we ever have enough! The material in quotes below is from PERMANENT SOLUTION TO DRAINAGE PROBLEMS by John Strickland, published in the Mid-Atlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents 
Newsletter, V.40,#5, Oct.'87, pg.2 & 3. I have taken from the middle of the article information given on GEOTEXTILES and the new narrow drainage materials because it should help you the user make decisions but, please note that the author is a supplier for Warren's Spunbound Fabrics and 
Terra-Flow drainage materials, so a bias exists. "Geotextiles ...Filter fabrics are the "saviors" of drainage systems. Skeptics, and the uninformed, contend they will clog up and fill with soil. (Insome cases they sight, bat all geotextiles are not created equal!) You sust select one that is soft, pliable, strong and "fluffy3. Just picture in your mind what a cross sectional profile of a fiberglass air filter looks like. That's exactly what a proper Geotextile looks like under a magnifying glass! They can't be stiff or "slick" to the touch. The best geotextiles for drainage are engineered to permit tiny soil particles to pass right through themselves. Huddy water iust pass through one side and exit the other side still carrying those tiny particles of soil with the«. " "When selecting a proper geotextile, ask your supplier what the A.O.S. (Apparent Opening Size) or E.Q.S. (Equivalent Opening Size) of his fabric is in standard U.S. sieve. Select the geotextile that has a range of 70-100. This assures you that you will be purchasing a proper drainage geotextile ..." "So«e geotextiles are §sde fro» polyester, other polypropylene. Polyester "wets" easier than polypropylene, and is «ore desirable in drainage. It is hydrophyllic. That's a fancy word for loving water!...... Polyester in drainage encourages water entry into our drainage system. Polypropylene repels water!" "Space Age Solutions to Ancient Problems - In the past year you have been seeing iore and »ore information on "Pre-Fabricated" or "Self-Contained" co»posite drainage systems. They are truly state-of-the-art solutions to turf and ornamental drainage problems. All employ the usage of geotextile wrapping a waffle-like core. They are comparatively thin, require trenches only 2" wide, need no connecting fittings, eliminate the displacement of huge amounts of soil and replacement gravel and the expense of perforated pipe and fittings. On a running foot basis they are up to 601 cheaper to install than conventional drainage systems!....." "But beware! Just like any other product you buy to achieve a desired solution, cheaper is not always better. There are big differences in these systems! One key is the geotextile (there goes that word again). Does it have the correct properties for drainage which we learned earlier? Can you interlock the waffle-like core easily to make permanent locked together butt joints? Have you taken a rule and actually measured that core to see its true height and width? (In this instance, bigger is better.) Does the product have university testing to back up the claims of the supplier? Can you purchase this product from a supplier you depend on for service or quality products?" Editor's notes: I saw one "USGA" green this summer where geotextile fabric had been used to replace the choker sand layer that goes between the pea gravel and the soil mix. They must not have selected the correct fabric because it plugged up quickly with silt and clay from the mix above and drainage came to a halt- Had to use a cup cutter with the stops off to cut down thru the fabric and create drainage holes at regular intervals. Even then it isn't a dream green. Don't fill up the trench dug for these new narrow drainage materials with the soil you pulled out and expect the drainage material to remove surface water for more than 18 months. Refill to the top with a round coarse sand or small pea gravel if in turf cut above 1/4 inch. If in a putting green use a very porous sand and organic mixture. If you use straight sand in a green you are apt to see droughty streaks across your green for two to 
three years. OKLAHOMA TURFGRASS FIELD DAY - SEPT. 9, '87 DOLLAR SPOT - under light disease pressure the following fungicides gave good control: 1. Vorlan 50wp & Fungo 50wp at 1 oz. a.i./lOOO sg. ft. each 2. Vorlan 50wp at 1 oz. a.i. per 1000 sg. ft. and several experimentáis BROWN PATCH - under heavy disease pressure the following fungicides gave good control: 1. Apache 50wp at 0.5 oz. a.i./1000 sq. ft. 2. Fungo 50wp & Vorlan 50wp at 1.0 oz. a.i./1000 each 3. Apache 50wp at 1.0 oz. a.i./1000 4. Dyrene 4FL at 4.0 oz. a.i./1000 5. Dyrene 4FL at 2.0 oz. a.i./1000 6. Chipco 50wp at 1.0 oz. a.i./1000 7. Fungo 50wp & Vorlan 50wp at 0.5 oz. a.i./1000 each 8. Rizolex 75wp at 2.5 oz. a.i./lOOO Note that the Fungo/Vorlan combination is good on both dollar spot and brown patch. The amount of control 7 days after treatment was statistically the same for all of these. They are listed though in descending order of control 7 days after treatment. At 21 days after treatment the last in this list (Rizolex) was giving statistically better control than all of these. Rizolex at other rates consistently gave as good control 21 days after treatment as 7 days after. Rizolex has not yet been released. PYTHIUM - under -fungicides gave treatment: 1. Subdue 2E at 2. Banol at 1.5 3. Subdue M2 58 4. Subdue MZ 77 5. Subdue MZ 77 6. Subdue MZ 77 very heavy disease pressure good control when evaluated the following 7 days after 1.0 oz. a.i. per oz« a.i./1000 at 5.0 oz. a.i at 7.0 oz. a.i at 5.0 oz . a.i & Banol at 1.0 1000 sq. ft. 7. Subdue MZ 77 & Banol at 2.0 /1000 /1000 /1000 and 0.75 oz. a.i./1000 respectively and 1.5 oz. a.i./1000 respectively Treatment # 7 gave the highest percent control 21 days after 
treatment. PREEMERGENCE CONTROL OF GOOSEGRASS ON CREEPING BENTGRASS AT 3/4 AND 5/32 INCHES -All the materials listed below gave good control at the lowest rate used. BLOCKADE 65WDG (Prodiamine) at 0.5 lb. ai/Acre XL 2G (Baian/Surf1 an comb.) at 3.0 lb. ai/Acre Ronstar 50wp (Oxadiazon) at 4.0 lb. ai/Acre Scotts 1.71G or 2.45G (Pendimethalin) at 3.0 lb. ai/Acre Blockade appeared to be slightly (not statistically) less damaging to bentgrass at 5/32 than the other materials. This is the first time I had encountered this herbicide available from Sandoz, Inc. Apparently it has been available in Europe. BERMUDAGRASS ENCROACHMENT STUDY For those of you with bermudagrass surrounding bentgrass greens you're going to be as disappointed as I was. I read this title in the Field Day handout and ran off to see that study. They had indeed stopped bermudagrass encroachment. But, this was a study design by and for highway people. Brown, dead grass was very acceptable to them. Now if you want to keep bermudagrass from encroaching into a shrub bed, sand trap (pardon me, bunker), gravel walk or around your pump station you might try some of their combinations. The best I saw was Arsenal (Imazapyr) at 3 pts./Acre combined with Stomp (Pendimethalin) at 3 pts./Acre. Roundup at 5 qts./Acre combined with Oust (Sulfonmethuron) at 2 oz./Acre also looked good. The first combination appeared to be giving more than 2 
months of control. The stolons were not even daring to cross that strip. Arsenal, they told us, was very slow to kill but, 
did appear to do a rather permanent job. Sulfosate, an analogue of Roundup, was being looked at in this trial. It will be sold under the tradename Touchdown. An analogue herbicide is one that chemically has a slightly different structure or formula but kills plants in the same manner. Sulfosate appeared to fit this bill perfectly. Chevron's experimental growth regulator, XE-1019, appears to be very effective on bermudagrass. It gives two months of good retardation when used at 2 lb. a.i./A. At that rate and under 
the conditions used here it looks like you might use it on a golf course rough or turf area receiving a similar low intensity of 
care. If applied in July you would probably need to mow 4 to 6 
weeks after application. These plots were not mowed for two months. They were a long way 
short of being U S Open rough height. You probably would not 
dare use this material in shaded areas or areas where the grass is receiving heavy traffic. It has excellent possibilities for use on highway median strips. OKLAHOMA TURFGRASS RESEARCH TO JOIN WATER USE RESEARCHERS Dr. Joel F. Barber, Oklahoma's new turf research, announced that the emphasis of his research will be to study turfgrass water 
relations. HOW ABOUT BUYING A GOLF COURSE ? ? ? I'm giving it some thought. Ł I need capital? Ł Anybody out there know where there is a golf course for sale? Ł Yes, I have contacted McKay Golf & Country Club Properties of Lansing, Michigan. Ł Anybody have some money they would be willing to invest in a golf course I was managing? Ł Drop a line or a phone call and let me know your thoughts. BROTHER DAVE WINS TOURNAMENT IN NEW HAMSHIRE Playing in the rain on the weekend of Sept. 12th David won low gross and low net as a guest. He's from coastal Massachusetts 
thus playing in rain was not that unusual to him. Perhaps this gave him a slight edge. He didn't tell me what handicap he was 
claiming. I wonder why he didn't?