USING GPS TO MAP SOIL CONDITIONS IN TURF AREAS-ZACH SIMONS

Nick Christians
August 10, 2011

The following is a post from Zach Simons. Zach is working on a masters degree through the master of Ag. program with a specialization in turfgrass science. He is working this summer with Dr. Van Cline at Toro in Minneapolis on a very interesting project that involves the mapping of soil conditions in turfgrass areas using remote sensing and GPS (global positioning system) technology. This is part of his creative component for his MS degree.

If you get Golf Course Management, you will find an article on this technology by Dr. Cline and Dr. Carrow of the University of Georgia in the August issue.

From Zach:

The increased emphasis on reducing water usage in the turf industry has increased the need for site-specific management. Toro has been developing a product called the Precision Sense 6000 (PS 6000) that can give site-specific soil information in turfgrass. The PS 6000 is a mobile sensing machine that measures soil moisture, soil salinity, soil compaction, and turf vigor. It is designed to be used on golf course fairways and athletic fields. A sensor that measures soil moisture, soil salinity, and soil hardness is attached to a rotating arm on the machine. A spectrometer measures the turf vigor by measuring reflected energy from the turf canopy at a wavelength in the red area in the visible spectrum and a wavelength in the near infrared portion of the spectrum.

The PS 6000 is pulled by a heavy-duty workman set to a speed of 1.9 miles per hour (mph). The machine moves at a speed of 1.9mph so samples are taken every 8 feet with a spacing of 8 to 12 feet between adjacent passes. Data on an average par 4 fairway can be collected in 45 minutes and it takes a day and a half to 2 days to collect data on an entire golf course.

A GPS system is used on the PS 6000 to give the specific site where data was collected. Once the data is collected and processed the results are displayed on Google Earth. Google Earth allows a person to zoom in on a specific hole on the course to analyze the data. Multiple layers can also be displayed on Google Earth so a person could compare the relationship from soil compaction to soil moisture.

Data collection with the PS 6000 should occur at a time when the golf course or athletic field is relying on the irrigation system to water the turf. This is so the data collected reflects the coverage of the irrigation system. When data is collected at that time, it can show areas on fairways that are getting over-watered or under-watered by the irrigation system. An irrigation audit can be performed with the data collected. The audit is performed by determining if the soil has the desired volumetric water content from irrigation. The audit can show many irrigation heads around the golf course that may have problems and the superintendent can make the proper adjustments.

The service that the PS6000 provides will be sold through Toro distributors once it is ready for commercial use. A distributor will have a machine and when a golf course buys the service the distributor will come to the golf course or athletic field and sample the turfgrass. When the PS6000 is ready for commercial Toro’s distributors in California and in the Carolina’s will offer the service first. Toro plans on expanding this service so that more distributors in the U.S. and worldwide will have machines and more customers will have access to the PS6000.

The pictures attached show the results of the data the PS 6000 collects. The first picture is soil moisture, the second picture is soil compaction, and the third picture is turf vigor.

The video attached is of a previous version of the PS 6000. The version of the PS 6000 that will be sent to distributors is equipped with a foamer so the user of the machine can see the previous passes

BURLINGTON BEES BASEBALL WITH T.J. BREWER

Nick Christians
August 9, 2011

I had a chance yesterday to meet with T.J. Brewer, sports field manager for the Burlington Bees baseball field in Burlington, IA. It's been hot in Burlington as it has in most of the Midwest this summer. For you golf people who think that sports turf management is easy, this blog may be an eye-opener. Many of the same problems that plague golf course superintendents also affect sports turf managers.






We usually don't associate Poa annua with sports turf, but it does happen. Particularly in a micro-environment like an enclosed baseball field. This picture below is Poa annua checking-out in the summer heat. Those of you who heard T.J.'s presentation at the turf conference a year ago, know that he has been on a Poa reduction program. Budget concerns put a stop to that program and the Poa is back.





Do we have Bermudagrass in Iowa? Yes we do. This is a bermuda patch in the infield that has been there for at least 6 years.





How about Poa trivialis? This is usually considered to be a problem on golf course fairways, but here it is on a baseball field. As is typical of this species in hot weather, the patches had turned brown. It will come back in the cool weather of fall.



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Here is a close up of Poa trivialis stolons in the brown circles.






How about mole crickets? This is usually a turf problem in the South, particularly Georgia and Florida, yet here they are in Iowa. T.J. collected this one from the field a couple of weeks ago. He did not have any serious damage from them. We do occasionally get damage from mole crickets in Iowa, but they are rare.




Thanks for a great visit T.J. and for your willingness to share your experiences with other turf managers.

MOSS CONTROL ON GREENS-MARK NEWTON

Nick Christians
August 3, 2011

Here is a really useful post from Mark Newton, Superintendent of Ames Golf and Country Club.
It is about some work that he has been doing on moss control on his greens. This is a work-in-progress. We'll follow up later and see how the area looks next spring.


From Mark:

Here are two photos showing our progress with Quicksilver at Ames Golf and Country Club since June of last year on number 18 green (one of the worst ones when I arrived). As you can see we have made considerable strides in eliminating the moss. I am hopeful that after our fall aerification in September and by the beginning of 2012. Ames Golf will be basically moss free for the first time in over 12 years.

As per our discussion before, here is our program on our moss treatments, cultural practices and other items.

Last fall 1 week after our core aerification (1/2” tines on 2” spacing, 4 inch deep) we started the heavy moss treatments. These started on September 14^th, and were sprayed every 14 days at the 6.7 oz / acre rate for three consecutive treatments, also included was a spreader sticker and tank buffer to get the PH to 6.5. Also we bumped the fertility way up on the greens, putting 3 sequential applications of 7-7-7 fertilizer at .4 lbs of N per 1000 every 2 weeks, also increased our mowing height to .140 with two rolls per week to help keep green speed. This gave us the most control and reduction in the moss, reducing the population by 40-50% and in some spots completely eliminating them.

This year we are continuing the applications but on a more regular basis with lower rates. The label gives us .4lbs of AI per acre per season. That is 26.8 oz of product per acre in total. To date and future applications are shown below:

- April 6^th 2 oz/acre Complete

- May 10^th 2 oz/acre Complete

- May 24^th 2 oz/acre Complete

- June 17^th 4 oz/acre Complete

- June 27^th 2 oz/acre Complete

- July 11^th 1 oz/acre Complete

- July 25^th 1 oz/acre Complete

- August 7^th 2 oz/acre

- August 21^st 4 oz/acre

- September 6^th Greens Aerification

- September 13^th 6.7 oz / acre + Spreader Sticker

*Note – Greens height in spring start up was .140, lowered to .120 by May 15^th and remained at that height until 2 weeks ago with all this heat back to .130 so I don’t have moss free but dead greens. On a normal year would still be at .120 with 1 heavy roll every Thursday, light topdressing every 3 weeks and 1 verticut / month when weather permits

In this program we also have bumped up our fertility of the greens from prior years, and included more applications of Daconil Ultrex to further aid in the moss treatments. These treatments other than the last one on September 13^th will be put in with our regular spray program of Garys Green Ultra at 9oz/M, Tuff Turf at 4.5 oz/M, PK Plus at 4.5 oz/M, primo at .125 oz/M, and then a rotation of Fungicides. These include, Daconil Ultrex on every treatment (ranging from 5lbs/a to 10), Headway, Banner, Heritage TL, Instrata, and Emerald. Pending on weather a Banol or FORE application might be made.

Additionally for cultural practices we tend to keep greens a little dryer than in previous years with more hand-watering and deep watering. We also make sure that when we do a verticut we are always spraying the next day to not only aid in the recovery and have the best chemical controls, but to decrease the chance of spore transport and giving open areas where it can establish.

As the two photos illustrate on #18 green (one from June 2010 and another from August 2011) we have seen a dramatic shift and percentage of moss in a little less than 11 months from the start of our program. With this falls aerification and heavy moss treatment on September 13^th we look to eliminate most if not all the moss by 2012.

Our plans for the future once we are mostly clean will still be using quicksilver sparingly once a month to make sure we never end up in this situation again, but are still planning on this same program put into place this year for 2012 or until we see full eradication of the moss.

Hope this helps and if you need any other documentation just let me know! Thanks!

PS – One side note is I wish we were given a larger amount of AI per acre per season with this product when it is specialized towards moss. I would love to do the 3 sequential applications this fall and not just the one final hurrah after aerification.

Mark Newton

Ames Golf & Country Club

Course Superintendent

Cell 515.509.1387

markn@amesgolfcc.com

www.amesgolfcc.com

NIMBLEWILL CONTROL: SECOND INSTALLMENT

Nick Christians
August 2, 2011

Here is the second installment of the July 7 post on Nimblewill control in lawns. This demonstration is being conducted by Richard Jauron, the answer line person in the horticulture department. He is using tenacity (mesotrione) to try to completely eliminate Nimblewill from his home lawn. We're going to follow this and see if Richard or the Nimblewill wins the final battle. It may take a two years before we know. The answer line number is 515-294-3108.


From Richard:

The nimblewill was initially treated on Tuesday, June 28, 2011. One-fourth teaspoon of Tenacity and three-fourths teaspoon of a non-ionic surfactant (Turbo Spreader Sticker) was added to 2 quarts of water. Nimblewill infested areas were spot-treated with the solution. Within 2 or 3 days, the nimblewill foliage turned light green. Within 7 to 10 days, the uppermost growth turned white. At the end of 3 weeks (see attached photos), the lowest portions of nimblewill were still green. Most of the upper portions of the nimblewill were white or brown. The nimblewill was treated a second time on Tuesday, July 26. One-fourth teaspoon of Tenacity and three-fourths teaspoon of a non-ionic surfactant was added to 2 quarts of water.

As of August 2, the nimblewill has turned white. We know that it can come back, however, and that it can germinate from seed in the soil in the spring. Richard will be persistent with his applications in the fall and spring. We will keep you informed of what is happening.

July 2011 Weather Recap

It was a cool 92 F in central Iowa on Sunday. Cool at least by July’s standards in which the state was blanketed by record high temperatures and unbearable heat indices. The month got off to a promising start with maximum daytime temperatures during the first half of the month primarily in the 80’s.

A brutal stretch of weather began on the 15th when the daytime temperature reached 93 F. Central Iowa wouldn’t see temperatures back in the 80’s for another 12 days. The record stretch of 13 consecutive days in the 90’s was the longest stretch in over 30 years. Not to be outdone, a 15-day stretch of nighttime temperatures at or above 74 F was the longest on record.

Overall, the daily average temperature for the month was 81.8 F which is 5.7 degrees warmer than the average. This ranks as the 4th warmest July on record for central Iowa. The warmest stretch occurred on the 17th through the 20th when daily temperatures nearly reached triple digits each day. Needless to say, these prolonged, extreme temperatures took their toll on our cool-season grasses.

Turf under severe environmental stress is particularly susceptible to mechanical damage.  Heat tracking occurred on this turf that was already experiencing heat and drought stress.

The ideal temperatures range for shoot growth of cool-season grasses is between 65 and 75 F and the optimum temperature range for root growth is somewhere between 50 and 65 F. The temperatures we experienced during the month of July have contributed to the summer decline of many of our turfgrasses. Summer decline is a general term that refers to a complex of stresses that leads to the decline of cool-season grasses during the summer months.

As an example of the environmental stress that our cool-season grasses have experienced recently, I used a device that measures canopy temperatures to see just how uncomfortable it has been for them. The picture below shows canopy temperatures from four different environments. These measurements were taken on Monday, July 18 in the middle of the afternoon.

Canopy temperatures of four different surfaces on a warm July afternoon.

As you can see, turf provides a dramatic cooling effect with canopy temperatures approximately 23 degrees cooler compared with a concrete surface and approximately 33 degrees cooler than organic mulch. Turf receiving shade under the canopy of a tree was about 15 degrees cooler compared with turf in full sun.

Warm soil temperatures are also contributing to summer decline. Roots can suffer dieback when soil temperatures are above 75 F for extended periods. Below is a list of 4-inch rootzone temperatures that influence certain biological and physiological events in the soil and in cool-season grasses.

90 F - Shoot growth comes to an end.
75-77 F - Root growth is compromised.
70 F – Root growth begins to slow.

The soil temperatures across much of the state are between 79 and 85 F. This means that root growth has stopped and dieback is probably occurring. The turf is under severe environmental stress and additional stresses from agronomic practices can further lead to summer decline. It may be necessary to re-evaluate and reduce some of your agronomic practices and only perform those that are absolutely necessary until the stress level declines.

Marcus Jones
Assistant Scientist