Critical Turfgrass Maintenance in 2020

Dr. Woods discussed the way he would approach turfgrass maintenance in 2020, with the assumption that funds and labor available for turfgrass maintenance will be reduced. This webinar considers ways to save money, optimize turf conditions, and prioritize work. He will use the Short Grammar of Greenkeeping as a guide to these priorities.

Transcript

1. Critical Turfgrass Maintenance in 2020 Micah Woods 27 April 2020 Campus del Césped Chief Scientist Asian Turfgrass Center www.asianturfgrass.com
2. My front steps, southern Thailand
4. Today’s topics 1. Fundamental turfgrass management 2. Growth rate 3. Fertilizer 4. Keeping grass alive 5. Cost of maintenance 6. Mowing
5. Keep safe at work
6. Fundamental turfgrass management
9. Light: at least 6 hours per day Air: 20% or more, by volume, in the soil Water: keep grass alive Nutrients: to produce growth to match traffic Pest control: as you can afford Mowing: to match growth rate
10. Proactive maintenance proactive, from the OED “creating or controlling a situation by taking the initiative and anticipating events or problems … innovative, tending to make things happen.”
11. Reactive maintenance reactive, from the OED “responds or reacts to a situation, event, etc., especially that reacts to existing circumstances, rather than anticipating or initiating new ones.”
12. Growth rate
13. Old Course, St. Andrews
14. Measuring clipping volume
19. Fertilizer
20. Don’t apply fertilizer unless you need the grass to grow more.
21. If you must apply, estimate plant use, and don’t apply more than that.
25. This example might surprise you. Using 2019 La Moraleja temperatures. N: annual N use estimated at 17 g N/m2 P: 2 g P/m2 (or 5 g P 2 O 5 ) K: 8 g K/m2 (or 10 g K 2 O) Ca: 2 g Ca/m2 Mg: 0.7 g Mg/m2 Fe: 0.04 g Fe/m2
26. Consider soil testing for even more efficiency
27. Keeping grass alive
28. Irrigation It depends on the course situation, but you might be able to let the grass go dormant. If not, irrigate to produce the desired growth rate.
29. Royal Hua Hin GC, Thailand
30. Sritrang GC, Thailand
31. Soil surfactants If you can afford it, soil surfactants (wetting agents) can help with improved turf performance when less water is applied. They can help with soil rewetting too.
32. My personal thought, perhaps influenced by the part of the world I’m in, is that weeds are worse than diseases or insects. I would not be too worried about diseases or insects, and would cut back on applications to control those. I would try to control weeds as I find them more difficult to eradicate in the future.
33. Prioritize areas if you must.
34. Cost of maintenance
35. Nutrient cost Remember that example we worked through for nutrient requirements? N: That annual N amount (100% of grass use), supplied from urea, would cost about €126/ha. P: That annual P amount, supplied from diammonium phosphate, would cost about €56/ha. K: That annual K amount, supplied from potassium chloride, would cost about €62/ha.
36. Nutrient cost Cost to supply 100% of grass N, P, and K use €244 per hectare per year
37. What’s a “soil conditioner”? A typical putting green soil, in 1 ha, has 22,500 kg of humus in the top 10 cm! Grass growth produces another 750 kg/ha of humus every year.
38. Mowing
39. Set mowing height as high as possible
40. • use plant growth regulators if you have the budget • don’t collect clippings all the time • remove extra tee markers, other accessories, for easier mowing
41. Growth rate that is under control will save a lot of mowing requirement and save money.
42. Extras If you have a chance, take the opportunity to: • Get some weeds under control • Let the Poa annua die • Solve some shade problems • Remove organic matter from the soil • Add sand or otherwise modify surface conditions
43. We’ve discussed 1. Fundamental turfgrass management 2. Growth rate 3. Fertilizer 4. Keeping grass alive 5. Cost of maintenance 6. Mowing
44. www.asianturfgrass.com