Reduces total water consumptionEliminates transplant shockReduces leaching of nutrients

AFFORDABLESUPERABSORBENT TECHNOLOGYHAS FINALLY ARRIVED

INTRODUCING

STOCKOSOR8El

•••By T Stockhausen •• •

The STOCKOSQR8 300 series superabsorbents are 1000/0..

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STOCKHAUSEN, Inc. 2408 Doyle St. Greensboro, N.C. 2740& 1-800-334-0242Call for the nearest Stockhausen distributor Circle 113 on Postage Free Card

Enhances turfReduces growing timeReduces moisture stress

STOCKOSORB':....Superabsorbent Polymers-A contribution to modern

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Improves plant yieldsProduces aeration in soilRetains moisture

Organic Amendmentscontinued from page 30

biological reactions occurring in therootzone require oxygen. When oxygen isdepleted faster than it can enter and diffuseinto the rootzone mix, these reactionschange. When this occurs, obstructions towater and air movement can develop withinthe mix, and toxic gases are produced. Bothcan lead to a poor turf stand and highermaintenance costs.

Humus is a desirable component of anysoil system. The more humus present, thebetter the nutrient retention and cationexchange capacity of the mix. Nutrientssuch as ammonium, calcium, sodium, andmagnesium bind to humus instead of leach-ing through the rootzone. The carbon tonitrogen ratio of humus is also a favorable15:1. The humus content of the organiccomponent is an important indication of itsvalue in the mix.

The moisture content of organic amend-ments is another consideration. Dry or-ganic materials may not rewet to theiroriginal moisture content. In general, themoisture content of an amendment shouldnot drop below 30 percent. This levelshould also be consistent within the mate-rial prior to mixing with the sand. Steps

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32 Golf & Sports TURF

40 em Water Holding%

Physical Data For The Amendments In a Mix

Organic Amendment MixInfiltration Rate

in/hrBulk Density

gleeGillibrand Sand 100%90% Sand: 10% Redge-Sedge80% Sand:20% Sphagnum80% Sand:20% Rice Hulls80% Sand:20% Fir Bark

108.919.965.1101.071.9

should be taken to maintain moisture con-tent prior to mixing with sand.

For the purpose of comparing variousorganic amendments for sand-based turfsystems, four commonly used productswere evaluated for their suitability. Theyare a reed-sedge peat from North Dakota, aCanadian sphagnum peat, a rice-hull com-post, and a fir bark product from California.All four are frequently submitted to soillabs for evaluation.

The two tests usually performed for thispurpose are total carbon and pH. In thiscase, tests were also performed for C:Nratio and humic acid content.

The moisture content of all four amend-ments was adequate, ranging between 31percent for Canadian sphagnum to 43 per-cent for the fir bark.

The nitrogen content of the reed-sedgepeat was more than twice that of Canadiansphagnum and three times that of rice hullcompost. The mineral content of the ricehull compost and the fir bark is high butonly a small amount is nitrogen.

The two main components supplied byorganic amendments are carbon and water.The nitrogen and mineral content are indi-cators of the organic material's nutrientvalue. The nitrogen content, when corn-pared to the carbon content, also showshow well decomposed the organic fractionis.

Reed sedge peat had the only carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (23:1, dry weight basis) thatwould not tie up nitrogen. It was the mostdecomposed, and also had the highest cat-ion exchange capacity and humic acid con-tent. Canadian sphagnum ranked second inthese areas.

Based on the test data, the Dakota reedsedge peat has several attributes that makeit appealing as an amendment for high-per-formance rootzones.

The most significant test is for the char-acteristics of sand mixes containing theseamendments. The infiltration rate of thesand, supplied by P.W. Cillibrand Co., isvery high without an amendment, while the

4.317.113.114.912.2

1.61.51.31.41.4

water-holding capacity is very low.The interaction of an organic amend-

ment with the sand component will varyslightly from one sand to another. Allamendments enhanced the mix physicallyto some degree. All the mixes met the USGAcriteria for water holding and decreasedbulk density. Based on the C:N ratio andtotal carbon content, the rice hull compostdoes not fit USGA criteria. The fir barkproduct contains a better total carbon con-tent but has a high C:N ratio.

The lowest infiltration rate, still almost20 inches per hour, was for ten percentreed sedge peat and 90 percent sand. It isinteresting to note that this mix had a betterinfiltration rate and water holding capacityat a ten percent volume than the otheramendments at a 20 percent volume.

There have been some problems associ-ated with mixes that have high infiltrationrates and are made of materials with wideC:N ratios. The combination of nitro-gen/air competition, low nutrient reten-tion, and high infiltration rates can makethe turf grow-in period a prolonged anddifficult process. Even though the grow-inmay appear to be going well, the cost ofnitrogen and fungicide inputs is usuallyhigh. Some of the rice hull mixes observedin the field never achieved full grow-in, evenwith high nitrogen rates.

Based on the data collected on the fourorganic amendments, the Dakota reedsedge peat meets all the technical criterianecessary for construction of a high-sandrootzone. The Canadian sphagnum wouldbe the next best amendment.

There are significant differences amongorganic amendments mixed with sand inhigh-performance turf systems. By testingamendments prior to construction and fol-lowing specifications such as the USGA's,a turf system will establish quickly andperform well for years under reasonablemaintenance levels. GEditor's Note: Charles Dixon directs theTurf Services Division of K. w: Brown &Associates, Inc., College Station, TX

CHALKBOARD'Y

TIPS FROM THE PROSKENTUCKY BLUEGRASSES DESERVE BETTER IMAGE

Kentucky bluegrasses, the backboneof the golf and sports turf market inthe north, have been suffering from

an identity crisis lately. The volume of pro-prietary perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, andcreeping bentgrass has leaped during the'80s, partly at the expense of bluegrass.However, if you listen to turf breeders, theseed market relative to the golf and sportsturf industry has not yet stabilized. The juryis still out.

Development of improved Kentuckybluegrasses simply takes longer than othercool-season turfgrasses, While an excep-tional tall fescue or ryegrass can go fromtest plots to production in less than fiveyears, a better bluegrass takes ten or moreyears to get to market. Quite a few of thebig-name Kentucky bluegrasses on the mar-ket today have been around for more than15 years.

The primary improvement of Kentuckybluegrasses during the past 20 years hasbeen in the areas of disease resistance,shade tolerance, darker color, density, andheat and drought tolerance. Beginning inthe '60s, seed companies could patent im-proved varieties to get a return on theirresearch and marketing investment. Themarket began to swing away from commontypes toward proprietary varieties. Today,proprietaries dominate the golf and sportsturf market.

Research continues for bluegrasses thatrequire less frequent mowing, can be mixedwith turf type tall fescues, and have greaterresistance to regional disease problems.The goal has been to provide dense turf thatrequires less maintenance.

Meanwhile, the maintenance level ofgolf and athletic field turf has been increas-ing to meet the growing demand for safe,high-quality recreational turf areas. Use lev-els and higher standards are pushing turfto its limits. Golfers want fairways cut at1/2-inch, superintendents stretch theirwater supply by cutting back irrigation inthe roughs, coaches and players want low-cut fields like the pros, and groundskeepershave to make repairs in days instead ofmonths.

"Breeders have begun to focus more

attention on the requirements of the sportsturf industry for bluegrasses," explains Dr.Douglas Brede, director of research forJacklin Seed Co., Post Falls, 10. "A growingnumber of seed companies and universitieshave machines for testing the wear toler-ance of turfgrasses in their plots. Hopefully,wear testing will become part of NTEP's(National Turfgrass Evaluation Program)Kentucky bluegrass test going in this fall."

While U.S. breeders have been concen-trating heavily on density, dark color, andfine texture, their European counterpartshave been more concerned about wear tol-erance. European cultivars tend to be ligh-ter green, more wear tolerant, moreaggressive, and green up earlier in thespring. "The Europeans have been tortur-ing their grasses, while we have been hold-ing a beauty contest," says Brede. "It's amatter of priorities, and maybe it's time forus to change ours."

Virtually every seed company recom-mends that mixtures of two or three Ken-tucky bluegrasses should be sown toprovide the broadest protection against dis-eases, shade, and site conditions. Mixturesoffer the widest range of adaptation andallow flexibility where conditions varywithin the turf facility. The best-adaptedvariety will dominate the stand within a fewyears.

In residential and commercial turf,where traffic is not the primary concern,blends of moderately aggressive Kentuckybluegrasses have been fairly standard. Thisprevents one aggressive type from overtak-ing the stand. However, the aggressive com-ponent may not be best suited for diseaseor shade conditions and will be more proneto creating thatch.

For golf and sports turf, a certainamount of thatch is desired. The turf man-ager has the ability and equipment to man-age it. His primary needs are traffictolerance and rapid recovery. As far asdiseases are concerned, the main problemis overwatering, says Dr. Virgil Meier, turfbreeder for O.M. Scott & Sons in Marys-ville, OH. The use of a well designed, wellmanaged irrigation system plus adequatedrainage can go a long way in gaining

control over many diseases."Our results over the past two years

have been that the denser, more aggressivevarieties of each species have shown thebest traffic tolerance under our traffic sim-ulator," reveals Dr. William Meyer, directorof research for Turf Seed, Inc., in Hubbard,OR. "Comparing species, the perennialrye grasses are usually the most traffic tol-erant, followed by the better Kentucky blue-grasses and tall fescues."

It is also important to remember thatKentucky bluegrass is the only one of thesethree species that creeps. "Kentucky blue-grasses will cover two to three times thearea covered by ryegrasses or tall fescuesduring establishment," adds Meier. "Itshould be the base of any fairway of sportsfield north of the transition zone."

In the long run, bluegrass can take alower cut than perennial ryegrass," Meieradds. "Those turf managers who tried tomanage perennial ryegrass [without blue-grass] are switching back. They still userye grass for repairs and spot seeding, be-cause it germinates so quickly.

"Kentucky bluegrass should be mixedwith perennial ryegrass (50:50) duringoverseeding, once before the fall seasonand [then again] immediately after the sea-son ends. By the spring, you will haverestored the bluegrass base."

The slow rate of germination for Ken-tucky bluegrass is partially solved by mix-ing it with perennial ryegrass, In the future,seed priming and pregerrnination mayspeed up establishment by weeks. However,Kentucky bluegrass still needs time tospread and must be maintained throughoutthe growing season.

Superintendents and sports turf manag-ers can take advantage of modest pricereductions in many varieties of Kentuckybluegrass this fall. Most companies reportgood supplies and lower prices. However,some varieties are already sold out.

More specific comparisons of varietiesare available from the National TurfgrassEvaluation Program, c/o Kevin Morris,U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricul-tural Research Center, Beltsville, MD20705.

September, 1990 33

ROOKIES

GREENS CONDITIONINGATTACHMENT

Designed for use on Ransomes Greens3000 mower, the Verti-groom unit condi-tions and improves greens' surfaces by cutt-ing lateral growth and removing thatch.The result is a more consistent finish toeach green and a smoother putting surface.

The unit is mounted in front of a

,..,.PRODUCT UPDATE

grooved roller to shorten the distance be-tween the rollers, which reduces the inci-dence of scalping. It consists of 34 steelblades, each with five cutting teeth. Theblades rotate at high speed and are spacedfor optimum performance and minimumdamage from obstructions.

The attachment floats with undulationsin the turf and can be raised easily toprovide 1/2-inch ground clearance for nor-mal greens mowing. It driven by a toothedbelt and utilizes a simple hand-operatedclutch to disengage the drive for normalgreens mowing.RANSOMES, INC.Circle 179 on Postage Free Card

MOISTURE SENSORThe Aquamiser microelectronic mois-

ture sensor automatically measures the rel-

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CaI/BOO-B73- TURF

~ S1ATE~~

~~;.........

TURFGRASSASSOCIATION

The NYSTATurf .. Grounds Exposition

Rochester Riverside Convention CenterRochester, New York

NOVEMBER 13-18, 1990Sponsored by the New York State Turfgrass Association

in cooperation with Cornell University

34 Golf & Sports TURF

ative change in soil moisture at the plantroot zone, compares it to the desired mois-ture levels set by the user, and prevents thesprinkler system from operating once therequired moisture levels are met. The uniteliminates the guess work of reprogram-ming to meet changing climatic conditions.

A valuable tool for irrigation manage-ment, the moisture sensor saves water andcan lower operation costs. One unit can beset to control a single valve, a group ofvalves, or an entire system on a singleprogram. Separate units can be installed tocontrol independent programs on the samecontroller. The moisture sensors adjust tomost types of soil and can be installed witheither new or existing irrigation systems.RAIN BIRD SALES, INC/TURF DN.Circle 183 on Postage Free Card

SOLID TINE AERATORSYSTEMS

Cushman has introduced tine holderattachments and 1/4-inch solid tines for theRyan GA 30 and GA 24 aerators. The tinesare designed for mid-summer and off-sea-son aeration to supplement regular springand fall core aeration treatments. They in-crease oxygen, nutrient, and water intaketo the turf rootzone but do not pull coresto the surface.

The system for the GA 30 aerator in-cludes "quint" tine holders with five 1/4-inch solid steel tines and adjustablespacing. The GA 24 unit can be equippedwith quad tine holders with four 1/4-inchtines and one-by-one-inch spacing.CUSHMAN, INC.Circle 175 on Postage Free Card

Circle 109 on Postage Free Card

ROOKIES...PRODUCT UPDATE

FERTILIZERSHumax fertilizers are a viable alternative

to chemical-based products. Using a colloi-dal process, the company has developed aline of 3-2-0 fertilizers that makes efficientuse of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium.By combining these essential plant nutri-ents with the advantages of organic mate-rial in the soil, the fertilizer creates an idealgrowing environment

The Humax Base reactor process breaksdown organic waste materials into humicacid. Fertilizer nutrients are then attachedto these humic acid molecules to form alarge organic colloid, with nutrients readilyavailable for plant uptake.

These newly bonded nutrients -are thenheld stable in the plants' root systems,which increases, draws out, and strength-ens their feeding capacity. By creating awell balanced, ecologically sound, and bio-

logically active soil structure, fewer applica-tions are required and less water is neededto maintain growth.HUMAXCORP.Circle 191 on Postage Free Card

ADJUSTABLE ARCSPRINKLERS

Designed for sports fields, golf courses,and other large turf areas, Hunter 1-10-ADSsprinklers can be set simply at any arcbetween 40 and 360 degrees with the wateron or off. For installations requiring full-cir-cle coverage, this sprinkler is also availableas Model 1-40-36S,a fixed, 360-degree full-circle unit.

Both models come with five inter-changeable nozzles to vary the radius anddischarge rate. The radius can be varied

from 45 to 67 feet and the discharge ratecan be adjusted from seven to 25.3 gpm,

HUNTER INDUSTRIESCircle 187 on Postage Free Card

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38 Golf & SportsTURF Circle 193 on Postage Free Card

®BPpa- rllniuol'

WHAT IS TERRA-GREEN?It's a montmorillonite mineral. It's sterile, has a neutral pH and iscompletely inert. Its remarkable porosity soaks up water, createsmaximum drainage in any soils. With Terra-Green, soils won't packdown, so turfs stay porous - remain moist even in hot weather. Itretards fungus and algae. It encourages nutrient transfer and deliversmore oxygen to the root zone to promote deep, healthy root growth.

HOW TERRA-GREEN WORKSThe small granules of pure, inorganic mineral rapidly absorb and storewater in thousands of little pores and capillaries and hold it insuspension in surface crevices for gradual release to thirsty roots. Kilnprocessing super hardens the granules for permanent stability andlong-term effectiveness in the soil. Because the granules are chemicallyneutral and inert, they are completely safe to handle and apply.

HOW TO APPLY TERRA-GREENAfter Aerifying: Rake or drag one 50-lb bag per 200 sq. ft. into aerifiedholes.Without Aerifying: Spread one 50 lb. bag per 500 sq. ft. to leveldepressions, dilute thatch, increase drainage. May also be used withsand and soil mixes.New Construction: Use as 15 to 35 per cent component of top-soillayer. See table at left.

520 North Michigan AveChicago, Illinois 60611Phone 312-321-1515800-621-7191

The information in this data sheet is believed to be accurate. However, each purchaser should make its own test todetermine the suitability of the product for its purposes. OIL-DRI CORPORATION OF AMERICA MAKES NOWARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCT and assumes no responsibility lor anyrisk or liability arising from use 01 the information or the product. Statements about the product should not be con-strued as recommendations to use the product in infringement of any patent.

Circle 105 on Postage Free Card

ROOKIES

COLOREDPOLYETHYLENE PIPE

Distinguished by its blue color, TrueBlue polyethylene pipe combines schedule40 PVC fittings with polyethylene pipethrough a simple solvent weld process. It isdesigned to improve poly pipe flow charac-teristics, expedite installation, and reducelabor and material costs.

The pipe is available in 100- to 400-footlengths, in 1/2·, 3/4-, one-, 1-1/4-, 1-1/2-,and two-inch sizes.P.E. SALESCircle 195 on Postage Free Card

...PRODUCT UPDATE

RETRACTINGIRRIGATION REELS

Available in one-, 1-1/4-, 1-1/2, and two-inch hose diameters, Orma leader reels usehigh-efficiency turbines to operate with nowater loss and minimal pressure loss.

GreenGraphics®

Permanent Turf ColorantThis unique water-based, concentrated colorsatin coating is intended to provide realisticgreen coloration in the event ofdrought, distress or winterdormancy.For golf greens, teesand fairways; sodfarms; public yards;sports fields; courtyardsand patios in public buildings;and residential lawns.GreenGraphics® Green is apermanent turf colorant thatwill last all season, providingexceptional colorretention, even in high traffic areas.

GreenGraphics Company and ournetwork of distributors will

show you how to get the mostfrom your turf managment

program when you makeGreenGraphics® Green part

of your game plan.We also can provide you with a variety

of products that can be used to applyGreenGraphics® Green which will make the

job easier and more satisfying.By the way, we hope you can take a

compliment because you're sure toget plenty. You might even be

tempted to share your littleGREEN secret! Naaaa.

Jim Wellborn-Green Graphics Company1-800-544-8523

Colorants, Field Marking Products, SprayersPO Box 35224, Albuquerque, NM 87176-5224

40 Golf & Sports TURF Circle 202 on Postage Free Card

© 1990 GreenGraphics Company

A low working pressure of four psi andautomatic water shutoff enables the reelsto be used on almost any job site. Theproducts' heavy construction makes themideal for commercial applications.AR ASSOCIATES, INC.Circle 166 on Postage Free Card

SELF-PROPELLEDSTRIPER

The TMS-4 self-propelled striping ma-chine has a simple friction drive system.Powered by an eight-lip air-cooled engineand a 13.2 cfrn twin-cylinder cast iron com-pressor, the unit can spray a single one- ortwo-inch wide line or two six-inch parallellines simultaneously.

An hand gun can be added for sprayingcurbs, stencils, poles, etc. A reflective beaddispenser and gun purge system are alsoavailable.NEWSTRIPE, INC.Circle 199 on Postage Free Card

BLOWERThe Salsco 300-Series line of walk-be-

hind blowers have balanced impellers andprovide both side and forward air streams.Certain models are also equipped with adebris intake for removing remaining de-bris.

Constructed of heavy-duty steel, theunits are durable and finely balanced forsmooth operation.SALSCO, INC.Circle 162 on Postage Free Card