Phosphorus fertilization study in winter (click for a larger view)

Role:

Phosphorus is the second most essential mineral element required for plant growth.  Phosphorus is required for plant energy metabolism.  In addition, Phosphorus is an integral component of compounds found in plant cells such as sugar-phosphate intermediates of respiration and photosynthesis.  Phosphorus is also vital in the carbohydrate transport system which moves energy to all parts of the plant. Phosphorus is a mobile element within the plant.

Phosphorus influences many turfgrass plant responses.  Phosphorus affects establishment, maturation, and seed production.  In addition, Phosphorus affects color and root development.

Requirement:

Turfgrass generally consists of 0.2 -0.4 % Phosphorus.  Table 1 provides specific Phosphorus sufficiency ranges from leaf analysis for turfgrass.

Table 1.  Sufficiency phosphorus ranges from leaf analysis for selected turfgrass types.

Uptake Sources:

Phosphorus is absorbed by plants in either the H₂PO₄^- or HPO₄^- forms.  In acidic soils, H₂PO₄^- predominates while the HPO₄^- form is present as soil pH increases.  At ideal soil pH levels (5.5-6.5) both forms are found.

Deficiency:

Phosphorus deficiency in turfgass is usually expressed by a darkening of the leaf tissue unlike Nitrogen deficiency where leaves become yellow and pale.  As the deficiency progresses, a reddish purple pigmentation along the leaf blade margins develops.  The purple coloration may be the result of excess anthocyanin production or sugar accumulation.  Older leaves generally are the first to express Phosphorus deficiency.

Phosphorus deficiencies are correctable.  In most cases, adjusting soil pH to levels within the ideal range increases Phosphorus availability such that plant availability is increased enough that a deficiency no longer occurs.  If a deficiency persists, then a granular Phosphorus application may be necessary utilizing Monoammonium Phosphate, Diammonium Phosphate, or Triple superphosphate sources of Phosphorus.

Jeff Higgins, Ph.D.

Spring is right around the corner…….This is a great time of the year as flowers begin blooming, birds are chirping, and the weeds are germinating! We should be thinking about applying preemergence herbicides real soon. As a matter of fact, a great way to determine the best time to apply these preemergence applied herbicides is the use of soil temperature. This is the most accurate means of proper application timing. Over time, many golf course superintendents have learned to coincide some biological occurrence with this timing, such as forsythia blooming or dogwood trees.

I recommend that you go to Wal-Mart or any store that carries cooking thermometers. Buy several of these thermometers and place them around the golf course in various places with different environmental and/or soil conditions. Mark the thermometers with a water permanent ink (Sharpie) at the two inch measurement from the pointed end of the thermometer. Place them in the soil to a depth of two inches (on the mark). For crabgrass, preemergence herbicides should be applied when soil temperatures at a two inch depth are 53 F for two consecutive days. For goosegrass, the timing is when soil temperatures reach 58 F at two inch depth for two consecutive days. Many superintendents will look at applying preemergence herbicides early to make sure they beat weed germination. This works, but the problem is loss of longevity. These herbicides work by producing a herbicide barrier that prevents the weed seed from germinating and becoming established. As this herbicide barrier becomes diluted over time, weed control becomes less effective. The longevity of control is based on herbicide, application rate, and application timing relative to weed germination. With a little bit of effort and data collection, a golf course superintendent can take all of the guessing out of preemergence weed control.

 Symptoms

• Brown to black lesions located on the upper surface of Buxus leaves. Disease usually first appears inside the heavy dense canopy of the plant, inspect the interior of the crop closely.
• White mycelium growth will appear over time on the underside of the leaves.
• Black sunken cankers can be found near the leaf petiole on infected plant stock. This quickly progresses to leaf drop.
• In severe infections, complete plant defoliation can occur. In optimal growing conditions these symptoms can progress in as little as 7-10 days. Boxwood Blight will not actually kill its host plant, it simply will defoliate it. However this usually opens the door for  secondary pathogens such as Volutella blight to enter the host plant. Be sure to run a pathology test before applying fungicides!
• Roots of the plant will remain healthy looking. This can be used to rule out rot diseases such as Phytophthora or Pythium which will kill the host plant’s roots.

Current Recommended Chemical Control Options –

• Palladium – Fludioxonil & Cyprodinil – Group 12 & 9 – 6oz/100 gals
• Pageant – Pyraclostrobin & Boscalid – Group 7 & 11 – 18oz/100 gals
• Terraguard SC – Triflumizole – Group 3 – 8oz/100 gals
• Medallion – Fludioxonil – Group 12 – 4oz/100 gals
• Heritage – Azoxystrobin – Group 11 – 4oz/100 gals

Spray on 21 day rotations when temperatures are between 40-80⁰F. Reliable spray programs should be applied alongside sound Best Management Practice recommendations. (See attached pages) Controlling this disease in the nursery is going to be key to limiting its spread, once it gets into the landscape, control will be very difficult!

In addition to being one of the nation’s largest distributors of branded fungicides, herbicides and insecticides, Harrell’s produces top-quality, custom blended fertilizers, specialty liquids, and wetting agents for the golf course, sports turf, landscape management, and horticulture industries. Harrell’s guarantees stringent quality control procedures, tight manufacturing specifications and careful selection of raw materials for each product that carries the Harrell’s name.  They are also the exclusive eastern formulator and a leading world distributor of POLYON®, the industry’s superior controlled-release fertilizer technology.  www.harrells.com

Portions of this release are adapted from literature from NCState and UConn extension agency.

There are a couple different ways that growers will produce these rose crops. The easiest way to do this is to be sitting on carryover roses from last year. Most growers will actually use last year’s crop for their first round of shipments, because these plants have already sized up and have received at least one cycle trim. These growers will simply apply a light topdress application in the spring to get them to market. We have a good blend for this application in our database; please contact tech services for the formulations.

The next way rose growers will raise a spring crop is to naturally allow the weather to wake them up from their winter dormancy. This is a common practice for some southern growers; they do not apply any extra heat source or forcing techniques, mother nature runs the show.

These growers will usually buy in bareroot stock plants from out West and can them in Feb-March. As the temperatures warm the plant wakes up and fertilizers start to release. During warm weather in the spring, soil salts need to be monitored and shouldn’t rise above 2.0 EC. Growers producing this way will usually incorporate a CRF charge during canning. Harrell’s also has a couple of good formulations for this application as well, thanks to Brad Sorenson! Please contact tech services for the formulations.

Growers with the luxury of having heated greenhouses go about raising their crops in a completely different way. Heat from an outside source is pumped into a closed greenhouse, so that environmental conditions can be manipulated. Most growers in the northern states utilize heated growing areas to raise high dollar crops like roses. With the added heat comes the need to monitor soil salts that much closer, especially on the warmer spring days.

Leaching may be necessary in some heated growing situations. It is common practice for these types of greenhouses to have roll up sides on them so that they can be vented on warmer days. These crops are usually easier to slow down and speed up, and give the grower the most flexible control on their schedule.

The last and toughest way to produce roses is to sweat them. This is common practice across the mid-Atlantic and how I produced them when I was at CP. Roses are brought in bareroot and canned up. They are placed into covered greenhouses, and then covered by a single layer of poly plastic, commonly referred to as a poly blanket. The extra covering helps to form a warm pocket of air underneath it and the buds will start to elongate within 10-14 days.

Crops will usually finish within 10-12 weeks, so resident crop time can be shortened. The added heat requires extremely close monitoring of soil salts, and crops usually require 1-2 leachings a week while the crops are sweating. Roses just like Easter lilies aren’t tough to produce if you monitor them closely. Contact your Harrell’s sales rep for further details!

What Is Winter (Low Temperature) Kill?

Low temperature or cold weather damage to plants is a collective term used to describe several forms of injury.  Death by cold is the consequence of damage to cell membranes and the breakdown of metabolism, primarily that involving nucleic acids, proteins, and energy to the cell. The major types of low-temperature injury are caused by:

Crown Hydration.  When turfgrass plants remain in or under constant moisture following a thaw, crowns of the plant can absorb (imbibe) high levels of water. If temperatures then decrease below freezing, ice crystals form within the plant cell walls (or intracellularly), rupturing them and, thereby, killing tissues. Intracellular freezing injury is common in spring when plants become de-acclimated, especially in low, poorly drained areas. Ice crystals can also form “extracellularly,” or in intercellular spaces between protoplasts and the cell wall. As ice crystals form, the vapor pressure becomes lower than in the protoplasts; thus, water is drawn from within the cells. The protoplasts then shrink in size and the concentration of dissolved substances, such as salt ions and organic acids, increase and become toxic via osmotic (or moisture stress) damage. If temperatures remain low for a long period of time, cells may become dehydrated to a point where injury or death occurs. Plants surviving winter are more successfully able to tolerate ice formation between cells (extracellularly). Extracellular freezing is most common during dry, cold weather on exposed sites, such as low mowed, sand sites such as golf greens or along hillsides exposed to winds. This occurs on turfgrass plants that are unprotected from wind and have limited soil moisture due to either drought conditions or low temperatures (frozen soil moisture). When temperatures rise above 32°F (0°C), turfgrass leaves lose water to the atmosphere due to pressure gradient created from the low humidity conditions. Consequently, turfgrasses dry out, causing desiccation of plant tissues and important plant proteins.

Direct Low-Temperature Exposure.  When turfgrass plants are exposed directly to a rapid decrease in temperature below 23°F (5°C), the injury can be lethal, resulting in significant stand loss. Turfgrass leaves initially appear water soaked, turn whitish-brown in color, and then turn dark brown. Low-temperature exposure causes plants to lose control of membrane function, resulting in solute leakage and, eventually, a water-soaked appearance. Damaged turfgrass tends to mat over the soil surface and emit a distinct putrid (rotten) odor.

Insufficiently hardened turfgrass plants have lush growth (or high moisture content) becoming more susceptible to direct low-temperature injury. Hydrated, non-hardy cells are more freeze susceptible than dehydrated, acclimated cells. Turfgrass plants become “hardened” by being exposed to gradual decreases in temperature and frosts prior to a drastic, sudden drop in temperature or a hard freeze. This hardening process (often referred to as osmotic adjustment) involves an environmentally induced 10 to 25 percent reduction in plant tissue water content and an accumulation of carbohydrate reserves. This reduces ice formation inside cells, preserving cell walls. Although intercellular water freezes at 14 to 23°F (-10 to -5°C), concentrated solutes from osmotic adjustment may serve like antifreeze agents, lowering plant cell freezing to -4 to -40°F (-20 to -40°C), depending on the type and amount of solutes present.

Desiccation.   Desiccation is caused by winds in combination with low relative humidity. This desiccation or “drying out” occurs on turfgrass plants that are unprotected from wind and have limited soil moisture due to either drought conditions or low temperatures (frozen soil moisture). When temperatures rise above 32°F (0°C), turfgrass leaves lose water to the atmosphere due to pressure gradient created from the low humidity conditions. Consequently, turfgrass crown, nodes, and roots dry out, causing desiccation of these plant tissues and important plant proteins. Plant injury from desiccation can result in significant losses of turfgrass. It is important to maintain adequate soil moisture during these conditions, especially in spring when turfgrass roots are developing, to prevent desiccation from occurring. If the area is not continuously covered by snow or ice, artificial covers are often placed to help protect the turf from desiccation.

Dr. Jeff Higgins is Vice President of Business Development, Harrells LLC.

Nitrogen is the mineral element that plants require the most.  Nitrogen is used primarily for chlorophyll production.  Furthermore, Nitrogen serves as constituent of many plant cell components, including amino acids and nucleic acids.  Nitrogen is a mobile element within the plant.

Nitrogen influences many turfgrass plant responses.  Nitrogen generally increased color and shoot growth.  Proper Nitrogen levels have a positive influence on carbohydrate formation, recuperative ability, density, and disease tolerance.  Excessive Nitrogen levels negatively influence lateral shoot growth and density, root growth, and disease tolerance.  Excessive Nitrogen also decreases stress tolerance associated with heat, cold, drought, and traffic.

Requirement:

Turfgrass generally consists of 2 -6 % Nitrogen.  Table 1 provides specific Nitrogen sufficiency ranges from leaf analysis for turfgrass.

Table 1.  Sufficiency nitrogen ranges from leaf analysis for selected turfgrass types.

Uptake Sources:

Foliar – For foliar absorption, urea is absorbed more than nitrate and ammonium.

Roots – Nitrate and ammonium are the primary forms of N absorbed by roots.

Deficiency:

Nitrogen deficiency in turfgass is usually expressed as a pale yellow-green colored referred to as chlorosis.  Chlorosis indicates a reduction in chlorophyll production.  Nitrogen deficiency is usually first expressed in lower (older) leaves.  Severe Nitrogen deficiency results in reduced shoot growth and density resulting in weak turf that has difficulty recovering from damage and stress.

Nitrogen deficiencies are easily correctable.  Both foliar and root targeted Nitrogen applications can quickly correct Nitrogen deficiencies in turfgrass.  The proper use of foliar and granular Nitrogen sources significantly reduces the chance that a Nitrogen deficiency will occur in turfgrass.

Nitrogen deficiency in turfgrass (left)

Nitrogen deficiency

Sources:

1. McCarty, L.B.  Best Golf Course Management Practices.  2001.
2. Taiz, L and Zeiger, E.  Plant Physiology.  1998
3. Photos provided by George H. Snyder, Ph.D.

Harrell’s aspires to Grow A Better World through excellence in service, integrity and value. Growth and success aside, the Harrell’s family remains focused on its mission to:

• Serve, honor and glorify God.
• Create an environment to empower and invest in our employees.
• Provide consistent quality products and service through innovative solutions.
• Create and grow loyal relationships through trust and integrity.
• Sustain growth through planned expansion.

God, the people, quality, service, integrity and planned expansion…Wow!  God in the mission statement! As soon as my first day on the job, I could see what everyone meant about ‘The People’. With a sales force over 90 strong, that’s a lot of Harrell’s people out there helping people grow turf and plants. ‘The People’, helping people. Like myself, there are many many of ‘The People’ who work behind the scenes to support our sales team. More people helping more people. At Harrell’s it truly is ‘The People’.

At the recent 2011 National Sales Meeting, I had the honor of meeting just about every member of the sales team, including the eleven or so new sales representatives who joined the family the same time as I did or more recently (A big thank you to the newer people for taking over as the ‘new person’ for me):  Matt Shultz – Mid-Atlantic Horticulture, Rebecca Bond – Southeast Horticulture, Nicholas Cole – Florida Golf, Adam Wright – Florida Golf, Pete Kiraly – Midwest Golf , Al Pondel – Midwest Golf, Kathy Conard – Mid-Atlantic Golf , Jack Harrell, III – Florida Golf, Matt Marlow – North Carolina Turf & Landscape, Tristan Rosado – Florida Turf and Landscape, Brad Babicz – Florida turf and Landscape, Chris Falletta –  Florida Turf and Landscape, and Chris Wiegand – Georgia Turf and Landscape.

This year, Harrell’s implemented the Rookie Sales Person of the Year award. This award is given to a sales representative who has been employed at least a year, but not more than two years and who has embraced the Harrell’s mission while being an effective and productive resource to the customers in their territory. The 2011 Rookie Sales Person of the Year was awarded to Brad Babicz of Florida.

Way to go Brad! (I’m a little loyal to Brad, having been in the same new employee orientation and both being USF graduates!)

In addition to the sales force, the National Sales Meeting brought together many of the operations, IT, Marketing, Accounting and Human Resources staff. You see with more than twelve locations in the South, mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Northeast regions of this great country, it takes a few people to keep things running smoothly. Harrell’s implemented the Sales Support Person of the Year award. The Sales Support Person of the Year among other things, is someone who exemplifies the mission through their positive attitude, service minded interaction with other company employees, attention to detail and follow through, overall professionalism and positive image, efficient and effective management of their responsibilities, customer relations, embraces growth and change, is self-motivated and exhibits leadership qualities.  The 2011 Sales Support Person of the Year was Garry MacKrell from the Butler, PA location.

Congratulations, Garry!

If it weren’t for our knowledgeable sales force, those of us in non-sales positions at Harrell’s wouldn’t be needed. My job is to help the sales reps do their job, so when Jack Harrell, Jr. began announcing the nominees for Sales Person of the Year, I sat a little straighter in my chair. The Sales Person of the Year among other things, is someone who embodies the mission with a positive attitude, efficiently and effectively maintains consistent growth in his/her territory with exceptional customer relations and professionalism. In addition, the Sales Person of the Year collaborates well with other company employees, embraces new ideas, procedures and products and exhibits leadership among their peers. The 2011 Sales Person of the Year was Lee Crosby of Florida.

Woot! Woot! Way to go, Lee.

There are so many deserving people at Harrell’s eligible for each of these awards. Truthfully, I don’t know how the Executive Team is ever able to pick just one person, but somehow they manage to determine one person who, for at least this year, gets to wear the crown.  No matter who wins the award, one thing is for sure…. it’s ‘The People’ that make Harrell’s, well….Harrell’s.

These bulbs are native to southern Japan where the soils are very rocky and alkaline in nature; keep this in mind when making soil recommendations to growers. Soils should drain quickly and have good aeration properties but also should be dense enough to be capable of keeping this tall crop upright in its pot (additions of calcinated clay can help with this). Irrigation should be routine however, especially during the budding stage, because prolonged dry periods and drought stress can lead to bud blast.

Most growers recommend a soil pH between 6.5-7.0. Lilies can tolerate heavy fertility regimes, but soil salts should not be allowed to creep above 2.0 EC. Supplemental calcium applications can be beneficial to this crop. Soil applications of dolomitic lime will help to maintain soil pH, while the occasional foliar application of chelated calcium, like MaxLine Calcium 32-64oz/100 gals will help to prevent leaf scorch in Easter lilies. Always run nutritional samples before making applications such as these!

Fungus Gnat larvae

Fluoride is notorious for being detrimental to Easter lily crops, so keep it out of your fertilizer blends! Avoid superphosphates as they commonly contain traces of fluoride. Perlite should be avoided in soil mixes because it too usually has some fluoride concentrations. Most growers will both incorporate a CRF package and run soluble feed every 10-14 days. Harrell’s 20-10-20 is a good candidate for this application. Some growers also prefer to routinely drench with a high quality phos. acid product – Harrell’s TitlePhyte is recommended.

Easter falls on April 8th this year, so probably about the 2nd – 3rd  week in March growers will start thinking about applying PGRs if their crops need to slow down, especially if we have a warm spring. It’s a good idea to get growers thinking about this now so they have them when they need them. Products such as A-Rest, Abide, Concise, Topflor, and Sumagic work well on lilies.

Lilies are prone to attacks from aphids, fungus gnats and bulb mites, most growers apply systemic insecticides to provide extended aphid control. Drenches with Citation or Adept work well against fungus gnats, many growers are starting to switch to using beneficial nematodes against these larvae however. And as for the bulb mite… good old Duraguard will knock this one out of the park, literally.

Fusarium on lavendar

Rhizoctonia, pythium and fusarium are the three major diseases to be concerned with when growing lilies. Hurricane, Medallion, Etridazolet, Pageant, and a phos acid like TitlePhyte are all good to have in rotation. Biologicals such as Harrell’s HuMax, Plantshield, Cease, and Mycotrol will help prevent these diseases from becoming established.

All in all lilies aren’t too tough to grow. Stay ahead of them and encourage growers to have an open and proactive mind, and Easter will be here before you know it!


References consulted:

• http://www.ag.auburn.edu/hort/landscape/Elily.htm
• http://gmpro.texterity.com/greenhousemanagement/201110/?folio=79#pg79

Here is an article at the University of Florida’s web site to help you get the basics of fertilizer: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss170

Please note that this article covers fertilizer labels in the state of Florida.

It’s 2012,  and it seems like there is no time to think anymore because life moves so fast. We receive information by the second through all sorts of technology and business never seems to place a closed sign in the door. It feels like if you stop for a moment, opportunities will wiz by you like a crowd in a subway station.  I find myself each year using the 6 days between Christmas and New Year’s evaluating the past year and focusing on new goals for myself. I find it to be a great time to develop many resolutions, many decisions to do or not to do something.  We often hear of the common goals of developing a better diet, drinking less, and perhaps quitting smoking. I use January 1^st as a new barometer to reinforce existing goals or to develop new challenges for myself.

This time of year takes me into our attic where we store our yearly holiday decorations, and of course I get side tracked by looking around in old boxes containing photographs, kids achievements etc. That attic is a yearly reminder to me of how fast life moves and helps me to focus on the goals that I have started for myself and want to finish, as well as the things that I need to let go.  I find it funny that an attic can be inspiring, but if you think about it, we place things up there for many reasons, so we can come back to them.

Hit the reset button.  “It is chance to make a fresh start.  It is a chance to take what you’ve learned and improve it. It is a chance to create the future you most want.”