The following is an excerpt. To read the full article, click here. How do different paints and pigments affect the surface temperature of greens? The practice of overseeding bermudagrass greens for the winter is growing less common with each passing season. There are three major reasons for this trend. First, a difficult economy has superintendents seeking ways…

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DO IT DIFFERENT…DO IT BETTER: Whether you think about it or not, you are in direct competition with other golf courses for every golfer who puts a tee in the ground. Money that is spent to play golf is what is called discretionary spending. If the experience that a golfer has at your facility isn’t…

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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…

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Role: 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…

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A New Year’s Resolution we all have in common, to challenge ourselves and “Hit the Reset Button” 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…

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Earlier this year Harrell’s ran the first annual Harrell’s Family Photo Contest with divisions and categories for Horticulture, Turf and LCO. We received many outstanding entries. Entrants were competing for the winning division purse of $100 and $25 for each category. We’re happy to announce the following winners: Horticulture Division Winner ($100) and Horticulture Production/Container Winner ($25) Horticulture Beauty/Nature…

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Many golf course superintendents have found that turf colorants can be utilized to improve fall/winter color whether it is cool- or warm-season turfgrasses.  There are many turf colorants on the market and all of these will add color, but the difference between these products is how long the color lasts. Turf colorants can be divided into…

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The Virginia Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Assistants Forum is Monday, November 7 at Dominion Valley CC, Haymarket, VA. The VGCSA Assistants Forum is designed as a career development program for assistant superintendents and crew members involved in golf course operations.  VGCSA membership is not required.  Superintendents are encouraged to accompany their…

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Are you hearing the term ‘EOP’ being thrown around and wondering what it means? The Early Order Program season is upon us giving golf, horticulture and turf & landscape customers the opportunity to purchase products from Harrell’s, Bayer, Syngenta, Dow, BASF, Dupont, Valent and Cleary’s, among others, at discounts, with extended terms or with other…

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Experienced superintendents understand the value of “hardening-off” the plant long before winter dormancy. Many supers will incorporate 2 – 4 pounds of actual Potassium into their greens aerification program in August or September. Potassium will help to thicken the cell wall thereby helping the plant survive winter desiccation and the freeze/thaw cycles that are so…

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Poa annua, unlike our northern snowbird friends, is an undesirable annual visitor to golf courses in the southern United States.  Its light green color and numerous seedheads make poa annua the most troublesome winter annual weed in southern turf. Controlling Poa annua effectively begins with a basic understanding of this annual plant’s biology.  Poa germinates when…

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Anthracnose basal rot is a very destructive crown rotting disease that affects creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass (poa annua) on putting greens. In the Midwest, the disease has been observed more often on creeping bentgrass than on annual bluegrass, but in the East, it affects primarily poa annua. Disease development is most often associated with abiotic…

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These days, there’s a lot of buzz about the use of seaplant extract on turfgrass, which might sound a little weird.  We’ve all heard the expression “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”  We could easily say seaplant extract will keep the doctor away. Here’s how that works. Ascophyllum nodosum seaplant extract acts as a…

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In order to maintain healthy, strong turf that can withstand the extreme summer weather, turf managers need every edge in order to retain peak playing conditions during this stressful time. Preventing Summer Stress High temperatures cause the roots of many grass varieties to shorten and even die during the summer. Regrowth does occur with the onset of…

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Foliar feeding of turfgrass continues to gain in popularity among golf course superintendents around the country.  There are several reasons for this rise in dependency. Most importantly, foliar fertilizers can be absorbed rapidly by the plant so turf gets the nutrients it needs quickly and efficiently. This allows superintendents to get nutrients into the turfgrass even…

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