Sportsfield Management September 2024 | Page 19

TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT
we choose all influence the community of plants — and , as a result , the competitiveness of the many organisms in our sports fields . Because of this …
Fine fescue ( foreground ) and tall fescue ( background ) during a hot summer day in Logan , Utah . The fine fescue is heat stressed and drought stressed , and very sensitive to damage from the mower . Tall fescue , which maintains active growth more in hot and dry conditions like this , is not affected . Photo by Paul Johnson , Ph . D .
Principle 1 : Landscape management is the management of competition between the desirable and the undesirable . Our many management practices are meant to enhance the competitiveness of the plants we want to thrive , and discourage growth of the plants ( and pests ) we don ’ t want . Everything we do in turfgrass management relates to this , and the other principles follow . An aspect of this first principle is …
Principle 2 : All plants are different in response to the major growth factors of temperature , water , light , nutrients and air . Cool-season grasses grow best during the spring and fall in temperate regions , so we often focus on many of the primary management practices during that time . By doing so , we favor the cool-season grasses we want , and discourage the warm-season weeds that are also present . Then the grasses are better prepared to tolerate and survive the stressful conditions of our warm to hot summers . Similarly , a golf course superintendent may reduce their phosphorous fertilizer applications to keep those levels low in the soil , which reduces the competitiveness of Poa annua seedlings . The environment , what management we do , and the species
Principle 3 : There is an optimum set of conditions ( major growth factors ) under which any plant type will be most competitive . In turf , we manage plants in a way that they aren ’ t growing in an optimal way but instead may be more competitive in the overall population . A good example here is mowing . My students are often surprised when I tell them that when their parents forced them to mow the lawn , they were doing possibly the most important management practice there is on turf — mowing . Turfgrasses might grow more optimally if they weren ’ t mowed , since mowing is a stress on the plant by removing carbohydrate-producing leaves . But much more than that , the act of mowing reduces the competitiveness of most other plants — weeds . Only a few species of plant can tolerate the frequent defoliation of mowing and grazing . However , mowing can be too much , which leads to ...
Principle 4 : There are limits of tolerance related to conditions under which turfgrasses grow . If mowing gets too intense and too low , along with other conditions , the grasses may no longer be able to tolerate it . Golf course putting greens are a good example here . U . S . Open courses are known for their fast greens created by very low mowing and dry conditions . If those conditions go on for too long ( thanks to an extra day of play if there is a tie at the end of regulation ) or if there is excessive hot weather , those stresses may tip the conditions over the grass ’ s tolerance no matter the skill of the superintendent . However , those limits of tolerance don ’ t occur with just one of the growth factors because …
Principle 5 : The major growth factors are like a web — many interactions . If one factor is changed , the response to others is altered . Just like a spider web , a turf manager can ’ t change one of their management practices and have it not impact the effects of another condition . You pull on one string , they all move to some extent . Like the previous example of low mowing , that stress will likely reduce the grass ’ s tolerance to heat stress because of shorter roots and fewer carbohydrate resources . If you need the grass to grow more and apply more nitrogen , the turf likely will need more irrigation or water as a result . If you irrigate too much , sportsfieldmanagementonline . com September 2024 | SportsField Management
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