Turf Industry:

Careers in Turf

Institutional: Universities, Experiment Stations, Extension Services, USDA

Facilities: Airports, Cemetery, Lawn, Athletic Fields, Roadsides, Golf Courses

Manufacturing: Equipment, Fertilizers Pesticides, Seed and Sod

Servicing: Consultants, Contract Services, Architect, Labs

Turf: a covering of vegetation plus the matted upper stratum of soil filled with roots and/or rhizomes. Turfs are typically closely mowed and are uniform and low growing.

Turfgrass picked for use because:

·  Low growth habit

·  Prostrate with creeping tendency

·  High shoot density

·  Leaves (blades) are medium to fine texture

·  Strong regenerative powers

·  Strong perennial growth cycle (primary turf)

Practical Importance’s of turf grass:

Functional Purposes:

·  Soil erosion control

·  Dust stabilization

·  Heat dissipation

·  Noise abatement 15-45% decrease over 50 feet

·  Glare reduction

·  Good for safety reasons

·  Can improve air quality (600sqft can produce enough air for one person)

·  Water filter

Recreational Purposes:

·  Safety (cushion)

·  Can withstand traffic

·  Low cost surface cover

·  Looks better (aesthetically pleasing)

Ornamental Purposes:

·  Provides aesthetic quality

·  Mental health improvement

·  Better quality of life

Turf grass culture: the science and practice of establishing and maintaining turf for specialized purposes such as lawns, golf courses, roadsides, fields, etc.

Turf grass management: encompasses labor, supervision, record keeping, budgeting and cost accounting as well as cultural phases.

Levels of Maintenance

Cultural Intensity

Low…………...... High

Utility turf Lawn turf Sports turf Putting Greens

Types of turf stands

·  Utility turf exists primarily for soil stabilization roadsides airports etc

·  Lawn turf serve a decorative function

·  Sports turf provides enjoyment for players and observers turf must be safe for players and able to recover from wear

·  Putting Greens Highest intensity of turfgrass culture

Turf Quality

Is a function of the turfs utility, appearance and playability and varies with the type of turf stand

Six Components of Turf Quality (Visual)

·  Density – number of shoots/square area, the more you mow the denser the turf. Varies with species and cultivars of turf

·  Texture – measure of the width of leaf blade are blades wide, coarse, fine, thin? thinner, the higher quality

·  Uniformity –is the estimate of the even appearance of the turf is the area all same type of grass? Are there weeds present? Bare spots? Insect damage?

·  Color – measure of light reflected by the turf good indicator of turf quality dark green, medium green

·  Growth Habit –type of shoot growth. upright growth habit or spreading stoloniferous, rhizomes, bunch type

·  Smoothness –Surface feature of a turf that affects visual quality and playability cut by dull blade? Not cleanly cut, cut too low

Eight Functions of Turf Quality

·  Rigidity – reaction against compression and is related to the wear resistance of the turf

·  Elasticity – ability to spring back from traffic, etc.

·  Resiliency – the capacity of the grass to absorb shock – thickness of thatch up to ½ inch good for cushion

·  Ball roll is the average distance a ball travels upon being released to a turf surface

·  Yield – amount of clippings per green/ 1000sqft ( indicator of problem if little or no clippings are collected)

·  Verdure is a measure of the aerial shoots remaining after mowing good indicator to compare different cultivars maintained at the same levels

·  Rooting – good roots? Amount of root growth anytime of year (no roots, no grass) Cool season grass more root growth in the spring and fall less in the summer/warm season grass more growth in the summer

·  Recuperative Potential – ability to recover from injury or fill in bare areas (spreading Vs Bunch type growth habit)

Turf grass / Recuperative Rates / Warm/Cold Season
Bermuda grass / Excellent / W
Bahia grass / Poor / W
Red Fescue / Intermediate / C
Zoysia grass / Excellent / W
Kentucky Bluegrass / Good / C
Carpet grass / Intermediate / W
Centipede grass / Poor / W
Kiku grass / Excellent / W
Colonial Bentgrass / Intermediate / C
Tall Fescue / Poor / C
Perennial Ryegrass / Very Poor / C
Creeping Bentgrass / Good / C
St. Augustine grass / Good / W

Turfgrass Management

Defined as a range of activities, including cultural practices for establishing and sustaining turf at a desired level of quality.

Proper turfgrass management involves:

1  Selection of well adapted turfgrass

2  Acceptable establishment procedures

3  Proper mowing, fertilization, and irrigation practices

4  Proper cultivation and associated practices

5  Proper pesticide selection and use

Turf management involves determining the level of turfgrass quality desired and developing a comprehensive program of culture that will achieve and maintain that level of quality High quality turf =greater cultural intensity=greater technical expertise=greater operational capability