Killer Turf Diseases ConTrol sTraTeGies - The Paginator

The Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Magazine | May/June 2013 | Vol. 75, No. 3 

Killer 

Turf 

Diseases 

…Summer Patch and 

Gray Leaf Spot 

Control 

Strategies 

for Summer Annual 

Broadleaf Weeds

The Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Magazine • Turf NEWS 

3

Contents 

The Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Magazine 

May/June 2013 | Vol. 75, No. 3 

The Ohio Turfgrass Foundation 

1550 Old Henderson Rd., Ste. N-164 

Columbus, OH 43220 

Voice/Text: (614) 285-4683 

info@ohioturf.org | www.OhioTurfgrass.org 

Features 

6 OTF MEMBER 

Spotlight 

Meet Jim Walter, 

LawnAlive, LCC 

10 TURF TALK 

Killer Turf Diseases… 

Summer Patch and 

Gray Leaf Spot 

14 TURF TIPS 

Control Strategies 

for Summer Annual 

Broadleaf Weeds 

Departments 

6 President’s Message 

8 News from OSU 

17 Calendar of Events 

18 Index of Advertisers 

18 OSU Turf Science Team 

Turf News distributes useful and timely advice, 

information and research from Ohio’s most knowledgeable 

experts and professionals to OTF members 

and those in the turfgrass industry. 

Publisher 

Leading Edge Communications, LLC 

206 Bridge St. | Franklin, TN 37064 

Phone: (615) 790-3718 | Fax: (615) 794-4524 

info@leadingedgecommunications.com 

OTF Officers 

President 

Mike Dietrich 

John Deere Landscapes 

Nokomis, FL 

Vice President 

Don Lawrence 

Blanchard Valley Turf 

& Ornamental 

Findlay, OH 

Treasurer 

Ryan Gregoire 

Agricultural Design, Inc. 

Westfield Center, OH 

Past President 

Kim Kellogg 

Grasshopper Prop. Maint. 

Millersburg, OH 

Trustees 

Jim Dillard 

The Hill Company / 

Professional Growth Products 

Gahanna, OH 

Kyle Frederick 

Rattlesnake Ridge G.C. 

Sunbury, OH 

Tim Glorioso 

Toledo Country Club 

Toledo, OH 

Andrew Muntz 

Trupointe Cooperative, Inc. 

Columbus, OH 

Jason Straka 

Fry Straka Global Golf Course Design 

Columbus, OH 

Randy Tischer 

Green Velvet Sod Farms 

Bellbrook, OH 

Gina Zirkle 

Scotts Miracle-Gro 

Marysville, OH 

Director of Education 

John Street, Ph.D. 

The Ohio State University 

Columbus, OH | (614) 292-9091 

street.1@osu.edu 

Executive Director 

Brian Laurent 

Office: (614) 285-4683 

Cell: (614) 989-2445 

brian@ohioturf.org 

4 Turf NEWS • May/June 2013

President’s Message 

OTF Member 

Spotlight 

Giving 

You 

More 

for Your Membership Dollar 

Mike Dietrich 

2013 OTF President 

Value is defined as relative worth, merit or importance. It’s what organizations 

such as ours strive to provide to members, event participants and exhibitors. 

Your board of trustees and executive director have been working to provide 

you with more value for your investment in the Foundation. 

For starters, we’re working to enhance the interaction between our members. The new 

OTF website gives members an opportunity to maintain personal profile pages, blogs and 

more. It will provide you with an opportunity to participate in industry-specific forums 

to interact with your peers and trade ideas. As the season and its challenges continue to 

evolve, we hope that you will utilize this resource to learn from one another and expand 

your professional network. 

The OTF Turfgrass Research Field Day Committee recently recommended slight 

changes to give you more value for attending the event. This year’s Field Day (August 7) 

will feature fewer stops but more time at most stations. This will help researchers present 

more in-depth “take-home” information and will allow us to offer more ODA recertification 

credits. This year, we will also incorporate equipment and other product demonstrations. 

This will allow you to see, ask questions about and test (or see results) some of the 

latest products. For our industry partners, this gives you an opportunity to show off your 

products to hundreds of turfgrass managers in one day! 

Our Legislative Committee has done a tremendous job of staying involved and active 

in conversations pertaining to industry issues. For the second year in a row, we participated 

in Turfgrass Day at the Capitol in conjunction with other industry groups. Thanks to Gina 

Zirkle, Belinda Jones and Kristina McCann for their work in arranging this event during 

our Ohio Turfgrass Week celebration. The event continues to provide us with exposure at 

the Capitol to discuss legislation and to promote the benefits of turf and the importance 

of our industry. 

Finally, we’re continuing our work with the Ohio State Turf Team to provide you with 

regular updates via Weekly Clippings and Turf Tips emails. We hope that you find the 

information in these pieces useful in managing your facilities and businesses. The Turf 

Team at Ohio State is one of the most respected in the industry and one with which we 

are proud to be partners. If you’re not utilizing the Extension services available to you, I 

highly recommend that you consider doing so. 

If there are ways that we can enhance the value of your investment with OTF and the 

industry, please let us know. We are always looking for ways to improve! Thanks for your 

continued support of this Foundation and the turfgrass industry. 

Mike Dietrich 

2013 OTF President 

Meet Jim 

Walter, 

LawnAlive, LLC 

Jim’s job position with LawnAlive: 

Founder/Owner/Operator 

His educational background: 

The Ohio State University, BS in Horticulture/Business 

Administration; Baldwin- 

Wallace College, MBA 

Business location: 

Elyria, OH 

Favorite part of his job: 

“Managing my own business and watching 

it grow beautiful lawns.” 

OTF Member since 1981: 

“Being an OTF Member is important 

because it brings wisdom, power and professionalism 

to my business.” 

His best turf-related experiences: 

“One of my best OTF experiences was visiting 

the underground laboratory many years 

ago at OSU. It gave me great confidence and 

authority when speaking to a world concerned 

with ground water contamination. Also, getting 

to play golf on the legendary Inverness 

golf course years ago.” m 


News from OSU 

Donations 

of Equipment and Products 

Are Critical to the Operation of the Research Facility 

By Matt Williams, Program Coordinator, The Ohio State University 

As 

the growing season kicks 

into full gear, research 

trials are popping up all 

over at the OSU/OTF 

Turfgrass Research and Education Facility. 

The operation of the facility is a unique partnership 

between OSU, industry groups, turfgrass-oriented 

companies and turfgrass professionals. 

All of these groups contribute to 

the research center, and it couldn’t function 

without them. 

One of the most significant contributions 

comes from the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation. 

As a matter of fact, it is because of OTF that 

we have the facility from which we operate. 

In the late 1980s, it was clear that the OSU 

turfgrass research program was growing to the 

point that a new facility needed to be built. 

During these years, the OTF board of directors 

developed a plan to build a state-of-theart 

research facility and donate it to the University. 

Construction began in 1995, and the 

new building opened in 1996. 

Ever since then, OTF has provided the 

OSU turfgrass program with the annual operating 

budget for the research facility. This 

year’s budget is $60,000; this covers the dayto-day 

operations and long-term goals of the 

research center. These funds are used to pay 

student workers, purchase and service equipment, 

repair and maintain the irrigation system, 

purchase fuel and oil and take care of 

the building and grounds. This operating 

budget doesn’t include funds for large 

mowing equipment or many turf-maintenance 

products. 

The research center uses over 25 pieces 

of equipment to maintain the grounds and 

research areas. Most of this equipment has 

been donated or is on a seasonal loan. Typically, 

manufacturers will allow local dealers 

and distributors to loan equipment to the 

research center for a period of six months to 

one year. This season, we have equipment 

loaned to us from The Toro Company/ 

Century Equipment, Jacobsen/Baker Vehi- 


cle and Exmark/Buckeye Power Sales, as well 

as Bernhard and Company/Reynolds Golf 

and Turf. All the daily mowing and maintenance 

is done with these donated machines. 

These equipment loans are beneficial to 

both parties. The research center benefits by 

having the appropriate equipment to conduct 

the various research trials, which we would 

otherwise not have funding to purchase or 

lease. In addition, we are able to expose the 

15+ student workers at the facility to these 

products and train them on the latest in turfmaintenance 

technology. Also, our students 

in the turfgrass science program get to see 

and use this equipment during labs held at 

the farm. Moreover, having new equipment 

under warranty reduces maintenance costs. 

The equipment manufacturers and dealers 

benefit by having their equipment and 

brands exposed to the countless industry 

personnel that visit the facility every season. 

They also benefit by exposing their equipment 

to the student workers, student classes, 

industry tours and educational events at the 

facility. After all, these are the people who 

will be making purchasing decisions in the 

near future. The companies that loan equipment 

to the research center also appreciate 

feedback on their equipment. Often, we are 

loaned their latest equipment or prototypes 

and asked for input on ways to improve the 

machines before they are sent to the market. 

OTF members can also benefit from 

these equipment loans. At the end of the loan 

period, the local dealers are able to sell these 

units with very low hours at a reduced cost. 

Another essential support category is 

soft goods. This faction includes fertilizers, 

pesticide, seed, topdressing and sod. Most 

of the products that we use at the turf center 

have been donated by manufacturers and 

retailers. These companies find similar benefits 

as the companies that donate equipment. 

This year alone, we have received products 

and donations from The Andersons, 

Milorganite, Trupointe, Syngenta, FMC, 

BASF, Advance Turf Solutions, The Olen 

Corporation, Quali-Pro and Agrium. 

Although the university provides 

some support for building maintenance and 

repairs, the turfgrass research facility would 

not be possible without the generous support 

of the Ohio turfgrass industry. If you 

or your company is interested in donating 

products, services or supplies to the OTF/ 

OSU Turfgrass Research Facility, please 

contact Matt Williams at 614-292-6264 or 

williams.1278@osu.edu. m 


9

Turf Talk 

A single “patch” in a Kentucky bluegrass lawn; often, there 

is green turf in the middle of the infected patch. 

A lawn with extensive damage from patch disease. Note that 

there can be variable shapes and patterns of damaged turf. 

The plant crowns are often killed. 


By Joseph W. Rimelspach, Francesca Peduto Hand, Ph.D., and Todd E. Hicks, 

Dept. of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University 

The 

majority of 

turfgrass diseases 

in Ohio cause 

injury to plant 

leaves but are not a life-threatening problem. 

However, the following two diseases — summer 

patch and gray leaf spot — usually kill 

the infected plants and result in extensive 

renovation of the killed lawn, athletic field or 

golf fairway/roughs. Early detection or knowing 

if there is a history of these diseases 

is extremely important for successful management, 

as well as for setting proper customer 

expectations. 

The good news is that summer patch and 

gray leaf spot are not widespread, but when 

they are present in the turf, serious damage 

can result. Both diseases were reported and 

confirmed in Ohio last year, and both develop 

under their own set of summer stress environmental 

conditions. Be alert, and be knowledgeable 

on what to look for to accurately 

diagnose these, and be prepared to avoid 

problems and manage the diseases. 

Summer patch 

Diagnostic information 

Symptoms of summer patch, caused by 

Magnaporthe poae, are most prevalent and 

severe during hot, humid or wet weather on 

stressed turfgrass grown in poor, compacted 

soils. Soil pH does not appear to influence 

summer patch the way it does takeall 

patch. 

Disease colonization of the turf plant 

(roots, crowns and stems) begins when soil 

temperatures reach 65°F to 70°F, but symptoms 

generally don’t appear until later in the 

season when temperatures peak (85°F to 

95°F). Since the roots and stems are infected, 

the translocation of water is hindered and 

reduced, so the plants wilt and turn brown 

due to insufficient water. 

In turfgrass stands, the disease shows up as 

irregular patches, rings and crescents. Individual 

patches are typically about 12" in 

diameter, but they often coalesce. The roots, 

crowns and stems of heavily infected turf- 

grass are often severely darkened due to the 

presence of a large amount of ectotrophic 

runner hyphae (the fungus). This is a key 

diagnostic sign. 

Management and 

control strategy 

The first line of defense to preventing or minimizing 

summer patch is through the selection 

and/or use of disease-resistant turfgrass 

species/cultivars. Unfortunately, the use of 

genetically resistant turfgrass is limited to 

newly established or renovated turfgrass areas 

or in situations where overseeding is used. 

Many of the newly released Kentucky bluegrass 

varieties offer resistance to summer 

patch. Information regarding disease resistance 

can be obtained by contacting local turfgrass 

seed distributors, Extension specialists 

and the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program 

at http://www.ntep.org. 

Practical management of summer patch 

begins with the use of cultural practices 

designed to reduce stress and optimize 

A perennial ryegrass fairway with large sections killed by 

gray leaf spot. 

Predominately perennial ryegrass, this soccer field was killed by 

gray leaf spot. The only alive/green grass in the field were other 

species of cool-season grasses or bermudagrass. 


11

Turf Talk 

turfgrass health. Management practices that 

promote adequate drainage, reduce soil compaction 

and promote healthy root growth, 

along with an appropriate fertility program, 

are important to avoiding summer patch. 

Avoid the use of quick-release N fertilizers 

— the slower the nitrogen release, the 

better. For summer applications, use at least 

75% slow-release N materials. 

Also, use frequent irrigation to avoid 

moisture stress. Often, mid-day watering is 

recommended to avoid wilt, cool the plants 

and compensate for a weak root system. It is 

much like managing new sod without an 

established root system. Remember that the 

roots are infected and not functioning well, 

so compensate through careful management 

of fertility programs and irrigation. 

Manage the turf to maintain minimal 

thatch and to reduce soil compaction. Very 

heavy core cultivation is recommended at 

least twice a year. 

Fungicide management is difficult since 

the products must be placed in the crown and 

root system area to be affective. Applications 

also need to start early before the roots are 

infected (when soil temperatures at 2" reach 

65°F to 70°F for several days). For specific 

fungicides, refer to the OSU Turfgrass Pathology 

Program website at http://turfdisease. 

osu.edu. Look under Publications for the 

“Management of Turfgrass Diseases” bulletin 

(L-187 Disease Section). Always read the fungicide 

label, and follow all instructions. 

Gray leaf spot 

Diagnostic information 

Caused by the fungus Piriculia grisea, gray 

leaf spot is a devastating disease of perennial 

ryegrass turfgrass (Kentucky bluegrass, fine 

fescues, bentgrass and many perennial weedy 

grasses are not affected). Severe outbreaks 

look as if the turf has been scorched with 

a flamethrower! 

Initially, symptoms may appear similar 

to those of drought. The pathogen kills the 

plant by causing severe leaf blight. Part of the 

blighting process involves the production of 

phytotoxic chemicals that disrupt the normal 

biochemical and physiological balance within 

the turfgrass. Initial symptoms often appear 

as small pinprick lesions that may go unnoticed 

or mistaken as a less aggressive leaf spot 

disease. Under optimal environmental and 

host conditions, these small spots quickly turn 

into water-soaked spots, which then coalesce 

into water-soaked leaf tips, which then progress 

rapidly to twisted, necrotic leaf tips. 

In later stages of disease development, the 

sward may take on a gray color as a result of 

the mass production of conidia (spores) by 

the pathogen (hence its name, gray leaf spot). 

In most cases, the ryegrass will quickly die 

and appears as drought stress; however, the 

soil is wet, with plenty of moisture, and the 

relative humidity is high. In years when the 

disease is the most widespread in Ohio, there 

is a strong correlation to weather patterns of 

warm days and nights and high humidity and 

rainfall from the remains of hurricanes that 

trace through the state. 


During long periods of above-normal temperatures 

in summer and fall, gray leaf spot 

develops throughout the Midwest. Here in 

Ohio, the southern two-thirds of the state 

are primarily at risk; in 2006, 2007 and 2012, 

however, the disease was confirmed in the 

Toledo, Cleveland and Akron areas. The disease 

has been observed especially frequently 

on ryegrass athletic fields, golf course fairways 

and roughs and home lawns. More samples 

of gray leaf spot were confirmed at the OSU 

Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic in 2005 than 

in any other year, due to the ideal weather 

conditions that summer and fall. 

Management and 

control strategies 

• Reduce, limit or avoid nitrogen fertilizer in 

the summer. Avoid quick-release sources 

of nitrogen. 

• Irrigate in early morning, and avoid evening 

irrigation. Check the soil moisture 

level because the disease mimics drought 

stress. Over-watering caused by misdiagnosis 

increases the severity of this disease. 

• On athletic fields, be wary of using rain 

tarps during gray leaf spot-susceptible times. 

• Seed with a resistant type of turfgrass, such 

as Kentucky bluegrass or one of the fescues. 

Remember that seedling perennial ryegrasses 

are extremely susceptible to infection 

of gray leaf spot and can easily be 

killed if the disease is active. 

• New perennial ryegrass cultivars are being 

developed that show reduced susceptibility 

to the disease. For the latest trial 

results of perennial ryegrass, check with the 

National Turfgrass Evaluation Program at 

www.ntep.org. 

• To prevent damage, chemical management 

must be timely or at the earliest indication 

of the disease. For specific fungicides, refer 

to the OSU Turf grass Pathology Program 

website http://turfdisease.osu.edu. Look 

under Publications for the “Management 

of Turfgrass Diseases” bulletin (L-187 

Disease Section). Always read the fungicide 

label, and follow all instructions. 

Need help with 

diagnosing a problem? 

If you need to have a laboratory diagnosis to 

identify or confirm a turf problem, submit a 

sample to the C. Wayne Ellett Plant & Pest 

Diagnostic Clinic at The Ohio State University. 

Send turf samples to: 

201 Kottman Hall 

2021 Coffey Road 


For more information on collecting and 

submitting a sample, see the C. Wayne Ellett 

Plant & Pest Diagnostic Clinic website at 

http://ppdc.osu.edu. m 


13

Turf Tips 

Control Strategies for 

Summer Annual Broadleaf Weeds 

David Gardner, Ph.D., Dept. of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University 

Although fall is the best time 

to control perennial weeds (such 

as dandelion, the plantains and 

white clover), spring and early 

summer is the time to target annual broadleaf 

weeds. You should use either postemergence 

herbicides early in the weed’s life cycle 

or, if possible, the same preemergence herbicides 

you might already be using for crabgrass 

prevention. Use the guides (Figures 1 and 2, 

facing page) to determine what strategies to 

use to control your most common annual 

broadleaf weed problems. 

There have been many changes and 

additions to the list of broadleaf herbicides 

for use in turfgrass since the year 2000. 

Table 1 is an abbreviated list of combination 

herbicide products. The complete list can be 

found on page 12 of the September/October 

2011 issue of OTF Turf News (located at 

www.ohioturfgrass.org). Many of these combination 

products are more expensive, compared 

to standard three-way formulations 

such as 2,4-D, MCPP and dicamba. The 

products in this table, however, are excellent 

choices for summertime spot treatments in 

cases where crabgrass or yellow nutsedge are 

present in addition to summer annual broadleaf 

weeds. For annual broadleaf weeds, you 

may get better control by using a product 

that contains carfentrazone, sulfentrazone 

or pyraflufen-ethyl. If you have crabgrass, a 

product that contains quinclorac will provide 

control. And, if yellow nutsedge is present, 

choose a combination product that contains 

sulfentrazone. 

Summertime temperatures increase the 

chance of non-target injury to surrounding 

trees and ornamentals when using postemergence 

materials. The best control of weeds 

in cooler weather is with ester formulations 

of the phenoxy and pyridinoxy herbicides. 

As temperatures rise into the 60s and 

70s, however, the ester formulations become 

very volatile, and non-target injury can occur. 

Amine formulations will reduce this risk in 

warmer weather. 

Regardless of formulation, when air temperatures 

exceed 80°F to 85°F, postemer- 

gence broadleaf herbicides can cause phytotoxicity 

to the turf and should not be applied. 

Applications in this case are most advisable 

in the early morning hours. 

Cultural strategies to 

minimize annual broadleaf 

weed encroachment 

Mowing 

The cardinal rule of mowing is not to remove 

more than 1/3 of the leaf tissue with any 

one cutting. Removing excessive amounts 

of tissue results in scalping and is a tremendous 

burden on carbohydrate reserves. One 

of the easiest things to do in summertime is 

to avoid scalping. 

It is also generally recommended that the 

height of cut be increased to the maximum 

recommended for the species used. Taller turf 

uses more water, but the taller canopy also 

shades the soil surface and reduces evaporative 

loss from the soil. Taller-cut turf, there- 

fore, usually conserves more water than does 

shorter-cut turf. 

Another thing that you can do is to use a 

properly sharpened blade. This will reduce 

tearing of leaf tissue and reduce water loss 

through cuts in the leaf blade. 

Irrigation 

One of the easiest ways to damage a turf 

stand during the summer months is with 

haphazard and inconsistent irrigation. To 

avoid problems with drought damage, you 

should either water the turf correctly or allow 

it to go dormant. Dormancy is grasses’ natural 

mechanism to deal with moisture deficits 

and is actually less harmful to the stand than 

sporadic watering. If you do chose to irrigate 

throughout the summer months, it should be 

done so that water is applied deeply and infrequently 

(1" to 2" once or twice per week) 

and when the plant is just beginning to show 

signs of moisture stress. 

There are two easy methods of determining 

moisture stress — foot-printing and 

Table 1. Broadleaf herbicide combination products that have a broad spectrum of weed control, 

making them good choices for spot treatments of summertime weeds. Always consult the label 

prior to use. In addition to broadleaf weeds, products that contain quinclorac will have activity on 

crabgrass, and those that contain sulfentrazone will have activity of yellow nutsedge. 

2,4-D 

2,4-DP 

MCPA 

MCPP 

Dicamba 

Clopyralid 

Fluroxypyr 

Quinclorac 

Triclopyr 

Carfentrazone 

Sulfentrazone 

Pyrfaflufen 

Products 

Onetime 

Quincept 

Shutout 

Speedzone 

Powerzone 

Surge 

Q4 

Solitare 

4 Speed 

4 Speed XT 

T-Zone 

Note: Mention of trade names is for example only and does not constitute endorsement over other 

products that may be similar. 


Figure 1. Annual Broadleaf Weed Control Guide 

Controlling annual broadleaf weeds is easy if you use recommended herbicides and target their application to the time that the weed is most vulnerable. 

Knotweed (Sometimes confused with crabgrass when first emerging.) 

Mallow (Has a central taproot and does not root at the nodes like 

creeping Charlie.) 

Knotweed: Pendimethalin, prodiamine and dithiopyr are labeled, but 

you may want to use a postemergence material early in this weed’s life 

cycle. Knotweed germinates very early in the season, before the typical 

preemergence application window. If a preemergence is applied early 

enough for control, there may not be enough residual to control crabgrass 

and other annual grasses when they germinate. 

Mallow can be controlled with postemergence products early in its 

life cycle. 

Black medic (Short stem on end leaf distinguishes from white clover.) 

Black medic may be controlled with dithiopyr or with postemergence 

materials. 

Figure 2. Summer Annual Broadleaf Weed Control Guide 

Pigweed (May have reddish stem and taproot.) 

Purslane (Has fleshy leaves.) 

Spurge (Milky sap distinguishes from knotweed.) 

Oxalis (Yellow Woodsorrel) (Has heart-shaped leaves.) 

Pigweed, purslane, spurge and oxalis: These weeds germinate later in the season. Apply postemergence materials early in the life cycle, before 

seed set. These weeds may be partially controlled if you use a crabgrass preemergence herbicide. Prodiamine and dithiopyr are labeled for pigweed. 

Pendimethalin, prodiamine, dithiopyr, and oxadiazon are labeled for the others. Depending on conditions, however, there may not be sufficient preemergence 

residues remaining at germination time, and you may get breakthrough. Remember, since these weeds germinate later in the season, your best 

control is through proper cultural practices that maximize the competitiveness and density of the turfgrass. Pigweed and purslane, especially, are not 

competitive with a healthy turf stand and are more common at edges and in bare spots. 


15

Turf Tips 

color. If the plant is moisture stressed, it will 

not have turgid leaves. The result is that when 

you walk on the turf, your footprints will 

remain. Also, moisture-stressed grass takes on 

a different color or appearance — a bluishgray 

green. The nature of this color change 

is similar to what happens when you roll the 

turf to make striping on the field. When the 

leaf is moisture stressed, it begins to roll up 

in cross section, as pictured below. As the 

plants roll up, they reflect light differently 

than do turgid, flat leaves. That is what 

causes the change in appearance. 

Effect of Water Status on 

Appearance of Leaf Cross Section 

Just Rained 

Getting Dry 

Time to Water 

Drought 

Again, to avoid drought damage, commit 

to a regular irrigation schedule, or allow the 

grass to enter dormancy. Haphazard irrigation 

is the single worst thing you can do to 

the turf during the summertime. 

Fertilization 

Application timing is very important for 

minimizing weed encroachment in summer 

months. As a rule with cool-season turfgrasses, 

fertilizer should be applied lightly in 

the spring and more heavily in the fall. Heavy 

spring fertilizer applications promote more 

leaf tissue production (at the expense of carbohydrate 

reserves) and diminish the plants’ 

ability to withstand summer stress. 

Fertilization should be fairly minimal during 

the summer months (with applications 

primarily if the grass appears to be “hungry”), 

and this will depend on whether you irrigate 

or allow the turf to go dormant. A note of 

caution: some fertilizers have high physiological 

burn potential that is exacerbated by high 

temperatures. If, for example, you use potassium 

chloride (KCL), it should be applied 

when temperatures are below 70°F and then 

thoroughly watered in after application. 

Potassium sulfate is another option that is 

also safer to turf, but more expensive. m 


Calendar of Events 

August 7 

OTF Turfgrass Research 

Field Day 

September 30 

OTF Scholarship 

Golf Outing 

December 3–5 

OTF Conference 

and Show 

OTF Research & 

Education Facility 

2710 North Star Road 


Moraine Country Club 

4075 Southern Blvd. 

Dayton, OH 45429 

Greater Columbus 

Convention Center 

400 North High Street 


Turf News is the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation magazine. Subscriptions are complimentary to OTF members. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual 

authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, its board of directors, Turf News, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification 

as OTF members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in any issue of Turf News. Copyright ©2013 by the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation. 

Turf News is published bimonthly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of OTF. Presorted standard postage is paid at Nashville, TN. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and 

Submissions: OTF allows reprinting of material published here. Permission requests should be directed to OTF. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and 

photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, 

LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524. 


17

Advertiser Index 

Agrium Advanced Technoligies.......................13 

Aqua-Aid, Inc....................................................3 

www.aquaaid.com 

Barenbrug USA.................................Back Cover 

www.barusa.com 

Course & Club Golf Outfitters.......................16 

www.courseandclubgolf.com 

Gowan Company........................................9, 16 

www.gowanco.com 

Green Velvet Sod Farms Ltd...........................12 

www.greenvelvet.com 

Landmark Turf & Native Seed..........................3 

www.turfandnativeseed.com 

Leading Edge Communications.......................18 

www.LeadingEdgeCommunications.com 

Medina Sod Farms, Inc.....................................9 

www.medinasodfarms.com 

Syngenta..........................................................17 

Trebro Manufacturing, Inc....Inside Front Cover 

www.trebro.com 

Walker Supply, Inc............................................5 

www.walkersupplyinc.com 

WinField Solutions, LLC....... Inside Back Cover 

www.winfield.com 

OSU Turfgrass 

Science Team 

Horticulture & Crop Science 

Dr. Karl Danneberger 

danneberger.1@osu.edu 

Dr. David Gardner 

gardner.254@osu.edu 

Dr. Ray Miller 

miller.5@osu.edu 

Dr. John Street 

street.1@osu.edu 

Ms. Pamela Sherratt 

sherratt.1@osu.edu 

Mr. Matt Williams 

williams.1278@osu.edu 

Ms. Emily Horner 

horner.44@osu.edu 

School of Natural Resources 

Dr. Ed McCoy 

mccoy.13@osu.edu 

Entomology 

Dr. Parwinder Grewal 

grewal.4@osu.edu 

Dr. Dave Shetlar 

shetlar.1@osu.edu 

Ms. Jennifer Andon 

andon.1@osu.edu 

Ms. Barbara Bloetscher 

bloetscher.1@osu.edu 

Plant Pathology 

Dr. Francesca Peduto Hand 

pedutohand.1@osu.edu 

Mr. Todd Hicks 

hicks.19@osu.edu 

Mr. Joseph Rimelspach 

rimelspach.1@osu.edu 

Ag. Tech. Institute 

Dr. Daniel Voltz 

voltz.5@osu.edu 

Mr. David Willoughby 

willoughby.18@osu.edu 

Athletics 

Mr. Dennis Bowsher 

bowsher.33@osu.edu 

Mr. Brian Gimbel 

gimbel.1@osu.edu 

International Programs 

Mr. Mike O’Keeffe 

okeeffe.1@osu.edu

Killer Turf Diseases ConTrol sTraTeGies - The Paginator

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