By Jim Murphy

Turf response to a uneven application of N fertilizer.

As the start of the 2013 growing season draws near, I thought an update on the Professional Fertilizer Applicator Certification and Training (ProFACT) program would be useful. Be advised that all professionals need to be certified or trained to apply fertilizer to turf in NJ. Additionally, all certified and trained professionals need to renew their certificate for 2013 before applying fertilizer in 2013. Recall the that N & P fertilizer cannot be applied to turf (lawns, park, sports fields, etc.) in NJ before March 1st. [Read more…]

By Bruce Clarke

Turf Bowl Competition:

Three teams of undergraduate students (four students to a team – including Tyler Astor, Greg Benz, Michael Chikos, Ryan Daddio, Nicholas Delmar, Kyle Genova, Kenneth MacNish, Mike Monzon, Jianlong Sun [Jason], Yuanshuo Qu [Henry], Lingcheng Zeng [Aaron], Lorabeth West,) from the Rutgers Turf Club competed in the 2013 Turf Bowl Competition at the International Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Conference and Trade Show in San Diego, CA on Thursday, February 7, 2013.

The Rutgers Teams placed 6^th, 14^th, and 48^th out of 68 university teams from throughout the United States and Canada.  Rich Hurley (Adjunct Professor, Plant Biology and Pathology), Sabrina Tirpak (Principal Lab Technician, Plant Diagnostic Laboratory; Plant Biology and Pathology) and Bruce Clarke (Extension Specialist, Plant Biology and Pathology; Director, Center for Turfgrass Science) assisted the Rutgers teams prepare for this year’s competition.  This was the first time that a Rutgers Team has cracked the Top 10 of this prestigious academic competition.  CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2013 RUTGERS TURF BOWL TEAMS!!!!

Source: Read More on the Rutgers Turf Blog

By Jim Murphy

The Rutgers Wear Simulator being operated on the 2006 National Tall Fescue Trial.

Hope your winter is going well.

We recently published on the web a fact sheet update on Tall Fescue Varieties for New Jersey Sports Fields.

This fact sheet discusses the characteristics of traffic tolerance, turfgrass quality, and susceptibility to brown patch disease (caused by Rhizoctonia solani). Traffic tolerant varieties are more persistent under the combined stresses of wear and compaction, which are very common on sports turfs. The variety recommendations in this fact sheet are based on research conducted at Rutgers University on the 2006 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) Tall Fescue Test. Data from other locations was also used for these recommendations.

By Bradley S. Park, Sports Turf Education & Research Coordinator &
James A. Murphy, Extension Specialist in Turf Management
Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet FS1186 | December 2012

Use of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) as a forage and conservation grass increased in the United States with the release of ‘Alta’ and ‘Kentucky 31’ in 1940. It has long been used for control of soil erosion along right-of-ways such as highway roadsides. By the 1960s, ‘Kentucky 31’ became more widely recognized as a useful turfgrass in the transition zone (boundary between the temperate and subtropical climates) of the United States due to its good heat tolerance and adaptation to a wide range of soil (pH, fertility and moisture) and light conditions.

• Selecting Varieties
• Purchasing Seed
• Establishment of Tall Fescue
• Maintenance of Tall Fescue for Sports Turf
• Performance of Tall Fescue Varieties

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