Browse Turfgrass Stories - Page 6

Last year many lawns across the state didn’t receive enough rainfall for the grass to grow, photosynthesize and make carbohydrate reserves. Turfgrass that experienced this lack of rainfall will likely be slow to green up this spring. If rainfall totals return to normal this spring, lawns will recover, but they may do so at a slower rate because the production of reserves was compromised last fall. For example, a lawn that would typically be fully green and growing in mid-May might take until late May or June to green up. A two- to four-week delay in green-up of warm-season grasses may be common this spring.

The 71st annual Southeastern Turfgrass Conference will be held on Tuesday, May 16, at the Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Georgia.

If ever there was a year to seriously consider core aerification, this is it!

Fall is typically when homeowners make changes to their landscapes, like adding new plants and trees. Some 110 Georgia counties are suffering from drought conditions, but both Level 1 and 2 drought response allow for irrigation of personal food gardens at any time of day, and new and replanted plants, seeds and turfgrass can be watered for 30 days after installation.

New Jersey native David Jespersen was selected to fill retired UGA turfgrass physiologist Bob Carrow’s position based in part on his research on the effects of heat stress on creeping bentgrass. Jespersen is adjusting to life in the South and to working on a small extended university campus.

Georgia farmers are never surprised to see fall armyworms munching on their precious corn, sorghum and forage hay crops. They just hope for a low number of armyworms. This year’s population of the tiny destroyers, described as an “Armageddon-type outbreak” by University of Georgia entomologist David Buntin, is far from low.

From watching how a peach is picked, packaged and delivered, to learning how federal and state regulators ensure that only the highest quality produce is shipped from Georgia, the fourth annual state agriculture tour covered a wide range of agricultural topics.

Genetically modified foods are tested for safety testing before they reach the marketplace. It can take over a decade and cost tens of millions of dollars, and as a result, GMOs are the most safety-tested foods in history, says University of Georgia plant breeding and plant genetics expert Wayne Parrott.

Whether you're a homeowner, new landscape company owner or a veteran golf course superintendent, you'll find the latest research-based information on growing and maintaining turfgrass at the University of Georgia Turfgrass Research Field Day.