On March 22nd I attended the 25th annual South Florida Turfgrass Exposition and Field Day at the University of Florida/IFAS Research and Education Center in Davie Florida. I attend this event each year because it is a great opportunity to see the latest research and test plots up close, and hear the scientists speak about their studies. Topics this year included insect and Whitefly management, new flower trials, coated sand's influence on localized dry spots, disease control programs for turf, and a nematode control update. For the afternoon session we had keynote speakers on the topics of identification and management of south Florida turf diseases, and turf nematode treatment options for 2012. If you have kept up with my blog, or read previous updates and articles I have written, you will recognize that many of the challenges we face at Stonebridge are being researched at the university. It was a very informative day, the weather was perfect, and I look forward to attending again next year.
In addition to the test plots and speakers many event sponsors brought in equipment and products to display. They also cooked us a great BBQ lunch under the tents!
As I mentioned above the University of Florida's Turfgrass Program has been researching new products and methods for eliminating localized dry spots. If you have been on the course this week you may have noticed that we have some. These spots form when a coating forms around the sand particles and the soil becomes hydrophobic, meaning it repells water. The brown spots that form are not a symptom of an inefficient irrigation system - our new system is working great. The spots are random, but tend to form in the same places. The remedy for these spots is to treat our irrigation water with a wetting agent, and do a lot of hand watering.
Jayme has a hose attached to an adaptor that plugs into a sprinkler body. This gives us the ability to spot water any area on the course with a hose. The hose end also has a canister built into it that holds a wetting agent tablet. Adding a wetting agent to the water helps to remove the coating on the sand that has made the soil hydrophobic. We go through these same conditions around the same time each year, and I suspect that you will be seeing more of Jayme and his hose setup around the course until we get into the rainy season!
