Golfdom, February 2019

FROM THE ARCHIVE The Golfdom Benjamin Franklin once said An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure Noted turfgrass scientist and three time GCSAA Distinguished Service Award winner O J Noer likely would have agreed with him Noer frequently offered his recommendations for developing quality turf through a solid fertilization program and planning ahead for turf pests and diseases The following article was printed in the May 1949 issue the second in a series on fairway turf In it Noer discussed topics that included proper fertilization techniques white grubs leaf spot disease aerification and lime usage To read the full article visit golfdom com exclusive Developing fine turf with aid of fertilizers and chemicals By O J NOer Fertilization of established fairways Fertilization is the clue to increased turf density provided other unfavorable factors have been corrected Phosphate and potash are needed by every plant but play a secondary role on established fairways because clippings are not removed Nevertheless the first step in formulating a fertilizer program is to decide whether the soil supply of these elements is adequate If not they should be applied so nitrogen can do its work and produce a dense uniform coverage of turf Potash rarely needed Fairways seldom need potash fertilizer because most soils contain an abundance of it The soil supply is replenished when the clippings decay The use of potash without adequate amounts of nitrogen encourages clover Poor sandy soil and the peats are the only ones that may need potash occasionally An application of 60 percent grade muriate of potash at 100 to 200 pounds per acre is ample Phosphate overemphasized The need for phosphate on established fairways has been overemphasized by some It should be used liberally only on soils known to be deficient or where reseeding is necessary The initial application should furnish 80 to 100 pounds per acre of actual phosphoric acid This amount is contained in 400 to 500 pounds superphosphate 20 percent grade After that a fertilizer containing one third to one half as much phosphoric acid as nitrogen will supply all the phosphorus fairway grass requires Phosphate alone or without enough nitrogen encourages clover also Nitrogen is the key to good fairway turf On established fairways nitrogen fertilization is the thing that causes grass to spread and form a dense turf When used in adequate amount it helps discourage clover and weeds There were good fairways before the days of sodium arsenite and 2 4 D both in the North and in the South The problem of crowding out clover and weeds was simpler with Bermuda but it was not too difficult on northern bent fairways Nitrogen imparts deep green color and is responsible for active growth more than any other element It is the sales promoter among plant food elements When phosphate and potash are applied alone or in combination the effect is seldom noticeable to the eye But put nitrogen with them or apply a little ammonium sulphate nitrate of soda etc and the effect is startling and like magic The grass becomes a beautiful dark green and starts to grow at an accelerated rate Because of this marked effect on top growth many conclude that nitrogen is the cause of shallow roots This is not true Nitrogen is an essential constituent of protein which is in turn a vital part of every plant cell Roots are made up of cells and need nitrogen just as much as leaves and stems The root system will be restricted when nitrogen is deficient Only when the use of nitrogen is grossly overdone does it tend to produce shallow roots On starved grass heavy rates of nitrogen are justified spring and fall until turf of desired density is obtained After that the rate can be reduced to bare maintenance requirements and possibly to only one application a year In crabgrass regions major nitrogen fertilization should be in the fall with smaller doses in the spring in order not to encourage crabgrass Farther north heavy spring feeding is feasible and desirable G February 2019 Golfdom 15 Golfdom com