PS 310 Introduction to Turfgrass Management Syllabus Fall Semester Leon Johnson Hall

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1 PS 310 Introduction to Turfgrass Management Syllabus Fall Semester 2006 Instructor: Tracy A.O. Dougher 314 Leon Johnson Hall Office Hours: Class: M, W 10:00-10:50am, PGC 211 Lab: F 8:00-9:50am, PGC 211 F 10:00-11:50am, PGC 211 Required Text: Fundamentals of Turfgrass Management, 2 nd edition, by Nick Christians Prerequisites: BIOL 101, MATH 150 or higher Overview/Objective: I expect you to be able to grow and maintain turfgrass which includes knowing propagation, establishment, mowing, irrigation, and pest control methods. I expect you to understand the inherent properties of a site that effect turfgrass growth, including soil characteristics, fertilizers, and irrigation. I expect you will be able to identify Northern and Southern turfgrasses and understand the adaptabilities each. Grading: Lecture Exams 100 points each) 300 Lecture Quizzes 5 points each) 50 Lab Assignments 30 points each) 270 Field Trips 10 points each) 20 ID Exam 60 Final Project 300 Total 1000 grade grade A 93% D % A % D 63-66% B % D % B 83-86% F 59% B % C % C 73-76% C % THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP FOR EXAMS MISSED, UNLESS YOU HAVE A DOCTOR S SIGNATURE OR INSTRUCTOR S SIGNED EXCUSE (prior arrangements must be made for the latter). Lectures and Lecture Exams: Lectures are taken from many different sources. Much of the lecture material will be in your textbook, but will also include material in handouts and on the internet. While each exam will emphasize the most recently covered materials, all exams are cumulative. Old exams and potential questions, as well as lecture questions are posted on the internet at WebCT. Grades will also be posted at this website. Lecture Quizzes: Lecture quizzes will be handed out promptly at the beginning of lecture. Five minutes will be given for the quiz. Answers will be discussed directly after the quiz. Lab Assignments: Lab assignments will range from lab reports to calculations to plant maintenance. Assignments are due the following lab period unless otherwise noted. 1

2 Field Trips: We will be taking two field trips to turf-related industries. I expect you to ask relevant questions on these field trips. A summary (1-2 pages) of what you learned on each field trip must be handed in the following lab period. Transportation is provided, but you may also attend these trips using your own mode of transport. All field trips are within 10 miles of campus. ID Exam: You are expected to know the identification characteristics of warm and cool season grasses listed below. The exam will cover knowledge of both common and botanic names. Cool Season Warm Season Creeping Bentgrass Buffalograss Kentucky Bluegrass Blue Grama Canada Bluegrass Bahiagrass Rough Bluegrass Centipedegrass Fine Fescue Zoysiagrass Tall Fescue Bermudagrass Fairway Crested Wheatgrass St. Augustine Grass Perennial Ryegrass Annual Ryegrass Lab Final Project: Instead of a one-day final, you will be tested in your ability to grow and maintain turfgrass plots. The project will include the calculations and calibrations necessary to maintain the plot as well as case studies for your specific grass. Detailed project information is attached. Math requirement: Management of turfgrasses utilizes a LOT of mathematics, mostly basic algebra. The life of your plants depends on it! I strongly recommend that you take MATH 150 or higher before taking this course. In the event that you still struggle with math, I have a background in teaching mathematics and I am very willing to help. Seek out help EARLY! Calculations: SHOW YOUR WORK! If an answer to a calculation is incorrect but you approached the problem correctly, I am willing to give partial credit. If I cannot read your work or figure out how you arrived at an answer, no partial credit will be given. It works in your favor to neatly write out all the steps. You will need a calculator, non-programmable, for this class. 2

3 Date Material Chapter Aug 28 Introduction - What do you need to know? 30 C3 vs C4 2 Sept 1 Lab 1 Seeding & Sodding (Hort Farm) 4 No Class Labor Day 6 Identification Characteristics - Model Building 2 8 Lab 2 Field Trip Springhill Sod Farm 11 Choosing a grass - Cool Season 3 13 Choosing a grass - Cool Season II 3 15 Lab 3 Irrigation (Hort Farm) 18 Choosing a grass - Warm Season 4 20 Choosing a grass - Warm Season II 4 22 Lab 4 Area Calculations (Hort Farm) 25 Soils - Sand, Silt, Clay 6 27 Soils - ph, EC, nutrients 6 29 Lab 5 Field Trip Riverside Country Club Oct 2 Review 4 EXAM 1 6 Lab 6 ID Exam/Project Start 9 Water - ET 9 11 Water - Irrigation 9 13 Lab 7 Seeding Rate and Planting Depth 16 Mowing - Equipment 8 18 Mowing - Economics 8 20 Lab 8 Soils 23 Fertilizer - choices, choices, choices 7 25 Fertilizer - Calculations & Economics 7 27 Lab 9 Fertilizer Calculations 30 Calculations Nov 1 Calibration 3 Lab 10 Sprayer and Spreader Calibration 6 Review 8 EXAM 2 10 No class Veteran s Day 13 Insects Insect Control Lab 11 Current Issues in Turfgrass Management 20 Weeds No class - Thanksgiving 24 No class - Thanksgiving 27 Weed Control Diseases 13 Dec 1 Lab 12 Control Chemicals 4 Disease Control 13 6 Turf Debate 8 Lab 13 - PROJECT END 14 FINAL EXAM 8-9:50am 3

4 TURFGRASS FINAL EXAM PROJECT 300 points GOAL: Establish and maintain a high quality lawn for eight weeks. Choose the maximum possible grade you would like to attain on your final project. Your choice will determine the grass type, budget, acreage, soil types, cultural requirements, and pest pressure you will encounter during your project. The instructor will assign groups based on your choice. Maximum Possible Grade A (100%) B (89%) C (79%) Golf Course Holes Acres Budget $610,000 $480,000 $110,000 Grasses Creeping Bentgrass or Kentucky Bluegrass Perennial Ryegrass or Tall Fescue Crested Wheatgrass or Canada Bluegrass Soils Sand MSU Mix MSU Mix Sunshine Mix Sand Sunshine Mix Mowing frequent frequent infrequent Fertilizer 6 ($168/ac) 4 ($207/ac) 2 ($76/ac) Irrigation frequent frequent infrequent Pests 9 ($7456 each) 6 ($2400 each) 3 ($733 each) Color PART I - Establishment 1) Obtain a group number from the instructor. 2) Obtain 2 metal trays. 3) Fill each tray with a different soil 4) Prepare the soil as necessary. 5) Plant your grass at the appropriate density. 6) Label your trays with species, soil type, and your assigned group number (DO NOT put your names on the tags). 7) Complete the chart on planting and establishment of your grasses. 8) The plots will be evaluated weekly on Wednesday. Evaluation will be based on the following: mowing height density color texture overall appearance cleanliness (i.e. characteristics that a customer would evaluate a turf service on) + sufficient - needs improvement Final Evaluation will be December 1 4

5 PART II - Maintenance Your partners and you are responsible for maintenance of the plots including appropriate watering, fertilizing, weeding, cleaning, mowing, and general care of the plots. An important part of turfgrass management is keeping a record of mowing, fertilizers, and irrigation. Knowing the cultural requirements of a grass and the site s history can provide valuable insight into maintenance timing and frequency, thus saving time and money! Booklets containing mowing, fertilizer, and irrigation logs will be placed on the bench for each group. Use these booklets for raw data recording. Type in your data for your final report. Mowing: When you mow, you want to remove no more than 1/3 rd of the blade. The balancing act is to maintain a mowing height without compromising the photosynthetic system. Therefore, more frequent mowings may be necessary to keep an even height. Complete the log each time you mow. Answer the questions regarding mowing. Fertilizer: Fertilize according to the number issued for your grade category. Each time you fertilize, you will receive a bag (envelope) of fertilizer. The bag will have the fertilizer composition and questions. Record each time you apply fertilizer and answer the questions regarding fertilization. Irrigation: In general, soil should be allowed to dry (but not parch) between waterings. Water only when the soil reaches dry conditions. You will come to recognize the pre-wilt stage for your grass. Each time you water, log both the date and amount of water applied to each soil type. A stopwatch and metered bucket will be available for calibration. Answer the questions regarding irrigation. PART III - Pest Encounters The greenhouse is hardly the place to encounter many turfgrass weeds, diseases, or insects (pests!). Nonetheless, the little buggers are sneaking in! From time to time, you will find a PEST CARD in your turfgrass. Answer the questions about each pest and its control. Research for these answers can be done from your text, the internet, or the library. PART IV - Budget Where does all the money go? Each step in your project is assigned a monetary value (realistic numbers taken from the Peaks & Prairies Golf Course Superintendents Association 2006 Golf Course Survey). Compile these numbers and compare how much each type of golf course spends, on average, on each aspect of turfgrass maintenance. Acquire figures for other categories from the instructor. PEER EVALUATION At the end of the project, each student will rank the participation of their partners. POINT VALUES SECTION VALUE PART I: Establishment 90 PART II: Maintenance 90 PART III: Pest Encounters 90 PART IV: Budget 20 Peer Evaluation 10 Total Points 300 Final Grade Total Points x Maximum Possible Grade 5

6 WHAT YOU HAND IN (one per group): All of this is digitally available on WebCT Cover Page: Group # Group Names PART I - Establishment Botanic Name Common Name Primary Uses Expected Color Expected Texture Mowing Height Water Requirements Fertilization Requirements Growth Habit Optimum Growth Temperature Expected Days to Emergence Actual Days to Emergence Seeding Area (ft 2 ) Seeding Rate (lbs/m) Actual seed used (lbs) Soils used Amount of soil used (ft 3 ) Week 1- Total Score Week 2 - Total Score Week 3 - Total Score Week 4 - Total Score Week 5 - Total Score Week 6 - Total Score Week 7 - Total Score Week 8 - Total Score 6

7 PART II - Maintenance Mowing Log & Questions Mowing Chart - Record the frequency of mowing for each week for each soil type. Date Soil Soil Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Using a computer graphing program, make a chart comparing the frequency of mowing required for each soil type. How did soil type affect the frequency of mowing? Which method(s) of mowing did you use? Comments and observations on mowing: Fertilizer Log & Questions Fertilizer Chart - Record the week, fertilizer composition, and Date Week Fertilizer Composition (N-P-K) Application 1 Application 2 Application 3 Application 4 Application 5 Application 6 N Applied (lbs/m) P Applied (lbs/m) K Applied (lbs/m) Tape each fertilizer envelope to a separate piece of paper and answer the questions from the envelope on the paper. Comments and observations on fertilization: 7

8 Irrigation Log & Questions Irrigation Chart - Record the date and the amount of water applied each time. WEEK Soil Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week Total WEEK Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Soil Week Total Using a computer graphing program, make two charts, one comparing the frequency of irrigation (# of days each week) and one comparing amount of irrigation (amount weekly total) required for each soil type. How did soil type affect the frequency of irrigation? How did soil type affect the amount of irrigation required? Comments and observations on irrigation: 8

9 PART III - Pest Encounters Tape each PEST CARD to a separate piece of paper and answer the questions from the card on the paper. PART IV - Budget Holes Holes 9 Holes Expenditures % of total % of total % of total average $ average $ average $ expended expended expended Total Salary Budget 259, ,977 56,250 Plant Protectants (pesticides) Fertilizer Other Maintenance & Operation 151, ,970 25,592 Capital Improvements - Equipment 56,861 45,742 14,544 Capital Improvements - Course 44,778 29,255 4,156 Total Expended Total Budgeted Difference (Budget-Expended) Which expenditure category takes the largest percentage of the budget? Which course type spends the largest percentage of their budget on salaries? Which course type spends the largest percentage of their budget on plant protectants? Does your budget balance? If not, are you in the red or black? 9