TURFGRASS PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

Calculating Fertilizer Needs (pdf)
Author: Brent Bean

Cool It! (pdf)
The summer of '98: one of the hottest, driest on record for most oTexas. If your lawn is one of the many that went into winter dormancy in a stressed condition, it's probably showing signs o damage as it emerges from dormancy.
Author: James A. McAfee
Submitted 04/1999

Cultivation
Thatch is the intermingled layer of living and dead stems, roots, rhizomes, and stolons that develops between the live green vegetation of your lawn and the soil surface.

Do's and Don'ts (any Why's) of Fertilization (pdf)
Gardene's challenge: determining the proper fertilization rate for turfgrass. There's no magic, one-size-fits-all equation, and most of us judge the quantity of fertilize need by the color of our lawns.
Author: James A. McAfee
Submitted 06/1999

"Dog-on-It" Lawn Problems
"Dogs Damage Lawns," would not be an attention-grabbing headline, because it’s so commonplace. So common in fact that a series of urban myths has arisen over what causes the damage, i.e., female dog urine is more acidic and therefore damaging than male, and what homeowners can do to avoid the problem such as, adding tomato juice to the animal’s diet or baking soda to its water.
Author: Steve Thompson

Establishment of the Home Lawn
There are several things to consider when purchasing and installing sod. First and foremost is buying the right grass for your use and location. Some factors to consider when choosing a grass species and/or variety are amount of shade, traffic, level of care, desired quality, cold and drought tolerance.

Factors Influencing Fertilization
Total fertilizer nutrients needed by turfgrasses assuming all clippings are removed may be calculated by substracting the soil levels reported from the total needed.

Fertilization
Fertilizer supplies essential nutrients to the grass plant for adequate growth and maintenance of plant functions. If you want to have a quality lawn then some fertilizer is key.

Going for the Green (pdf)
In early fall, a homeowner's thoughts turn to overseding. As with any lawn-care program, there are some pros and cons.
Author: James A. McAfee
Submitted 09/1999

Greens Maintenance
Over the centuries the art of greens maintenance was passed from one generation to the next by greenskeepers of chiefly Scottish descent. Many of the early greenskeepers in the U.S. were Scottish.

Guidelines for Mowing, Fertilizing and Watering Lawns (pdf)
Author:Brent W. Bean

Have "Cool-Season" Turf? Here's How to manage it During Winter (pdf)
Winter normally puts a halt to mowing and fertilizing, and it slows down the need to water lawns.
Author: James A. McAfee
Submitted 12/1997

Home Lawn Irrigation During Drought Conditions (SCS-1998-12) (pdf)
Water has always been a limited resource in Texas. During times of drought, the water supply can become so depleted, cities are required to initiate rationing programs.
Authors: Gene R. Taylor, Richard H. White and Scott Abernathy

Iron Chlorosis in Turfgrass
Iron chlorosis presents a significant problem to crop production in the southwestern United States. It is most prevalent in high pH, calcareous soils. In such soils the growth and appearance of many plants, including turfgrasses, are impaired by iron deficiencies.
Author: Dr. Richard L. Duble

Irrigation
Water is a limited resource in Texas. During droughts, water supplies can become so depleted, cities are required to initiate rationing programs.

Keys to Keeping Your Lawn Healthy Now ... and Later (pdf)
The last thing you probably want to think about in the dead of winter is lawn maintenance.
Submitted 01/1997

Maintaining Bermudagrass Lawns (L-5339) (pdf)
Your bermudagrass lawn can be healthy and attractive if you give it proper care.
Author: Gene R. Taylor II, Jason Gray
Submitted 11/1999

Maintaining St. Augustine Lawns (L-5340) (pdf)
With proper maintenance, you can help keep your St. Augustinegrass lawn healthy and attractive.
Authors: Gene R. Taylor II, Jason Gray
Submitted 11/1999

Mowing
Is the lawn smooth enough to mow with a reel mower? Is it smooth enough to mow at the optimal mowing height for the grass variety without continual scalping damage?

Mowing Schedule for Turfgrass Species

Nitrogen Fertilizer Calculations "Cheat Sheet" (SCS-1998-10) (pdf)
Provides homeowners, athletic field managers, golf course superintendents and other turfgrass professionals with a quick reference sheet for determining the amount of fertilizer required for their lawns, based on the nitrogen analysis of any selected fertilizer.

Non-Irrigated Turf Maintenance - Lawns, Parks, School Grounds, Sports Fields and Golf Courses
About 85% of the 3.5 million acres of turfgrass in Texas is irrigated at a cost of about 700 million dollars per year. Irrigation audits recently conducted by Texas A&M University staff on irrigated turfgrass sites show significant waste of water.
Author: Richard L. Duble

Phosphorus: Too Much and Plants May Suffer (L-5241) (pdf)
The buildup of phosphorus in lawns, gardens, pastures and croplands can cause plants to grow poorly and even die.
Authors: T.L. Provin, J.L Pitt

Recovering from the 'Good Old Summertime' (pdf)
If you lost a portion of your lawn to the summer's drought, don't despair.
Author: James A. McAfee
Submitted 10/1998

Sport Field Maintenance (L-2344) (pdf)
Coaches are often more concerned with injuries, personnel problems and opponents than with the condition of the turf on their playing fields.
Author: Richard L. Duble

Thatch Management for Home Lawns (L-5226) (pdf)
Thatch is the intermingled layer of living and dead grass stems, roots, rhizomes, and stolons that develops between the live green vegetation of your lawn and the soil surface.
Authors: Gene R. Taylor, Jason L. Gray, Scott Abenathy

Turf Tips (pdf)
Fall is the time to prepare lawns for winter dormancy.
Author: James A. McAfee

Turf Tips (pdf)
Spring cultural practices for home lawns.
Author: James A. McAfee
Submitted 03/2000

Turf Tips (pdf)
The summer of 2000 has been one of the hottest and driest on record, following two years of above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall. Turf Tips.
Author: James A. McAfee
Submitted 10/2000

Turf Tips (pdf)
Late winter to early spring activities.
Author: James A. McAfee
Submitted 03/2002

Turf Tips (pdf)
September is the time to be applying fall preemergents for the control of annual winter weeds in home lawns, sports fields and on golf courses.
Author: James A. McAfee
Submitted 09/2002

Turf Tips (pdf)
Now is the time to start thinking about applying preemergent herbicides for the control of summer annual weeds in lawns, commercial sites, sports fields and on golf courses.
Author: James A. McAfee
Submitted 02/2003

Turfgrass
Texas is a major urban state with nearly 88 percent of Texans living in 25 federally designated urban areas. Houston, the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, and San Antonio rank among the 12 most populated regions of the United States. Turfgrasses serve many functions in urban and suburban landscapes.

Turfgrass Fertilization
Plants are unique in that they derive their energy for growth from the basic elements of soil minerals, light, water and air. They do not require any organic constituents for growth.
Author: Richard L. Duble
Size: 48.1 K

Turfgrass Nutrition

Warm Up to Zoysias (pdf)
Zoysiagrasses are warm-season turfgrasses native to China, Japan and other parts of Southeast Asia. Neil Sperry's Gardens.
Submitted 01/1998

Water Management for the Home Lawn (SCS-1998-14) (pdf)
In today's society, water management decisions can no longer be based solely on agronomic needs.

Water Management on Turfgrasses
Having witnessed the effects of water shortages in many sections of the country during the past decade, we can appreciate the value and need for conservation of water. And since scientists forecast more extensive droughts throughout the next decade, we must become more conscious of water use.
Author: Richard L. Duble

Winter Green (pdf)
Have you ever driven around town in winter and wondered how some homeowners manage to have beautiful, dark-green turf when most lawns are brown and dormant?
Author: James A. McAfee
Submitted 09/1998

Winterizing Your Lawn (pdf)
If you're concerned that your summer-stressed lawn won't survive the winter, you're not alone.
Author: James A. McAfee
Submitted 12/1998